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Irish research centre signs €300k contract with European Space Agency

Lero, the Irish Software Engineering Research Centre, will work the European Space Agency in order to produce complex software that will be used to assist space missions.

THE IRISH SOFTWARE Engineering Research Centre (Lero) has signed a research contract worth €300,000 with the European Space Agency (ESA) today.

The 18-month work programme will begin this September and will be led by Lero Director Professor Mike Hinchey, along researchers based in the University of Limerick and Trinity College Dublin. As well as being Director of Lero, Hinchey is currently also a Professor of Software Engineering at the University of Limerick and was previously a Director of the Software Engineering Laboratory at NASA.

Commenting on the awarding of the contract, Hinchey said that it was “a further sign of the impact that Lero has made in software engineering research on a global scale”.

“Modern space research missions are critically dependent on complex software for their success: flight control software; software tailored for each specific scientific experiment carried aboard a spacecraft; and the operating system software that manages everything.

“The correctness of all of this software is of crucial importance as a failure in one component could jeopardise the correct behaviour of the rest, and vast amounts of time and money are spent on the verification of their functioning,” Hinchey said.

The group at Trinity College Dublin, led by Dr Andrew Butterfield, in collaboration with their Lero partners at the University of Limerick, are leading an effort to explore the feasibility of developing a software framework that would allow all the scientific experiment and flight control software to be safely isolated from one another, so that failure of one component cannot lead to the failure of others.

Read: Room with a view: Russia unveils plans for new hotel… in space>
Look: Photograph from Space: the Perseid meteor shower>

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    Mute Boris Blank
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    Dec 19th 2023, 1:11 PM

    Pity, I was really looking forward to building a snowperson

    104
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    Mute Dave Barrett
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    Dec 19th 2023, 2:05 PM

    @Boris Blank: maybe it doesn’t to be identified as a “snow person”

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    Mute Ceann Cac
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    Dec 19th 2023, 3:40 PM

    @Boris Blank: Same, although it disgusts me that all snow persons are white. The lack of diversity even in 2023 is awful

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    Mute Boris Blank
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    Dec 19th 2023, 4:01 PM

    @Ceann Cac: excellent point!

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    Mute Boris Blank
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    Dec 19th 2023, 4:01 PM

    @Dave Barrett: true, Dave

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    Mute casio shock
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    Dec 19th 2023, 4:44 PM

    @Boris Blank: its only a snowwoman if there’s snowballs

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    Mute Boris Blank
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    Dec 19th 2023, 8:49 PM

    @casio shock: lol

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    Mute Pete Murray
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    Dec 20th 2023, 12:05 AM

    @Ceann Cac: it’s ok to be white and proud :)

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    Mute P. V. Aglue
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    Dec 20th 2023, 12:58 AM

    @Ceann Cac: privileged White snow person

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    Mute honey badger
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    Dec 19th 2023, 12:28 PM

    We’re lucky so. The UK met are warning of serious snowfall across the water over Christmas.

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    Mute downburst1
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    Dec 19th 2023, 4:47 PM

    @honey badger: The UK Met are not warning of serious snowfall in the UK at all over Christmas. I suspect you are a tabloid reader?

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    Mute brendan C5
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    Dec 19th 2023, 12:51 PM

    So if it doesn’t snow on a certain date at a certain time it’s because of climate change, I know met eireann didn’t say that nonsense. Idi ot journalists.

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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    Dec 19th 2023, 1:31 PM

    @brendan C5: Do you understand the concept of trends?

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    Mute Oh Mammy
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    Dec 19th 2023, 2:39 PM

    @Brendan O’Brien: I do indeed. Like violence, specifically in Dublin, is trending higher.

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    Mute Ann Nugent
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    Dec 19th 2023, 1:16 PM

    Last week it said white Christmas this week it says no white Christmas. ???

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    Mute KTH
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    Dec 19th 2023, 1:26 PM

    @Ann Nugent:
    I know they change their mind like the weather.

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    Mute Sean O'Dhubhghaill
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    Dec 19th 2023, 2:24 PM

    @Ann Nugent: Eh…… no they didn’t.

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    Mute Sean O'Dhubhghaill
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    Dec 19th 2023, 2:30 PM

    Blame it on Dickens! Between 1815 abd 1825 there were about 6 ‘Whute Christmases’ in London. Dickens reflected his childhood experiences in his novels, and literally ‘invented’ the so-called ‘traditional’ Christmas beloved by many. Turkey, Pudding, Snow, Carols, all featured strongly and still do. Though white Christmases are an actual rarity the scenes on Chrustmas cards would have you believe otherwise! All thanks to Dickens.

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    Mute Denis Rathsallagh Brady
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    Dec 19th 2023, 3:10 PM

    @Sean O’Dhubhghaill: Theres me thinking it was Coca-Cola, but thats the Santa Claus connection thingymajig whatchamacallit

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    Mute Argus Romsworth
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    Dec 19th 2023, 1:07 PM

    That’s a shame. Hopefully we get a bit in the new year.

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    Mute Shane O Mac
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    Dec 19th 2023, 6:24 PM

    Heavy snow = no visiting inlaws

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    Mute Kieran Stafford
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    Dec 19th 2023, 11:31 PM

    @Shane O Mac: sounds good

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    Mute Gerard Hayden
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    Dec 19th 2023, 3:16 PM

    Way back in ’74 Greg Lake was using the lack of snow at Christmas for one of the reasons he no longer believed…

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    Mute Sean O'Dhubhghaill
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    Dec 19th 2023, 4:18 PM

    @Gerard Hayden: Possibly one of my favourite ‘Christmas’ songs, even if it is about rejecting Christmas.

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    Mute Pato
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    Dec 19th 2023, 1:34 PM

    There no longer is a white so it will be a no, a yellow or a red Christmas.

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    Mute Joe Meade
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    Dec 19th 2023, 4:21 PM

    @Pato:
    Cheer up Cracker….you and the scooter looters can always cheer yourselves up with some supremely white ‘Aryan’ chavwear, some fire accelerant cara matches and the piece de résistance, some>50% ‘pure’ rat poison infused gak/crack for that proper 12 /10 skanger’s shite Crim-bo!! Keep her/him/it lit….while yee can yet! ;@}

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    Mute Shane O Mac
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    Dec 19th 2023, 6:22 PM

    Must be that ol climate change again

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    Mute jiminybillybob
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    Dec 19th 2023, 9:06 PM

    Shocker there.

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