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At least 487 records · Page 27

USNO GPS program

Initial test results indicated that the Global Positioning System/Time Transfer Unit (GPS/TTU) performed well within the + or - 100 nanosecond range required by the original system specification. Subsequent testing involved the verification of GPS time at the master control site via portable clocks and the acquisition and tracking of as many passes of the space vehicles currently in operation as possible. A description and discussion of the testing, system modifications, test results obtained, and an evaluation of both GPS and the GPS/TTU are presented.

Putkovich, K.↗

Feasibility of collision warning, precision approach and landing using GPS, volume 1

The use of GPS, with an appropriately configured data link, to enhance general aviation avionic functions encountered in the terminal area and on approach was investigated with emphasis on approach and landing guidance and collision warning. The feasibility of using differential GPS to obtain the precision navigation solutions required for landing was studied. Results show that the concept is sound. An experimental program was developed to demonstrate this concept. The collision avoidance/warning concept was examined through the development of a functional system specification.

Ruedger, W. H.↗

Long term frequency stability analysis of the GPS NAVSTAR 6 Cesium clock

Time domain measurements, taken between the NAVSTAR 6 Spacecraft Vehicle (SV) and the Vandenberg Global Positioning System (GPS) Monitor Site, by a pseudo random noise receiver, were collected over an extended period of time and analyzed to estimate the long term frequency stability of the NAVSTAR 6 onboard frequency standard, referenced to the Vandenberg MS frequency standard. The technique employed separates the clock offset from the composite signal by first applying corrections for equipment delays, ionospheric delay, tropospheric delay, Earth rotation and the relativistic effect. The data are edited and smoothed using the predicted SV ephemeris to calculate the geometric delay. Then all available passes from each of the four GPS monitor stations, are collected at 1-week intervals and used to calculate the NAVSTAR orbital elements. The procedure is then completed by subtracting the corrections and the geometric delay, using the final orbital elements, from the composite signal, thus leaving the clock offset and random error.

Mccaskill, T. B.↗

GPS application to mapping, charting and geodesy

GPSPAC, a receiver being developed for space applications by the Defense Mapping Agency and NASA, will use signals from GPS constellations to generate real-time values of host vehicle position and velocity. The GPSPAC has an L-band antenna and preamp capable of receiving the 1575 MHz and 1227 MHz spread spectrum signals; its stable oscillator at 5.115 MHz provides the basic frequency reference, resulting in a long term drift of less than one part in 10 to the -10th day. The GPSPAC performs many functions on board the spacecraft which were previously relegated to large-scale ground-based computer/receiver systems. A positional accuracy of better than 8 can be achieved for those periods when four or more NAVSTAR satellites are visible to the host satellite. The GPS geodetic receiver development, which will provide prototype receivers for utilization in terrestrial surveying operations, has the potential to significantly enhance the accuracy of point geodetic surveys over the current user hardware capability.

Senus, W. J.↗

Ship navigation using Navstar GPS - An application study

Ocean current measurement applications in physical oceanography require knowledge of inertial ship velocity to a precision of 1-2 cm/sec over a typical five minute averaging interval. The navigation accuracy must be commensurate with data precision obtainable from ship borne acoustic profilers used in sensing ocean currents. The Navstar Global Positioning System is viewed as a step in user technological simplification, extension in coverage availability, and enhancement in performance accuracy as well as reliability over the existing systems, namely, Loran-C, Transit, and Omega. Error analyses have shown the possibility of attaining the 1-2 cm/sec accuracy during active GPS coverage at a data rate of four position fixes per minute under varying sea-states. This paper is intended to present results of data validation exercises leading to design of an experiment at sea for deployment of both a GPS y-set and a direct Doppler measurement system as the autonomous navigation system used in conjunction with an acoustic Doppler as the sensor for ocean current measurement.

Mohan, S. N.↗

Preliminary study of GPS orbit determination accuracy achievable from worldwide tracking data

The improvement in the orbit accuracy if high accuracy tracking data from a substantially larger number of ground stations is available was investigated. Observations from 20 ground stations indicate that 20 cm or better accuracy can be achieved for the horizontal coordinates of the GPS satellites. With this accuracy, the contribution to the error budget for determining 1000 km baselines by GPS geodetic receivers would be only about 1 cm.

Larden, D. R.↗

TOPEX orbit determination using GPS signals plus a sidetone ranging system

The GPS orbit determination was studied to see how well the radial coordinate for altimeter satellites such as TOPEX could be found by on board measurements of GPS signals, including the reconstructed carrier phase. The inclusion on altimeter satellites of an additional high accuracy tracking system is recommended. It is suggested that a sidetone ranging system is used in conjunction with TRANET 2 beacons.

Bender, P. L.↗

Architecture and performance of a new GPS time transfer and positioning receiver

This paper describes the Interstate Electronics 4200 GPS Receiver System that has been developed for time transfer and low dynamic positioning applications. The receiver employs the NAVSTAR Global Positioning System (GPS) l sub 1 C/A code and has three optional solution modes fo the clock/navigation state estimation.

Kido, T. I.↗

Preliminary study of GPS orbit determination accuracy achievable from worldwide tracking data

The improvement in the orbit accuracy if high accuracy tracking data from a substantially larger number of ground stations is available was investigated. Observations from 20 ground stations indicate that 20 cm or better accuracy can be achieved for the horizontal coordinates of the GPS satellites. With this accuracy, the contribution to the error budget for determining 1000 km baselines by GPS geodetic receivers would be only about 1 cm. Previously announced in STAR as N83-14605

Larden, D. R.↗

TOPEX orbit determination using GPS signals plus a sidetone ranging system

The GPS orbit determination was studied to see how well the radial coordinate for altimeter satellites such as TOPEX could be found by on board measurements of GPS signals, including the reconstructed carrier phase. The inclusion on altimeter satellites of an additional high accuracy tracking system is recommended. It is suggested that a sidetone ranging system is used in conjunction with TRANET 2 beacons. Previously announced in STAR as N83-14606

Bender, P. L.↗

Centimeter-level relative positioning with GPS

Although the Global Positioning System (GPS) was designed primarily for real-time navigation and positioning applications at the decameter level of accuracy, the GPS has been used to determine all three relative position coordinates of fixed points with centimeter-level accuracy, when the distance between the points has been of the order of 10 km. For intersite distances less than 1 km the uncertainty is about 3 mm, and for distances greater than 10 km the uncertainty in each coordinate is about 1-2 ppm of the distance. These results have been obtained with commercially available production equipment (Macrometer model V-1000 interferometric surveyors) operated by regular surveying personnel under real field conditions, not just by university scientists under ideal laboratory conditions. Techniques that promise to reduce the uncertainty to 0.1 ppm for distances greater than 10 km are being developed.

Counselman, C. C., III↗

First results of GPS time transfer to Australia

A Global Positioning System time transfer unit built by NBS under contract to JPL was installed at Tidbinbilla Deep Space Communications Complex of the NASA Deep Space Network in June 1983. It has been used to estimate the relationship to UTC(USNO MC) of the Tidbinbilla frequency and time system TID(FTS) based on a hydrogen maser, and thence to estimate the performance of the Australian free-running time scale UTC(AUS). Data from the first three months has been analyzed three ways: by two-hop common view using JPL as intermediary; by long-arc interpolation of measurements against space vehicle clocks; and by long-arc interpolation of GPS-Time results. Residuals from a single quadratic fit through three months of UTC(USNO MC) - TID (FTS) results were white noise with standard error 15 ns, and a flying clock measurement gave 70 ns agreement. A straight line fit through results UTC(USNO MC) - UTC (AUS) gave 90 ns standard error and 120 bns agreement. It is proposed to use the GPS measurements to steer UTS(AUS) to UTC(BIH), and to rename the existing time scale TA(AUS).

Luck, J. M.↗

On-orbit frequency stability analysis of the GPS NAVSTAR-1 quartz clock and the NAVSTARs-6 and -8 rubidium clocks

An on-orbit frequency stability performance analysis of the GPS NAVSTAR-1 quartz clock and the NAVSTARs-6 and -8 rubidium clocks is presented. The clock offsets were obtained from measurements taken at the GPS monitor stations which use high performance cesium standards as a reference. Clock performance is characterized through the use of the Allan variance, which is evaluated for sample times of 15 minutes to two hours, and from one day to 10 days. The quartz and rubidium clocks' offsets were corrected for aging rate before computing the frequency stability. The effect of small errors in aging rate is presented for the NAVSTAR-8 rubidium clock's stability analysis. The analysis includes presentation of time and frequency residuals with respect to linear and quadratic models, which aid in obtaining aging rate values and identifying systematic and random effects. The frequency stability values were further processed with a time domain noise process analysis, which is used to classify random noise process and modulation type.

Mccaskill, T. B.↗

Rubidium and cesium frequency standards status and performance on the GPS program

The on-oribt operational performance of the frequency standards on the Global Positioning System (GPS) 1 to 10 NAVSTAR satellites are discussed. The history of the Rb frequency standards showing the improvements incorporated at various stages of the program and the corresponding results are presented. Also presented is the operational history of the NAVSTAR cesium frequency standards. The frequency standards configuration data presented covers the chronology of events from the concept validation satellites, NAVSTAR 1 to 10, starting in 1978 to the present, including the configurations of clocks to be used on the GPS Production Program. Data are presented showing the results of long-term laboratory testing of a production Rb frequency standard with the necessary data taken to calculate Delta F, drift, time error, and Allan variance.

Bethke, H.↗

Using GPS and VLBI technology to maintain 14 digit synchronization

To facilitate the navigation of spacecraft to the outer planets, Jupiter and beyond, the JPL-NASA Deep Space Network (DSN) has implemented three ensembles of atomic clocks at widely separated locations. These clocks must be maintained, synchronized, to with a few parts in 10 to the 13th power of each other and, the entire group must be maintained, to a lesser degree, in synchronism with Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)NBS/USNO. Over the last 1 1/2 years the DSN has been using Global Positioning Satellites (GPS) and Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) technology to perform these critical Frequency and Time (F&T) synchronization tasks. A year of F&T synchronization data collected from the intercomparison of 3 sets of cesium and hydrogen maser driven clock ensembles through the use of GPS and VLBI techniques are covered. Also covered, are some of the problems met and limitations of these two techniques at their present level of technology.

Ward, S. C.↗

High dynamic GPS receiver validation demonstration

The Validation Demonstration establishes that the high dynamic Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver concept developed at JPL meets the dynamic tracking requirements for range instrumentation of missiles and drones. It was demonstrated that the receiver can track the pseudorange and pseudorange rate of vehicles with acceleration in excess of 100 g and jerk in excess of 100 g/s, dynamics ten times more severe than specified for conventional High Dynamic GPS receivers. These results and analytic extensions to a complete system configuration establish that all range instrumentation requirements can be met. The receiver can be implemented in the 100 cu in volume required by all missiles and drones, and is ideally suited for transdigitizer or translator applications.

Hurd, W. J.↗

High precision GPS orbit determination using March 1985 demonstration data

Preliminary orbit determination for satellites in the U.S. Department of Defense's Global Positioning System has been performed using GPS carrier phase data collected in March-April 1985 at 10 sites in the continental United States. The data were analyzed using a new data processing software package called GIPSY (GPS Inferred Positioning SYstem) and with existing covariance analysis software. Data from one day have been processed with average formal position errors of 1.4 to 3.6 meters. The true errors are probably somewhat larger. Covariance results are presented which suggest that the orbits can be obtained with formal errors under 2 meters after certain software issues are resolved.

Bertiger, W.↗

Helicopter flight test demonstration of differential GPS

An off-line post-mission processing facility is being established by NASA Ames Research Center to analyze differential GPS flight tests. The current and future differential systems are described, comprising an airborne segment in an SH-3 helicopter, a GPS ground reference station, and a tracking system. The post-mission processing system provides for extensive measurement analysis and differential computation. Both differential range residual corrections and navigation corrections are possible. Some preliminary flight tests were conducted in a landing approach scenario and statically. Initial findings indicate the possible need for filter matching between airborne and ground systems (if used in a navigation correction technique), the advisability of correction smoothing before airborne incorporation, and the insensitivity of accuracy to either of the differential techniques or to update rates.

Denaro, R. P.↗