Self-reconfigurable and evolvable hardware is a new emerging technology which will enable adaptation of computing systems to changing environments. This paper deals with the design architecture of an autonomous on-board system and the development of a real-time scheduler for the adaptation manager of reconfigurable hardware fabric. Our approach employs computer architecture with two key layers: the adaptation manager and the real time configuration kernel. This has significant advantages in terms of flexibility, scalability, cost, and compatibility with embedded technology. Some preliminary results are presented.