IEEE Computer Society MSST

Sponsored by the IEEE Mass Storage Systems
Technical Committee
IEEE Computer Society

April 16 — 20, 2012
Asilomar Conference Grounds
Pacific Grove, CA


MSST 2012 Speaker

Stephen J. O'Hearn, JPL

Stephen J. O'Hearn
Mission to Mars: A Study in Data Volume and Storage

As JPL's instruments and science data collection and transmission capabilities progress, with each generation of spacecraft and lander, so does the volume of data acquired and returned to Earth. Low data rates and volumes have been replaced by ever-increasing ones. In addition, the engineering effort that goes into developing a mission has consequently increased the magnitude of its own data. This talk will discuss the challenges faced, and solutions applied, in the scope of supporting a Mars rover mission, its requirements and data flows, especially as they multiply on the ground side. It will cover not just the technologies involved, but the human aspect of data management, and what happens when things go wrong—but are made right again!



Stephen O'Hearn is the Division Manager for the Computing & Networking portion of JPL's IT Directorate. His organization provides computing and storage capacity services, in addition to many other forms of IT infrastructure. Prior to joining JPL, Mr. O'Hearn was a Project Manager for TRW Space & Technology Group, and Principal Consultant in Information Technology for Geologics Corporation. Before that, he worked as a systems engineer on various intelligence programs, the B-2 Stealth bomber, and sea-launched ballistic missiles.


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