Technology Infusion in the Era of Faster-Better-Cheaper
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technology technology infusion faster-better-cheap↗
Engineering topics
Rafferty, W.
Publications and source records attributed to Rafferty, W..
Small Spacecraft Telecommunications for the New Millennium's Technology Validation Missions
NASA's vision for science exploration in the next century is based on frequent, affordable missions enabled by small, low-mass, low-cost, highly-autonomous spacecraft. Through the New Millennium Program (NMP), NASA is establishing a new and highly integrated approach to developing and flight-validating technologies that meet these spacecraft goals.
frequent↗
Ground Antennas in NASA's Deep Space Telecommunications
Ground antennas are the major visible components of NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN). The role, key characteristics, and performance of these antennas in deep space telecommunications are described.
ground antenna antenna deep space network DSN tele↗
DSN G/T(sub op) and telecommunications system performance
Provided here is an intersystem comparison of present and evolving Deep Space Network (DSN) microwave receiving systems. Comparisons of the receiving systems are based on the widely used G/T sub op figure of merit, which is defined as antenna gain divided by operating system noise temperature. In 10 years, it is expected that the DSN 32 GHz microwave receiving system will improve the G/T sub op performance over the current 8.4 GHz system by 8.3 dB. To compare future telecommunications system end-to-end performance, both the receiving systems' G/T sub op and spacecraft transmit parameters are used. Improving the 32 GHz spacecraft transmitter system is shown to increase the end-to-end telecommunications system performance an additional 3.2 dB, for a net improvement of 11.5 dB. These values are without a planet in the field of view (FOV). A Saturn mission is used for an example calculation to indicate the degradation in performance with a planet in the field of view.
Stelzried, C.↗
Modulation and coding technology for deep space and satellite applications
Modulation and coding research and development at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) currently emphasize Deep Space Communications Systems and advanced near earth Commercial Satellite Communications Systems. The Deep Space Communication channel is extremely signal to noise ratio limited and has long transmission delay. The near earth satellite channel is bandwidth limited with fading and multipath. Recent code search efforts at JPL have found a long constraint, low rate convolutional code (15, 1/6) which, when concatenated with a ten bit Reed-Solomon (RS) code, provides a 2.1 dB gain over that of the Voyager spacecraft - the current standard. The new code is only 2 dB from the theoretical Shannon limit. A flight qualified version of the (15, 1/6) convolutional encoder was implemented on the Galileo Spacecraft to be launched later this year. An L-band mobile link, use of the Ka-band for personal communications, and the development of subsystem technology for the interconnection of satellite resources by using high rate optical inter-satellite links are noted.
Yuen, J. H.↗
Combined trellis coding and feedforward processing for MSS applications
The idea of using a multiple (more than two) symbol observation interval to improve error probability performance is applied to differential detection of trellis coded MPSK over a mobile satellite (fading) channel. Results are obtained via computer simulation. It is shown that only a slight increase (e.g., one symbol) in the length of the observation interval will provide a significant improvement in bit error probability performance both in AWGN and fading environments.
Divsalar, D.↗
Digital 8-DPSK Modem For Trellis-Coded Communication
Digital real-time modem processes octuple differential-phase-shift-keyed trellis-coded modulation. Intended for use in communicating data at rate up to 4.8 kb/s in land-mobile satellite channel (Rician fading) of 5-kHz bandwidth at carrier frequency of 1 to 2 GHz. Modulator and demodulator contain digital signal processors performing modem functions. Design flexible in that functions altered via software. Modem successfully tested and evaluated in both laboratory and field experiments, including recent full-scale satellite experiment. In all cases, modem performed within 1 dB of theory. Other communication systems benefitting from this type of modem include land mobile (without satellites), paging, digitized voice, and frequency-modulation subcarrier data broadcasting.
Jedrey, T. C.↗
A FD/DAMA network architecture for the first generation land mobile satellite services
A frequency division/demand assigned multiple access (FD/DAMA) network architecture for the first-generation land mobile satellite services is presented. Rationales and technical approaches are described. In this architecture, each mobile subscriber must follow a channel access protocol to make a service request to the network management center before transmission for either open-end or closed-end services. Open-end service requests will be processed on a blocked call cleared basis, while closed-end requests will be processed on a first-come-first-served basis. Two channel access protocols are investigated, namely, a recently proposed multiple channel collision resolution scheme which provides a significantly higher useful throughput, and the traditional slotted Aloha scheme. The number of channels allocated for either open-end or closed-end services can be adaptively changed according to aggregated traffic requests. Both theoretical and simulation results are presented. Theoretical results have been verified by simulation on the JPL network testbed.
Yan, T.-Y.↗
Current developments in NASA's mobile satellite program
The technical background of the NASA mobile satellite program is described, with attention given to the principal system parameters considered by NASA and JPL over the past decade. Recent system concepts and technology developments are discussed with emphasis on the mobile user terminal. Based on L-band channel studies, ground and space segment analyses, and field testing of developed mobile equipment, a first-generation LMSS configuration is proposed. In addition, a future system configuration with potential for significantly increased capacity is examined.
Rafferty, W.↗
The design and performance of a modem for land mobile satellite communications
The digital implementation and performance of a multipath fade-tolerant differentially coherent 8-PSK-based modem for a land mobile satellite experiment (MSAT-X) program is described. At the receiver, differential detection using a matched filter arrangement and feedforward Doppler compensation is employed to achieve several operational benefits. For this L-band satellite link, the channel utilization is an efficient 1.0 bps/Hz for raw data and 1.5 bps/Hz for coded data. The experimental data analysis shows that the modem functions over the fading channel and performs within 1 dB of theoretical or simulation estimates.
Jedrey, T. C.↗
An additional study and implementation of tone calibrated technique of modulation
The Tone Calibrated Technique (TCT) was shown to be theoretically free from an error floor, and is only limited, in practice, by implementation constraints. The concept of the TCT transmission scheme along with a baseband implementation of a suitable demodulator is introduced. Two techniques for the generation of the TCT signal are considered: a Manchester source encoding scheme (MTCT) and a subcarrier based technique (STCT). The results are summarized for the TCT link computer simulation. The hardware implementation of the MTCT system is addressed and the digital signal processing design considerations involved in satisfying the modulator/demodulator requirements are outlined. The program findings are discussed and future direction are suggested based on conclusions made regarding the suitability of the TCT system for the transmission channel presently under consideration.
Rafferty, W.↗