Open Source Software and Its Role in Space Exploration

DJ Byrne, Software Engineer, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Open source developers and NASA have a lot in common. Both are dedicated to expanding the pool of information floating freely through society. Both are focused on the cutting edge, creating new tools and capabilities. Open source software explores our solar system and observes the universe. For example, software on and around Mars today was built with gcc out of a CVS repository stored in AFS, using Kerberos authentication. At NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, DJ is privileged to be writing flight software for the 2009 Mars rover's landing radar. He has written ground system software for Voyager, Galileo, Magellan, and other missions. He's been a System Administrator for several projects and sections on a variety of operating systems. He's been JPL's kerberos admin (10,000 principals), AFS administrator (200 users), public-domain tool builder (set of ~700 for 3 platforms), a Knowledge Management System Engineer, and postmaster (~3000 mailboxes).