Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Low, G. D..
An overview of the Planetary Observer Program formulated by the Solar System Exploration Committee, including the key assumptions intended to constrain the cost of each program mission, is presented. Several candidate missions for the program and their scientific objectives and launch opportunities are described. A missions operations concept for controlling the operations costs of these projects is presented.
The fundamental objectives of the Mars Geoscience/Climatology Orbiter (MGCO) 1990 mission are related to the determination of the surface composition and topography of the planet Mars, its gravitational and intrinsic magnetic fields, and the seasonal behavior of volatiles, dust, and the atmosphere of Mars. These objectives would be achieved through a global mapping of the planet over a Martian year. For the baseline mission, a single spacecraft would be launched in August 1990, arrive at Mars in August 1991, and map the planet from a Sun-synchronous, near-circular, polar orbit for one Martian year. Attention is given to a science rationale and objectives, a mission description, the flight system, and mission operations.
A plan to incorporate autonomous spacecraft maintenance (ASM) capabilities into Air Force spacecraft by 1989 is outlined. It includes the successful operation of the spacecraft without ground operator intervention for extended periods of time. Mechanisms, along with a fault tolerant data processing system (including a nonvolatile backup memory) and an autonomous navigation capability, are needed to replace the routine servicing that is presently performed by the ground system. The state of the art fault handling capabilities of various spacecraft and computers are described, and a set conceptual design requirements needed to achieve ASM is established. Implementations for near term technology development needed for an ASM proof of concept demonstration by 1985, and a research agenda addressing long range academic research for an advanced ASM system for 1990s are established.