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With the ever-increasing demand for higher bandwidth and processing capacity of today's space exploration, space science, and defense missions, the ability to efficiently apply Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) processors for on-board computing has become a critical need. In response to this need, NASA's New Millennium Program (NMP) office commissioned the development of Dependable Multiprocessor (DM) technology for use in science and autonomy missions, but the technology is also applicable to a wide variety of DoD missions. The goal of the DM project is to provide spacecraft/payload processing capability 10x -100x what is available today, enabling heretofore unrealizable levels of science and autonomy. DM technology is being developed as part of the NMP ST8 (Space Technology 8) project. The objective of this NMP ST8 effort is to combine high-performance, fault tolerant, COTS-based cluster processing and fault tolerant middleware in an architecture and software framework capable of supporting a wide variety of mission applications. Dependable Multiprocessor development is continuing as one of the four selected ST8 flight experiments planned to be flown in 2009. 1, 2, 3There are three key problems that need to be overcome in order to fly COTS in space: 1) an effective approach for handling SEUs (Single Event Upsets) in high performance cluster processors, 2) handling thermal issues associated with state-of-the-art COTS components, and 3) achieving high power efficiency (throughput per watt). DM technology solves all three problems. DM solves the SEU problem by combining cluster management software with SEU tolerance-enhancing software in a flexible, efficient, integrated DM middleware suite. DM solves the thermal 1 1-4244-The project formerly was known as the Environmentally-Adaptive FaultTolerant Computing (EAFTC) project. issue by mining the ruggedized, conductive-cooled, COTS airborne embedded processing domain. DM solves the power efficiency problem by mining the high performance, low power mobile computing processing domain.Recently, the DM project successfully passed several key NMP ST8 project milestones: the TRL5 (Technology Readiness Level 5) technology validation demonstration, the Experiment Preliminary Design Review, and the NASA Non Advocate Review. Passing the TRL5 milestone qualified the DM project for advancement to flight system development status. The ST8 project has passed its Preliminary Design and Confirmation Reviews and is now moving into the Implementation Phase.This paper describes the DM technology, the technology validation experiments and demonstrations achieved to date, the plans for the TRL6 technology validation effort, and the plans for the TRL7 flight validation, and provides an update on the status of the project TABLE OF CONTENTS

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1,2 The application of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) processing components in operational space missions with optimal performance and efficiency requires a system-level approach. Of primary concern is the need to handle the inherent susceptibility of COTS components to Single Event Upsets (SEUs). Honeywell in conjunction with Physical Sciences Incorporated, and WW Technology Group has developed a new paradigm for fault tolerant COTS based onboard computing. The paradigm is called "Environmentally Adaptive Fault Tolerant Computing" (EAFTC.) EAFTC combines a set of innovative technologies to enable efficient use of high performance COTS processors, in the harsh space environment, while maintaining the required system availability.