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At least 343 records · Page 19

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NASA NTRS1976

Panoramic attitude sensor

Each subassembly, design analysis, and final calibration data on all assemblies for the Panormic Attitude Sensor (PAS) are described. The PAS is used for course attitude determination on the International Ultraviolet Explorer Spacecraft (IUE). The PAS contains a sun sensor which is sensitive only to the sun's radiation and a mechanically scanned sensor which is sensitive to the earth, moon, and the sun. The signals from these two sensors are encoded and sent back in the telemetry data stream to determine the spacecraft attitude.

Meek, I. C.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Multi-Mission System Architecture Platform: Design and Verification of the Remote Engineering Unit

The Multi-Mission System Architecture Platform (MSAP) represents an effort to bolster efficiency in the spacecraft design process. By incorporating essential spacecraft functionality into a modular, expandable system, the MSAP provides a foundation on which future spacecraft missions can be developed. Once completed, the MSAP will provide support for missions with varying objectives, while maintaining a level of standardization that will minimize redesign of general system components. One subsystem of the MSAP, the Remote Engineering Unit (REU), functions by gathering engineering telemetry from strategic points on the spacecraft and providing these measurements to the spacecraft's Command and Data Handling (C&DH) subsystem. Before the MSAP Project reaches completion, all hardware, including the REU, must be verified. However, the speed and complexity of the REU circuitry rules out the possibility of physical prototyping. Instead, the MSAP hardware is designed and verified using the Verilog Hardware Definition Language (HDL). An increasingly popular means of digital design, HDL programming provides a level of abstraction, which allows the designer to focus on functionality while logic synthesis tools take care of gate-level design and optimization. As verification of the REU proceeds, errors are quickly remedied, preventing costly changes during hardware validation. After undergoing the careful, iterative processes of verification and validation, the REU and MSAP will prove their readiness for use in a multitude of spacecraft missions.

Sartori, John↗

NASA NTRS2000

Message Mode Operations for Spacecraft: A Proposal for Operating Spacecraft During Cruise and Mitigating the Network Loading Crunch

The NASA Deep Space Network (DSN) is a world-class spacecraft tracking facility with stations located in Spain, Australia and USA, servicing Deep Space Missions of many space agencies. The current system of scheduling spacecraft during cruise for multiple 8 hour tracking sessions per week currently leads to an overcommitted DSN. Studies indicate that future projected mission demands upon the Network will only make the loading problem worse. Therefore, a more efficient scheduling of DSN resources is necessary in order to support the additional network loading envisioned in the next few years: The number of missions is projected to increase from 25 in 1998 to 34 by 2001. In fact given the challenge of the NASA administrator, Dan Goldin, of launching 12 spacecraft per year, the DSN would be tracking approximately 90 spacecraft by 2010. Currently a large amount of antenna time and network resources are subscribed by a project in order to have their mission supported during the cruise phase. The recently completed Mars Pathfinder mission was tracked 3 times a week (8 hours/day) during the majority of its cruise to Mars. This paper proposes an innovative approach called Message Mode Operations (MMO) for mitigating the Network loading problem while continuing to meet the tracking, reporting, time management, and scheduling requirements of these missions during Cruise while occupying very short tracking times. MMO satisfies these requirements by providing the following services: Spacecraft Health and Welfare Monitoring Service Command Delivery Service Adaptive Spacecraft Scheduling Service Orbit Determination Service Time Calibration Service Utilizing more efficient engineering telemetry summarization and filtering techniques on-board the spacecraft and collapsing the navigation requirements for Doppler and Range into shorter tracks, we believe spacecraft can be adequately serviced using short 10 to 30 minute tracking sessions. This claim assumes that certain changes would have to he made in the way the Network traditionally services missions in Cruise. Furthermore, limiting spacecraft to short sessions will free up larger blocks of time in the tracking schedule to help accommodate future tracking demands soon to be placed upon the Network. This paper describes the key characteristics and benefits of MMO, the operational scenarios for its use, the required changes to the ground system in order to make this approach feasible and the results of two simulations: 1) to determine the effects of MMO on projected mission loading on the DSN and, 2) to determine the effect MMO has on spacecraft orbit determination.

Greenberg, Ed↗

NASA NTRS2003

Using Fractional Clock-Period Delays in Telemetry Arraying

A set of special digital all-pass finite-impulse- response (FIR) filters produces phase shifts equivalent to delays that equal fractions of the sampling or clock period of a telemetry-data-processing system. These filters have been used to enhance the arraying of telemetry signals that have been received at multiple ground stations from spacecraft (see figure). Somewhat more specifically, these filters have been used to align, in the time domain, the telemetry-data sequences received by the various antennas, in order to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio of the composite telemetric signal obtained by summing the signals received by the antennas. The term arraying in this context denotes a method of enhanced reception of telemetry signals in which several antennas are used to track a single spacecraft. Each antenna receives a signal that comprises a sum of telemetry data plus noise, and these sum data are sent to an arraying combiner for processing. Correlation is the means used to align the set of data from one antenna with that from another antenna. After the data from all the antennas have been aligned in the time domain, they are all added together, sample by sample.

Fort, David↗

NASA NTRS1989

PVDaCS - A prototype knowledge-based expert system for certification of spacecraft data

On-line data management techniques to certify spacecraft information are mandated by increasing telemetry rates. Knowledge-based expert systems offer the ability to certify data electronically without the need for time-consuming human interaction. Issues of automatic certification are explored by designing a knowledge-based expert system to certify data from a scientific instrument, the Orbiter Ultraviolet Spectrometer, on an operating NASA planetary spacecraft, Pioneer Venus. The resulting rule-based system, called PVDaCS (Pioneer Venus Data Certification System), is a functional prototype demonstrating the concepts of a larger system design. A key element of the system design is the representation of an expert's knowledge through the usage of well ordered sequences. PVDaCS produces a certification value derived from expert knowledge and an analysis of the instrument's operation. Results of system performance are presented.

Wharton, Cathleen↗

NASA NTRS1974

Turnstile slot antenna

A turnstile slot antenna is disclosed, the antenna being for and integral with a spacecraft having a substantially cylindrical body portion. The antenna comprises a circumferential slot about the periphery of the spacecraft body portion with an annular wave guide cavity defining a radial transmission line disposed within the spacecraft body portion behind and in communication with the circumferential slot. Feed stubs and associated transmission apparatus are provided to excite the annular cavity in quadrature phase such that an omnidirectional, circularly polarized, rotating radiation pattern is generated. The antenna of the instant invention has utility both as a transmitting and receiving device, and ensures continuous telemetry and command coverage with the spacecraft.

Munson, R. E.↗

NASA NTRS1982

Telemetry system

The means of telemetering digital data from a spacecraft to the Deep Space Network is addressed. Phase shift keying and uncoded quadriphase shift keying modulations are discussed along with demodulation and decoding systems. Telemetry system losses and noisy reference performance for suppressed carrier receivers are also examined.

Yuen, J. H.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Applications Technology Satellite ATS-6 in orbit checkout report

The activities of the ATS-6 spacecraft for the checkout period of approximately four weeks beginning May 30, 1974 are described, along with the results of a performance evaluation of its subsystems and components. The following specific items are discussed: (1) subsystem requirements/specifications and in-orbit performance summary; (2) flight chronology; (3) spacecraft description; (4) structural/deployment subsystems; (5) electrical power subsystem; (6) thermal control subsystem; (7) telemetry and command subsystems; (8) attitude control subsystem; (9) spacecraft propulsion subsystem; (10) communication subsystem; and (12) experiment subsystem.

Moore, W.↗

NASA NTRS1990

The Galileo Orbiter - Command and telemetry subsystems on their way to Jupiter

An overview is given of the Galileo command and telemetry subsystems, which exemplify the rigid time-synchronized systems required by TDM (time division multiplexing). The spacecraft clock is examined, along with some of the rationale for the development of the clock structure and timing to give a sense of the design imperatives for rigidly synchronized systems. Additional subjects include the structure of the science and engineering frames, emphasizing the subcommutated structure of the engineering frame and its relationship to the spacecraft clock; ground processing for and basic uses of the telemetry; the various message types used to transmit commands to the spacecraft; and the generation processes for the command message types.

Erickson, James K.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

RadLab and the Environmental Data Application Dashboard: Graphical and Programming Interfaces for Interrogation of Space Telemetry Data

Sensors on the International Space Station (ISS) and multiple spacecraft elsewhere in Earth orbit and in deep space continuously monitor and collect environmental data, transmitting this information back to Earth. These data include ionizing radiation and, on the ISS, CO2, relative humidity levels, and temperature, and are of great importance to space biology research. Ionizing radiation in particular has been established in ground-based experiments as being correlated with increased risk of carcinogenesis and cardiovascular and neurological effects. Looking ahead to future long duration crewed missions beyond low Earth orbit, the ability to study how factors including CO2 levels, light cycle, temperature modulate the response to ionizing radiation and microgravity is essential. To date, access to these data has been fragmented across space agencies, spacecraft, and databases. To address this issue, NASA’s Open Science Data Repository (osdr.nasa.gov) has developed two Web applications: the Environmental Data Application (EDA) and a radiation-specific RadLab. Each consists of an API (application programming interface) and an associated GUI (graphical user interface) that provide single points of access to the data. To date, OSDR has focused on the sensors from payloads and radiation detectors located on the ISS. The Web applications process telemetry information and associated data, such as spacecraft location and orientation, from multiple international databases. The applications’ request syntax enables users to interrogate these data by craft, sensor type, time range, radiation type (galactic cosmic rays, solar particle events, the contribution of the South Atlantic Anomaly), facilitating arbitrary comparisons of original source data at varying time resolutions. The applications provide programmatic access for use in computational pipelines and GUIs for data visualization and exploration, making these data FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable), complementing the biological data contained in OSDR, and providing the space science community with a valuable resource for scientific analyses.

radiation↗

NASA NTRS1969

Data processing method for a weak, moving telemetry signal

Method of processing data from a spacecraft, where the carrier has a low signal-to-noise ratio and wide unpredictable frequency shifts, consists of analogue recording of the noisy signal along with a high-frequency tone that is used as a clock to trigger a digitizer.

Kendall, W. B.↗

NASA NTRS1965

Integral sensor telemetry final report

Integral sensor telemetry system for factory-stage checkout of Saturn-type launch vehicle

SPACECRAFT SENSOR↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

The Environmental Data Application for Analysis of Space Telemetry Data

Sensors on the International Space Station (ISS) and multiple spacecraft elsewhere in Earth orbit and in deep space continuously monitor and collect environmental data, transmitting this information back to Earth. These data include ionizing radiation and, on the ISS and spacecrafts, CO2, relative humidity levels, and temperature, and are of great importance to space biology research. Looking ahead to future long duration crewed missions beyond low Earth orbit, the ability to study how factors including CO2 levels, light cycle, temperature modulate the response to ionizing radiation and microgravity is essential. To date, access to these data has been fragmented across space agencies, spacecraft, and databases. To address this issue, NASA’s Open Science Data Repository (OSDR) has developed a user interface for interrogation of telemetry data: the Environmental Data Application (EDA). The EDA provides the capability to visualize telemetry and radiation data collected on the International Space Station and corresponding ground platforms during the Rodent Research missions. Telemetry data includes temperature, relative humidity, and CO2 levels. Radiation data includes galactic cosmic rays, the contribution of the South Atlantic Anomaly, total radiation dose rate, and accumulated radiation dose. The application allows users to view single missions, compare multiple missions, and view and download summary or full data tables. In summary, the EDA provides GUIs for data visualization and exploration, as well as means for data export, making these data FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable), complementing the biological data contained in OSDR, and providing the space science community with a valuable resource for scientific analyses.

telemetry↗

NASA NTRS2005

Expected EDL navigation performance with spacecraft to spacecraft data

Pinpoint landing (defined for the purpose of this discussion as landing within 1km of a preselected target) is a key Advanced Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) technology for future Mars landers. Key scientific goals for Mars exploration, such as the search for water and characterization of aqueous process on Mars, the study of mineralogy and weathering of the Martian surface and the search for preserved biosignatures in Martian rocks, requires placing landers at pre-defined locations of greatest scientific interest. The capability to land within 1 km of a pre-defined landing site will improve safety and enable landing within roving range of sites of scientific interest while avoiding hazardous areas. A critical component of the closed-loop guidance, navigation and control (GN&C) system required for pinpoint landing is position and velocity estimation in real time. Spacecraft-to-spacecraft navigation will take advantage of the UHF link between two spacecraft (i.e. to an orbiter from an approaching lander for EDL telemetry relay) to build radiometric data, specifically the velocity between the two spacecraft along the radio beam, that are processed to determine position and velocity in real time. The improved onboard state knowledge provided by spacecraft-to-spacecraft navigation will reduce the landed position error and improve the performance of entry guidance. Results from the first of two years planned for this effort are documented here, including selection and documentation of prototype algorithms that will go forward into flight code along with analysis results used to define the algorithm set.

descent and landing↗

NASA NTRS2006

Real-Time EDL Navigation Performance Using Spacecraft to Spacecraft Radiometric Data

A two-year task sponsored by NASA's Mars Technology Program's Advanced Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) work area includes investigation of improvements to EDL navigation by processing spacecraft-to-spacecraft radiometric data. Spacecraft-to-spacecraft navigation will take advantage of the UHF link between two spacecraft (i.e. to an orbiter from an approaching lander for EDL telemetry relay) to build radiometric data, specifically the velocity between the two spacecraft along the radio beam, that are processed to determine position and velocity in real time. The improved onboard state knowledge provided by spacecraft-to-spacecraft navigation will improve the performance of entry guidance by providing a more accurate state estimate and ultimately reduce the landed position error. A previous paper documented the progress of the first year of this task, including the spacecraft definitions, selection and documentation of the required algorithms and analysis results used to define the algorithm set. The final year of this task is reported here. Topics include modifications to the previously selected algorithm set for implementation, and performance of the implemented algorithms in a stand-alone filter, on an emulator of the target processor and finally on a breadboard processing unit.

navigation↗

NASA NTRS2006

Real-Time EDL Navigation Performance Using Spacecraft to Spacecraft Radiometric Data

descent↗

NASA NTRS1976

Viking X-band telemetry experiment

In order to uncover operational and design problems in the use of X-band by the 1977 Mariner Jupiter-Saturn mission and future spacecraft using the Deep Space Network, the Viking X-band telemetry experiment was conducted. The experiment was conducted during the months of December 1975 and January 1976. During each of the five successful passes, a periodic sequence (in lieu of ranging) was transmitted to the spacecraft and returned by the spacecraft transponder on both S- and X-bands. These telemetry-like signals were received, demodulated, and detected. From a variety of measurements at the station, four independent measurements were made of the received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). These four SNRs were later compared with each other and the predicted SNR. The principal result of the experiment is that X-band telemetry works as expected. That is, the measured SNRs were consistent relative to each other and to the predicted values within the accuracy of the experiment.

Weber, W. J., III↗

NASA NTRS2019

Using telemetry to navigate the MarCO cubesats to Mars

The two MarCO “cubesat” spacecraft were launched alongside NASA’s InSight in May 2018, operating primarily as a technology demonstrator for small satellites in deep space, with a nominal (but experimental) mission to provide relay support for the primary spacecraft during entry, descent, and landing at Mars. Due to their small size and experimental nature, extensive use of telemetry beyond that commonly used by deep space missions was necessary to complete adequate orbit determination. In particular, telemetry was valuable in two areas: use of wheel speeds during thruster calibrations to improve knowledge of individual thruster force levels, and the use of propellant temperature and pressure data to correctly model small thrusting events on board the vehicle.

Martin-Mur, Tomas↗