core Flight System (cFS) Basecamp

cFS Basecamp provides a lightweight environment to help you learn NASA’s core Flight System (cFS) and create app-based solutions for your projects. Basecamp's default cFS target runs on Linux and includes an app suite that provides a complete operational environment including support for onboard file management and transferring files between the ground and flight systems. The built-in hands-on tutorials allow you to be immediately productive. The Open Mission Stack website contains cFS educational material that includes cFS-based projects. These goal-oriented software/hardware projects rely on cFS Basecamp's Apps to provide the project functionality. The cFS Basecamp Python GUI automates the app integration process.

This 'App Store' approach is made possible by using a standard application framework that includes runtime JSON initialization files and by using the cfe-eds-framework cFS distribution that includes a CCSDS Electronic Data Sheets (EDS) toolchain. Each cFS application interface is defined using EDS specifications and the cfe-eds-framework build toolchain generates artifacts that are used by both the flight and ground software systems. App specification and packaging standards are being defined that will allow the cFS community to easily share apps.

For users who are working on a flight mission, the cFS Platform List provides links to additional cFS ports. Currently, there is no automated transition process from Basecamp’s command and telemetry GUI to a fully functional ground system.

Configure Your Environment

Operating System Prerequisites

The system can be developed on any GNU/Linux development host. The following commands install the development packages for a Debian/Ubuntu environment. Other Linux distributions should provide a similar set of packages but, the package names and installation tool names may vary. If you're running on a Raspberry Pi with a 32-bit Raspbian operating system please refer to the cFS Raspberry Pi LED Control Project for details on how to configure and build the cFS.

sudo apt-get update -y 
sudo apt-get install -y build-essential
sudo apt-get install -y cmake
sudo apt-get install -y libexpat1-dev
sudo apt-get install -y liblua5.3-dev
sudo apt-get install -y libjson-c-dev
sudo apt-get install -y python3-dev
sudo apt-get install -y python3-pip
sudo apt-get install -y python3-tk
sudo apt install -y default-jre

Package Notes:

• sudo apt-get update updates a platform's current package respositories
• build-essential contains a C developer tool suite including gcc, libc-dev, make, etc.*
• cmake must be at least v3.12 (This excludes Ubuntu 18.04 and earlier)
• liblua5.3-dev must be at least v5.1
• You can skip installing pip and replace the 'pip3 install' below with 'python3 -m pip install'
• The Java Runtime Environment (JRE) is required to run the cFS performance monitor

Python Prerequisites

The Python Preferred Installer Program (PIP) is used to install PyPI packages. Traditionally these packages have been installed from the OS command line. Python Enhancement Proposal (PEP) 668 is requiring pip installations to occur within Python virtual environments. This Python on Raspberry Pi article provides more information.

Perform the following steps to create and activate a Python virtual environment for 'your_project':

mkdir your_project
cd your_project
python3 -m venv env

source env/bin/activate

Your command line prompt should now begin with (env) to indicate you are running in the virtual environment. Next, use PIP to install the packages required by Basecamp.

pip3 install PySimpleGUI requests paho-mqtt numpy pymupdf

Install and Run Basecamp

Begin these steps in 'your_project' directory created during the Python Prerequisite steps.

Clone Basecamp Repository

git clone https://github.com/cfs-tools/cfs-basecamp.git

Build the core Flight System Target

This must be done prior to running the Python ground system because it creates Python libraries that define the cFS app interfaces.

cd cfs-basecamp/cfe-eds-framework
make SIMULATION=native prep
make topicids

Run the Python Ground System Application

These steps must be performed within your_project's activated Python virtual environment

cd ../gnd-sys/app
. ./setvars.sh
python3 basecamp.py

Operating Python Virtual Environments

To stop/exit a virtual environment issue the deactivate directive and your command line prompt should nolonger start with (env). Each time you need to start your_project's virtual environment perform the following commands:

cd your_project
source env/bin/activate

Next Steps

Use Basecamp's Built-in Resources

Watch Open STEMware's YouTube Videos

Create with Basecamp Projects at Open Mission Stack