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Deep Space Network activities in the development of the Helios B mission from planning through entry of Helios 2 into first superior conjunction (end of Mission Phase II) are summarized. Network operational support activities for Helios 1 from first superior conjunction through entry into third superior conjunction are included.
The applications of meteorological satellite data to both summer and winter weather modification programs are addressed. Appraisals of the capability of satellites to assess seedability, to provide real-time operational support, and to assist in the post-experiment analysis of a seeding experiment led to the incorporation of satellite observing systems as a major component in the Bureau of Reclamations weather modification activities. Satellite observations are an integral part of the South Park Area cumulus experiment (SPACE) which aims to formulate a quantitative hypothesis for enhancing precipitation from orographically induced summertime mesoscale convective systems (orogenic mesoscale systems). Progress is reported in using satellite observations to assist in classifying the important mesoscale systems, and in defining their frequency and coverage, and potential area of effect. Satellite studies of severe storms are also covered.
The Fault Tolerance Expert System for Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) Applications (FIESTA) is a fault detection and fault diagnosis expert system being developed as a decision aid to support operations in the Network Control Center (NCC) for NASA's Space Network. The operational objectives which influenced FIESTA development are presented and an overview of the architecture used to achieve these goals are provided. The approach to the knowledge engineering effort and the methodology employed are also presented and illustrated with examples drawn from the FIESTA domain.
The Table Mountain Observatory (TMO) facilities include well equipped 24 inch and 16 inch telescopes with a 40 inch telescope (owned by Pomona College) due for completion during FY 89. This proposal is to provide operational support (equipment maintenance, setup, and observing assistnce) at TMO to other programs. The program currently most heavily supported by this grant is the asteroid photometry program directed by A. W. Harris. During 1987, about 20 asteroids were observed, including a near-earth asteroid, 1951 Midas. The photometric observations are used to derive rotation periods, estimate shapes and pole orientations, and to define the phase relations of asteroids. The E class asteroid 64 Angelina was observed, and showed the same opposition spike observed of 44 Jysa, last year. Comet observations are made with the narrow band camera system of David Rees, University College London. Observational support and training was provided to students and faculty from Claremont Colleges for variable star observing programs. Researchers propose to continue the asteroid program, with emphasis on measuring phase relations of low and high albedo asteroids at very low phase angles, and supporting collaborative studies of asteroid shapes.
This article explores a potential scenario for the further development of space infrastructure resources and operations management. It is a scenario that transitions from the current ground-based system to an architecture that is predominantly space-based by exploiting key mission systems in an operational support role. If this view is accurate, an examination of the range of potential infrastructure elements and how they might interact in a maximally productive space-based operations complex is needed, innovative technologies beyond the current Shuttle and Space Station legacy need to be identified, and research programs pursued. Development of technologies within the areas of telerobotics, machine autonomy, human autonomy, in-space manufacturing and construction, propulsion and energy is discussed.
Build out a System Safety Model for System-Wide Safety’s first Technical Challenge 5 (TC5) Safety Demonstrator (SD-1), which will be a demonstration of an In-Time Aviation Safety Management System in emerging wildfire response operations. Supporting the Systems Engineer and using Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) practices, languages, and tools. Summer 2022 SD1 milestones: TC5-03-01 Initial Stakeholder Engagement Concept of Operations Development milestone and the upcoming TC5-03-02 Identification of key gaps and prioritization of NASA, SWS milestone.
The author has identified the following significant results. Study emphasis was on developing a unified concept for the required ground system, capable of handling data from all viable acquisition platforms and sensor groupings envisaged as supporting operational earth survey programs. The platforms considered include both manned and unmanned spacecraft in near earth orbit, and continued use of low and high altitude aircraft. The sensor systems include both imaging and nonimaging devices, operated both passively and actively, from the ultraviolet to the microwave regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Contact Graph Routing (CGR) is a dynamic routing system that computes routes through a time-varying topology composed of scheduled, bounded communication contacts in a network built on the Delay-Tolerant Networking (DTN) architecture. It is designed to support operations in a space network based on DTN, but it also could be used in terrestrial applications where operation according to a predefined schedule is preferable to opportunistic communication, as in a low-power sensor network. This paper will describe the operation of the CGR system and explain how it can enable data delivery over scheduled transmission opportunities, fully utilizing the available transmission capacity, without knowing the current state of any bundle protocol node (other than the local node itself) and without exhausting processing resources at any bundle router.
The Natural Environment Branch at NASA s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has the responsibility to provide engineering support to programs and projects in natural environments. The Natural Environments Branch (EV13) is responsible for natural environments definitions, modelling, database development and effects assessments. EV13 personnel develop requirements for flight projects and provide operational support for space and launch vehicle systems. To accomplish these responsibilities, Branch . personnel have developed modelling and analytical tools which include planetary atmospheres, meteoroids, ionizing radiation, plasmas and ionospheres, magnetic and gravitational fields, spacecraft charging modelling, and radiation effects on electronic parts. NASA s Meteoroid Environment Office is operated within the EV13 and provides meteoroid engineering models and shower forecasts to spacecraft designers and operators. This paper will describe the capabilities within the Natural Environments Effects Branch including; examples of natural environment definitions, radiation transport, output from the Global Reference Atmosphere Models for Earth, Venus, Mars, Titan, and Neptune), recent NASCAP 2K results from solar sail modelling, and meteor stream models
As the NASA Center responsible for assembly, checkout, servicing, launch, recovery and operational support of Space Transportation System elements and payloads, Kennedy Space Center is placing emphasis on its research and technology program. In addition to strengthening those areas of engineering and operations technology that contribute to safer, more efficient, and more economical execution of our current mission, we are developing the technological tools needed to execute the Center's mission relative to future programs. The Engineering Development Directorate encompasses most of the laboratories and other Center resources that are key elements of research and technology program implementation, and is responsible for implementation of the majority of the projects in this Kennedy Space Center 1988 Annual Report.
The primary objective of Hipparcos is to provide very accurate star map data and star position accuracies on the order of 2 arc seconds. Hipparcos was planned to be in a geostationary orbit, but due to failure of the apogee motor, it is currently in a high elliptical orbit and has a 10.8 hour period. Goldstone 26 m will provide 6-8 hours per day support for real-time telemetry and command. Mission-dependent equipment is required at Goldstone, and telemetry and command data will be transmitted from Goldstone to European Space Operations Control Center (ESOC) via satellite links. Operations support is scheduled to begin 12 Mar. 1990.
NASA's vision for humans pursuing deep space flight involves the collection of science in low earth orbit aboard the International Space Station (ISS). As a service to the science community, Johnson Space Center (JSC) has developed hardware and processes to preserve collected science on the ISS and transfer it safely back to the Principal Investigators. This hardware includes an array of freezers, refrigerators, and incubators. The Cold Stowage team is part of the International Space Station (ISS) program. JSC manages the operation, support and integration tasks provided by Jacobs Technology and the University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB). Cold Stowage provides controlled environments to meet temperature requirements during ascent, on-orbit operations and return, in relation to International Space Station Payload Science.
Preparing the Deep Space Network (DSN) stations to support spacecraft missions (referred to as pre-cal, for pre-calibration) is currently an operator and time intensive activity. Operators are responsible for sending and monitoring several hundred operator directivities, messages, and warnings. Operator directives are used to configure and calibrate the various subsystems (antenna, receiver, etc.) necessary to establish a spacecraft link. Messages and warnings are issued by the subsystems upon completion of an operation, changes of status, or an anomalous condition. Some points of pre-cal are logically parallel. Significant time savings could be realized if the existing Link Monitor and Control system (LMC) could support the operator in exploiting the parallelism inherent in pre-cal activities. Currently, operators may work on the individual subsystems in parallel, however, the burden of monitoring these parallel operations resides solely with the operator. Messages, warnings, and directives are all presented as they are received; without being correlated to the event that triggered them. Pre-cal is essentially an overhead activity. During pre-cal, no mission is supported, and no other activity can be performed using the equipment in the link. Therefore, it is highly desirable to reduce pre-cal time as much as possible. One approach to do this, as well as to increase efficiency and reduce errors, is the LMC Operator Assistant (OA). The LMC OA prototype demonstrates an architecture which can be used in concert with the existing LMC to exploit parallelism in pre-cal operations while providing the operators with a true monitoring capability, situational awareness and positive control. This paper presents an overview of the LMC OA architecture and the results from initial prototyping and test activities.
The present investigation is concerned with the evolution of a space station in terms of the progression of autonomy, as systems perspectives and architectural concepts permit. The distinction between automation and autonomy is considered along with the evolution of autonomy, and the evolution of automation in station operations. Attention is given to the startup of a complex technological system, aspects of station control, questions of crew operational support, factors regarding the habitability of a space station, system design philosophy for autonomy, evolvability, latent capability, stage commonality, and multiple modularity. It is concluded that an evolutionary space station operating over a period of 10-20 years with a great increase in capability over that time will require a design philosophy which is more flexible and open-ended than for previous space systems.
An outline of a syllabus for the education of real-time-systems engineers is given. This comprises the treatment of basic concepts, real-time software engineering, and programming in high-level real-time languages, real-time operating systems with special emphasis on such topics as task scheduling, hardware architectures, and especially distributed automation structures, process interfacing, system reliability and fault-tolerance, and integrated project development support systems. Accompanying course material and laboratory work are outlined, and suggestions for establishing a laboratory with advanced, but low-cost, hardware and software are provided. How the curriculum can be extended into a second semester is discussed, and areas for possible graduate research are listed. The suitable selection of a high-level real-time language and supporting operating system for teaching purposes is considered.
The design and operation of the lunar roving vehicle (LRV) navigation system are briefly described. The basis for the premission LRV navigation error analysis is explained and an example included. The real time mission support operations philosophy is presented. The LRV navigation system operation and accuracy during the lunar missions are evaluated.
As the NASA Center responsible for assembly, checkout, servicing, launch, recovery, and operational support of Space Transportation System elements and payloads, NASA Kennedy is placing increasing emphasis on the center's research and technology program. In addition to strengthening those areas of engineering and operations technology that contribute to safer, more efficient, and more economical execution of the current mission, the technical tools are being developed which are needed to execute the center's mission relative to future programs. The Engineering Development Directorate encompasses most of the labs and other center resources that are key elements of research and technology program implementation and is responsible for implementation of the majority of the projects in this Kennedy Space Center 1991 annual report.
The flexibility and robustness of a monitor and control system are a direct result of the underlying inter-processor communications architecture. A new architecture for monitor & Control at the Deep Space Network Communications Complexes has been developed based on the Open System Interconnection (OSI) standards. The suitability of OSI standards for DSN M&C has been proven in the laboratory. The laboratory success has resulted in choosing an OSI-based architecture for DSS-13 M&C. DSS-13 is the DSN experimental station and is not part of the 'operational' DSN; it's role is to provide an environment to test new communications concepts can be tested and conduct unique science experiments. Therefore, DSS-13 must be robust enough to support operational activities, while also being flexible enough to enable experimentation. This paper describes the M&C architecture developed for DSS-13 and the results from system and operational testing.