Engineering topics

Murawski, Robert

Publications and source records attributed to Murawski, Robert.

9 records

NASA NTRS2016

Modeling and Simulation of Phased Array Antennas to Support Next-Generation Satellite Design

Developing enhanced simulation capabilities has become a significant priority for the Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) project at NASA as new space communications technologies are proposed to replace aging NASA communications assets, such as the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS). When developing the architecture for these new space communications assets, it is important to develop updated modeling and simulation methodologies, such that competing architectures can be weighed against one another and the optimal path forward can be determined. There have been many simulation tools developed here at NASA for the simulation of single RF link budgets, or for the modeling and simulation of an entire network of spacecraft and their supporting SCaN network elements. However, the modeling capabilities are never fully complete and as new technologies are proposed, gaps are identified. One such gap is the ability to rapidly develop high fidelity simulation models of electronically steerable phased array systems. As future relay satellite architectures are proposed that include optical communications links, electronically steerable antennas will become more desirable due to the reduction in platform vibration introduced by mechanically steerable devices. In this research, we investigate how modeling of these antennas can be introduced into out overall simulation and modeling structure. The ultimate goal of this research is two-fold. First, to enable NASA engineers to model various proposed simulation architectures and determine which proposed architecture meets the given architectural requirements. Second, given a set of communications link requirements for a proposed satellite architecture, determine the optimal configuration for a phased array antenna. There is a variety of tools available that can be used to model phased array antennas. To meet our stated goals, the first objective of this research is to compare the subset of tools available to us, trading-off modeling fidelity of the tool with simulation performance. When comparing several proposed architectures, higher- fidelity modeling may be desirable, however, when iterating a proposed set of communication link requirements across ranges of phased array configuration parameters, the practicality of performance becomes a significant requirement. In either case, a minimum simulation - fidelity must be met, regardless of performance considerations, which will be discussed in this research. Given a suitable set of phased array modeling tools, this research then focuses on integration with current SCaN modeling and simulation tools. While properly modeling the antenna elements of a system are vital, this is only a small part of the end-to-end communication path between a satellite and the supporting ground station and/or relay satellite assets. To properly model a proposed simulation architecture, this toolset must be integrated with other commercial and government development tools, such that the overall architecture can be examined in terms of communications, reliability, and cost. In this research, integration with previously developed communication tools is investigated.

Phased Array↗

NASA NTRS2015

SMC: SCENIC Model Control

NASAs Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program manages three active networks: the Near Earth Network, the Space Network, and the Deep Space Network. These networks simultaneously support NASA missions and provide communications services to customers worldwide. To efficiently manage these resources and their capabilities, a team of student interns at the NASA Glenn Research Center is developing a distributed system to model the SCaN networks. Once complete, the system shall provide a platform that enables users to perform capacity modeling of current and prospective missions with finer-grained control of information between several simulation and modeling tools. This will enable the SCaN program to access a holistic view of its networks and simulate the effects of modifications in order to provide NASA with decisional information. The development of this capacity modeling system is managed by NASAs Strategic Center for Education, Networking, Integration, and Communication (SCENIC). Three primary third-party software tools offer their unique abilities in different stages of the simulation process. MagicDraw provides UMLSysML modeling, AGIs Systems Tool Kit simulates the physical transmission parameters and de-conflicts scheduled communication, and Riverbed Modeler (formerly OPNET) simulates communication protocols and packet-based networking. SCENIC developers are building custom software extensions to integrate these components in an end-to-end space communications modeling platform. A central control module acts as the hub for report-based messaging between client wrappers. Backend databases provide information related to mission parameters and ground station configurations, while the end user defines scenario-specific attributes for the model. The eight SCENIC interns are working under the direction of their mentors to complete an initial version of this capacity modeling system during the summer of 2015. The intern team is composed of four students in Computer Science, two in Computer Engineering, one in Electrical Engineering, and one studying Space Systems Engineering.

Simulation↗

NASA NTRS2015

SmallSat Database

The SmallSat has an unrealized potential in both the private industry and in the federal government. Currently over 70 companies, 50 universities and 17 governmental agencies are involved in SmallSat research and development. In 1994, the U.S. Army Missile and Defense mapped the moon using smallSat imagery. Since then Smart Phones have introduced this imagery to the people of the world as diverse industries watched this trend. The deployment cost of smallSats is also greatly reduced compared to traditional satellites due to the fact that multiple units can be deployed in a single mission. Imaging payloads have become more sophisticated, smaller and lighter. In addition, the growth of small technology obtained from private industries has led to the more widespread use of smallSats. This includes greater revisit rates in imagery, significantly lower costs, the ability to update technology more frequently and the ability to decrease vulnerability of enemy attacks. The popularity of smallSats show a changing mentality in this fast paced world of tomorrow. What impact has this created on the NASA communication networks now and in future years? In this project, we are developing the SmallSat Relational Database which can support a simulation of smallSats within the NASA SCaN Compatability Environment for Networks and Integrated Communications (SCENIC) Modeling and Simulation Lab. The NASA Space Communications and Networks (SCaN) Program can use this modeling to project required network support needs in the next 10 to 15 years. The SmallSat Rational Database could model smallSats just as the other SCaN databases model the more traditional larger satellites, with a few exceptions. One being that the smallSat Database is designed to be built-to-order. The SmallSat database holds various hardware configurations that can be used to model a smallSat. It will require significant effort to develop as the research material can only be populated by hand to obtain the unique data required. When completed it will interface with the SCENIC environment to allow modeling of smallSats. The SmallSat Relational Database can also be integrated with the SCENIC Simulation modeling system that is currently in development. The SmallSat Relational Database simulation will be of great significance in assisting the NASA SCaN group to understand the impact the smallSats have made which have populated the lower orbit around our mother earth. What I have created and worked on this summer session 2015, is the basis for a tool that will be of value to the NASA SCaN SCENIC Simulation Environment for years to come.

Small Satellites↗

NASA NTRS2014

Space Link Extension (SLE) Emulation for High-Throughput Network Communication

As the data rate requirements for space communications increases, signicant stressis placed not only on the wireless satellite communication links, but also on the groundnetworks which forward data from end-users to remote ground stations. These wide areanetwork (WAN) connections add delay and jitter to the end-to-end satellite communicationlink, eects which can have signicant impacts on the wireless communication link. It isimperative that any ground communication protocol can react to these eects such that theground network does not become a bottleneck in the communication path to the satellite.In this paper, we present our SCENIC Emulation Lab testbed which was developed to testthe CCSDS SLE protocol implementations proposed for use on future NASA communica-tion networks. Our results show that in the presence of realistic levels of network delay,high-throughput SLE communication links can experience signicant data rate throttling.Based on our observations, we present some insight into why this data throttling happens,and trace the probable issue back to non-optimal blocking communication which is sup-ported by the CCSDS SLE API recommended practices. These issues were presented aswell to the SLE implementation developers which, based on our reports, developed a newrelease for SLE which we show xes the SLE blocking issue and greatly improves the pro-tocol throughput. In this paper, we also discuss future developments for our end-to-endemulation lab and how these improvements can be used to develop and test future spacecommunication technologies.

Networking↗

NASA NTRS2014

Space Link Extension Protocol Emulation for High-Throughput, High-Latency Network Connections

New space missions require higher data rates and new protocols to meet these requirements. These high data rate space communication links push the limitations of not only the space communication links, but of the ground communication networks and protocols which forward user data to remote ground stations (GS) for transmission. The Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems, (CCSDS) Space Link Extension (SLE) standard protocol is one protocol that has been proposed for use by the NASA Space Network (SN) Ground Segment Sustainment (SGSS) program. New protocol implementations must be carefully tested to ensure that they provide the required functionality, especially because of the remote nature of spacecraft. The SLE protocol standard has been tested in the NASA Glenn Research Center's SCENIC Emulation Lab in order to observe its operation under realistic network delay conditions. More specifically, the delay between then NASA Integrated Services Network (NISN) and spacecraft has been emulated. The round trip time (RTT) delay for the continental NISN network has been shown to be up to 120ms; as such the SLE protocol was tested with network delays ranging from 0ms to 200ms. Both a base network condition and an SLE connection were tested with these RTT delays, and the reaction of both network tests to the delay conditions were recorded. Throughput for both of these links was set at 1.2Gbps. The results will show that, in the presence of realistic network delay, the SLE link throughput is significantly reduced while the base network throughput however remained at the 1.2Gbps specification. The decrease in SLE throughput has been attributed to the implementation's use of blocking calls. The decrease in throughput is not acceptable for high data rate links, as the link requires constant data a flow in order for spacecraft and ground radios to stay synchronized, unless significant data is queued a the ground station. In cases where queuing the data is not an option, such as during real time transmissions, the SLE implementation cannot support high data rate communication.

Computer Networking↗

NASA NTRS2012

Hardware and Software Integration to Support Real-Time Space Link Emulation

Prior to operational use, communications hardware and software must be thoroughly tested and verified. In space-link communications, field testing equipment can be prohibitively expensive and cannot test to non-ideal situations. In this paper, we show how software and hardware emulation tools can be used to accurately model the characteristics of a satellite communication channel in a lab environment. We describe some of the challenges associated with developing an emulation lab and present results to demonstrate the channel modeling. We then show how network emulation software can be used to extend a hardware emulation model without requiring additional network and channel simulation hardware.

Murawski, Robert↗

NASA NTRS2012

Hardware and Software Integration to Support Real-Time Space-Link Emulation

Murawski, Robert↗

NASA NTRS2004

Simulation of Controller Pilot Data Link Communications over VHF Digital Link Mode 3

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has established an operational plan for the future Air Traffic Management (ATM) system, in which the Controller Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC) is envisioned to evolve into digital messaging that will take on an ever increasing role in controller to pilot communications, significantly changing the way the National Airspace System (NAS) is operating. According to FAA, CPDLC represents the first phase of the transition from the current analog voice system to an International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) compliant system in which digital communication becomes the alternate and perhaps primary method of routine communication. The CPDLC application is an Air Traffic Service (ATS) application in which pilots and controllers exchange messages via an addressed data link. CPDLC includes a set of clearance, information, and request message elements that correspond to existing phraseology employed by current Air Traffic Control (ATC) procedures. These message elements encompass altitude assignments, crossing constraints, lateral deviations, route changes and clearances, speed assignments, radio frequency assignments, and various requests for information. The pilot is provided with the capability to respond to messages, to request clearances and information, to report information, and to declare/rescind an emergency. A 'free text' capability is also provided to exchange information not conforming to defined formats. This paper presents simulated results of the aeronautical telecommunication application Controller Pilot Data Link Communications over VHF Digital Link Mode 3 (VDL Mode 3). The objective of this simulation study was to determine the impact of CPDLC traffic loads, in terms of timely message delivery and capacity of the VDL Mode 3 subnetwork. The traffic model is based on and is used for generating air/ground messages with different priorities. Communication is modeled for the en route domain of the Cleveland Center air traffic (ZOB ARTCC).

Bretmersky, Steven C.↗

NASA NTRS2004

Data Communications Performance of AOCDL and AUTOMET Over a VDL Mode 2 Link

Airline Operational Control Data Link (AOCDL) is a service that allows for downlink of in-flight data to help an airline operate efficiently. Automated Meteorological Transmission (AUTOMET) is a weather reporting system that provides forecasts and atmospheric conditions to pilots during flight. These are two examples of new or extended services that will be enabled by implementation of the ATN and its digital air/ground communications data links. One of the possible data links identified for these services is VDL Mode 2. This research focuses on the data link performance of AOCDL and AUTOMET services in a 2015 scenario using VDL Mode 2 as the data link. In the near term, it is expected that the Controller-Pilot Data Link Communication (CPDLC) and Decision Support System Data Link (DSSDL) services will also use the VDL Mode 2 link. CPDLC and DSSDL are high-priority services that communicate aircraft control information and require low end-to-end delays for safety. VDL Mode 3, which is the preferred link for these services because it provides priority-based link access, will not be deployed in time for earlier implementations of these services to use. As such, the research also investigates the impact of CPDLC and DSSDL services on the same VDL link as AOCDL and AUTOMET. Performance of these services over the data link will be separately examined for the airport, terminal, and en route domains. OPNET simulations are performed for each domain. The number of aircraft for each domain is representative of the expected peak aircraft in 2015. Results are collected during a steady-state condition, with aircraft neither entering nor exiting the domain. The study explores the services in terms of the traffic load they present to the VDL Mode 2 radio. The amount of load each service contributes to the data link will be shown for each domain. The end-to-end delays for each service will be discussed. Data link metrics such as subnetwork and queuing delays, channel utilization, and protocol overhead will be used to show the impact of these services on VDL Mode 2. All results will be presented both with and without the inclusion of CPDLC and DSSDL services.

Bretmersky, Steven↗