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At least 1,441 records · Page 80

Evaluating SAR Radiometric Terrain Correction products: Optimal products for applied users

Operational applications for Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) are under development around the world, driven by the free-and-open access of SAR C-band observations that Sentinel-1 of Copernicus has been providing since 2014. Groups like SERVIR, a joint initiative between NASA and USAID, are at the forefront of remote sensing applied uses, and have made many significant contributions to lower the barrier to access, process, and apply SAR for ecosystem services. A takeaway from the SERVIR experience in using SAR is the need to use the appropriate SAR polarimetric product. Radiometric Terrain Correction (RTC) is a key entry-level product for multiple applications that range from ecosystems to hazards. Many software packages exist to create RTC products from SLC or GRD-type Level-1 SAR data, some of which were released only recently, e.g. Interferometric SAR Computing Environment (ISCE) added an RTC module in April 2020. In addition, new versions of open source softwares are expected to address known issues from previous versions, such as Sentinel-1 Toolbox from the European Space Agency (SNAP-7). Despite the growing availability of RTC software solutions, little work has been done to identify differences between RTC products from different softwares. And to address the question, which open-source software produces the most accurate RTC product? This work evaluates Sentinel-1 RTC products created with three different softwares and approaches, including SNAP-7, ISCE-2, and a pseudo RTC product derived from GEE. The GAMMA-derived RTC product, a known optimal RTC and implemented by Alaska Satellite Facility (ASF), is used as a reference. Time series stacks over ten different sites representing varied terrain and ecosystems are evaluated. Products are evaluated for geolocation quality, absolute radiometric calibration, and for the fidelity of the radiometric terrain flattening. The results provide direct guidance and recommendations about the quality of the RTC products obtained from open source methods. This understanding is key to develop operational applications that rely on SAR Sentinel-1 data that need affordable and scalable solutions.

Africa Flores-Anderson↗

Cooperative Lander-Surface/Aerial Microflyer Missions for Mars Exploration

Concepts are being investigated for exploratory missions to Mars based on Bioinspired Engineering of Exploration Systems (BEES), which is a guiding principle of this effort to develop biomorphic explorers. The novelty lies in the use of a robust telecom architecture for mission data return, utilizing multiple local relays (including the lander itself as a local relay and the explorers in the dual role of a local relay) to enable ranges ~10 to 1,000 km and downlink of color imagery. As illustrated in Figure 1, multiple microflyers that can be both surface or aerially launched are envisioned in shepherding, metamorphic, and imaging roles. These microflyers imbibe key bio-inspired principles in their flight control, navigation, and visual search operations. Honey-bee inspired algorithms utilizing visual cues to perform autonomous navigation operations such as terrain following will be utilized. The instrument suite will consist of a panoramic imager and polarization imager specifically optimized to detect ice and water. For microflyers, particularly at small sizes, bio-inspired solutions appear to offer better alternate solutions than conventional engineered approaches. This investigation addresses a wide range of interrelated issues, including desired scientific data, sizes, rates, and communication ranges that can be accomplished in alternative mission scenarios. The mission illustrated in Figure 1 offers the most robust telecom architecture and the longest range for exploration with two landers being available as main local relays in addition to an ephemeral aerial probe local relay. The shepherding or metamorphic plane are in their dual role as local relays and image data collection/storage nodes. Appropriate placement of the landing site for the scout lander with respect to the main mission lander can allow coverage of extremely large ranges and enable exhaustive survey of the area of interest. In particular, this mission could help with the path planning and risk mitigation in the traverse of the long-distance surface explorer/rover. The basic requirements of design and operation of BEES to implement the scenarios are discussed. Terrestrial applications of such concepts include distributed aerial/surface measurements of meteorological events, i.e., storm watch, seismic monitoring, reconnaissance, biological chemical sensing, search and rescue, surveillance, autonomous security/ protection agents, and/or delivery and lateral distribution of agents (sensors, surface/subsurface crawlers, clean-up agents). Figure 2 illustrates an Earth demonstration that is in development, and its implementation will illustrate the value of these biomorphic mission concepts.

Thakoor, Sarita↗

Artificial Intelligence Based Control Power Optimization on Tailless Aircraft

Traditional methods of control allocation optimization have shown difficulties in exploiting the full potential of controlling large arrays of control devices on innovative air vehicles. Artificial neutral networks are inspired by biological nervous systems and neurocomputing has successfully been applied to a variety of complex optimization problems. This project investigates the potential of applying neurocomputing to the control allocation optimization problem of Hybrid Wing Body (HWB) aircraft concepts to minimize control power, hinge moments, and actuator forces, while keeping system weights within acceptable limits. The main objective of this project is to develop a proof-of-concept process suitable to demonstrate the potential of using neurocomputing for optimizing actuation power for aircraft featuring multiple independently actuated control surfaces. A Nastran aeroservoelastic finite element model is used to generate a learning database of hinge moment and actuation power characteristics for an array of flight conditions and control surface deflections. An artificial neural network incorporating a genetic algorithm then uses this training data to perform control allocation optimization for the investigated aircraft configuration. The phase I project showed that optimization results for the sum of required hinge moments are improved by more than 12% over the best Nastran solution by using the neural network optimization process.

Gern, Frank↗

Efficient grid generation

Because the governing equations in fluid dynamics contain partial differentials and are too difficult in most cases to solve analytically, these differentials are generally replaced by finite difference terms. These terms contain terms in the solution at nearby states. This procedure discretizes the field into a finite number of states. These states, when plotted, form a grid, or mesh, of points. It is at these states, or field points, that the solution is found. The optimum choice of states, the x, y, z coordinate values, minimizes error and computational time. But the process of finding these states is made more difficult by complex boundaries, and by the need to control step size differences between the states, that is, the need to control the spacing of field points. One solution technique uses a different set of state variables, which define a different coordinate system, to generate the grid more easily. A new method, developed by Dr. Joseph Steger, combines elliptic and hyperbolic partial differential equations into a mapping function between the physical and computational coordinate systems. This system of equations offers more control than either equation provides alone. The Steger algorithm was modified in order to allow bodies with stronger concavities to be used, offering the possibility of generating a single grid about multiple bodies. Work was also done on identifying areas where grid breakdown occurs.

Seki, Rycichi↗

The Strutjet Rocket Based Combined Cycle Engine

The multi stage chemical rocket has been established over many years as the propulsion System for space transportation vehicles, while, at the same time, there is increasing concern about its continued affordability and rather involved reusability. Two broad approaches to addressing this overall launch cost problem consist in one, the further development of the rocket motor, and two, the use of airbreathing propulsion to the maximum extent possible as a complement to the limited use of a conventional rocket. In both cases, a single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) vehicle is considered a desirable goal. However, neither the "all-rocket" nor the "all-airbreathing" approach seems realizable and workable in practice without appreciable advances in materials and manufacturing. An affordable system must be reusable with minimal refurbishing on-ground, and large mean time between overhauls, and thus with high margins in design. It has been suggested that one may use different engine cycles, some rocket and others airbreathing, in a combination over a flight trajectory, but this approach does not lead to a converged solution with thrust-to-mass, specific impulse, and other performance and operational characteristics that can be obtained in the different engines. The reason is this type of engine is simply a combination of different engines with no commonality of gas flowpath or components, and therefore tends to have the deficiencies of each of the combined engines. A further development in this approach is a truly combined cycle that incorporates a series of cycles for different modes of propulsion along a flight path with multiple use of a set of components and an essentially single gas flowpath through the engine. This integrated approach is based on realizing the benefits of both a rocket engine and airbreathing engine in various combinations by a systematic functional integration of components in an engine class usually referred to as a rocket-based combined cycle (RBCC) engine. RBCC engines exhibit a high potential for lowering the operating cost of launching payloads into orbit. Two sources of cost reductions can be identified. First, RBCC powered vehicles require only 20% takeoff thrust compared to conventional rockets, thereby lowering the thrust requirements and the replacement cost of the engines. Second, due to the higher structural and thermal margins achievable with RBCC engines coupled with a higher degree of subsystem redundance lower maintenance and operating cost are obtainable.

Siebenhaar, A.↗

Implementation of a Water Flow Control System into the ISS'S Planned Fluids & Combustion Facility

The Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) will become an ISS facility capable of performing basic combustion and fluids research. The facility consists of two independent payload racks specifically configured to support multiple experiments over the life of the ISS. Both racks will depend upon the ISS's Moderate Temperature Loop (MTL) for removing waste heat generated by the avionics and experiments operating within the racks. By using the MTL, constraints are imposed by the ISS vehicle on how the coolant resource is used. On the other hand, the FCF depends upon effective thermal control for maximizing life of the hardware and for supplying proper boundary conditions for the experiments. In the implementation of a design solution, significant factors in the selection of the hardware included ability to measure and control relatively low flow rates, ability to throttle flow within the time constraints of the ISS MTL, conserve energy usage, observe low mass and small volume requirements. An additional factor in the final design solution selection was considering how the system would respond to a loss of power event. This paper describes the method selected to satisfy the FCF design requirements while maintaining the constraints applied by the ISS vehicle.

Edwards, Daryl A.↗

Lightning Charge Retrievals: Dimensional Reduction, LDAR Constraints, and a First Comparison with LIS Satellite Data

A "dimensional reduction" ("DR") method is introduced for analyzing lightning field changes ((Delta)Es) whereby the number of unknowns in a discrete two-charge model is reduced from the standard eight (x, y, z, Q, x', y', z', Q') to just four (x, y, z, Q). The four unknowns (x, y, z, Q) are found by performing a numerical minimization of a chi-square function. At each step of the minimization, an overdetermined fixed matrix (OFM) method is used to immediately retrieve the best "residual source" (x', y', z', Q'), given the values of (x, y, z, Q). In this way, all eight parameters Ix. y, z, Q, x', y', z', Q') are found, yet a numerical search of only four parameters (x, y, z, Q) is required. The DR method has been used to analyze lightning-caused (Delta)Es derived from multiple ground-based electric field measurements at the NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and U.S. Air Force Eastern Range (ER). The accuracy of the DR method has been assessed by comparing retrievals with data provided by the lightning detection and ranging (LDAR) system at the KSC-ER. and from least squares error estimation theory, and the method is shown to be a useful "stand alone" charge retrieval tool. Since more than one charge distribution describes a finite set of (Delta)Es (i.e., solutions are nonunique), and since there can be appreciable differences in the physical characteristics of these solutions, not all DR solutions are physically acceptable. Hence. an alternative and more accurate method of analysis is introduced that uses LDAR data to constrain the geometry of the charge solutions. thereby removing physically unacceptable retrievals. The charge solutions derived from this method are shown to compare well with independent satellite- and ground-based observations of lightning m several Florida storms.

Koshak, W. J.↗

Space Transportation System Availability Requirements and Its Influencing Attributes Relationships

It is essential that management and engineering understand the need for an availability requirement for the customer's space transportation system as it enables the meeting of his needs, goal, and objectives. There are three types of availability, e.g., operational availability, achieved availability, or inherent availability. The basic definition of availability is equal to the mean uptime divided by the sum of the mean uptime plus the mean downtime. The major difference is the inclusiveness of the functions within the mean downtime and the mean uptime. This paper will address tIe inherent availability which only addresses the mean downtime as that mean time to repair or the time to determine the failed article, remove it, install a replacement article and verify the functionality of the repaired system. The definitions of operational availability include the replacement hardware supply or maintenance delays and other non-design factors in the mean downtime. Also with inherent availability the mean uptime will only consider the mean time between failures (other availability definitions consider this as mean time between maintenance - preventive and corrective maintenance) that requires the repair of the system to be functional. It is also essential that management and engineering understand all influencing attributes relationships to each other and to the resultant inherent availability requirement. This visibility will provide the decision makers with the understanding necessary to place constraints on the design definition for the major drivers that will determine the inherent availability, safety, reliability, maintainability, and the life cycle cost of the fielded system provided the customer. This inherent availability requirement may be driven by the need to use a multiple launch approach to placing humans on the moon or the desire to control the number of spare parts required to support long stays in either orbit or on the surface of the moon or mars. It is the intent of this paper to provide the visibility of relationships of these major attribute drivers (variables) to each other and the resultant system inherent availability, but also provide the capability to bound the variables providing engineering the insight required to control the system's engineering solution. An example of this visibility will be the need to provide integration of similar discipline functions to allow control of the total parts count of the space transportation system. Also the relationship visibility of selecting a reliability requirement will place a constraint on parts count to achieve a given inherent availability requirement or accepting a larger parts count with the resulting higher reliability requirement. This paper will provide an understanding for the relationship of mean repair time (mean downtime) to maintainability, e.g., accessibility for repair, and both mean time between failure, e.g., reliability of hardware and the system inherent availability. Having an understanding of these relationships and resulting requirements before starting the architectural design concept definition will avoid considerable time and money required to iterate the design to meet the redesign and assessment process required to achieve the results required of the customer's space transportation system. In fact the impact to the schedule to being able to deliver the system that meets the customer's needs, goals, and objectives may cause the customer to compromise his desired operational goal and objectives resulting in considerable increased life cycle cost of the fielded space transportation system.

Rhodes, Russel E.↗

Trajectory Engineering with Modular Patched Conics for Entry Systems and TPS (TEMPEST)

Brief Presenter Biography (35 word limit): Bohdan Wesely is an Aerospace Engineer in the Entry Systems and Technology Division at Ames. He has worked on a variety of projects for NASA including integrated TPS (thermal protection system) flight hardware deliveries and testing services for commercial partners. Introduction: TEMPEST is a new trajectory analysis framework that is designed to fill the gap between dedicated flight mechanics tools and aerothermal and TPS sizing tools. The project started as an SJSU master’s thesis and has since evolved into a general conceptual design tool capable of studying a wide variety of entry problems. Development is ongoing in the Entry Systems and Technology Division at NASA ARC. Why TEMPEST: Space missions involving entry into a planetary atmosphere involve a series of unique requirements across multiple disciplines. Whether it is traditional entry descent and landing (EDL), or aerocapture, the vehicle must navigate to its target landing location or orbit state, and the TPS must protect the payload during entry. The design process typically involves iterative handoffs between various flight mechanics, flow solver, and material response level tools. During the early conceptual phase, a wide variety of feasible trajectories are simulated in a Monte Carlo scenario which broadly satisfy the mission or landing requirements. Next, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC), and other flow solver analyses are performed at various key trajectory points to generate an aero-database, heating and TPS design requirements also emerge at this stage. At this point, with updated aerodynamics from the various flow solvers, trajectories can be re-run, this in turn can change the required freestream conditions for the CFD tools, and as a project progresses, these analyses converge, and uncertainty is reduced. However, there is always a “hand-off” occurring between two inherently coupled phenomena. Analysis Description: One of the goals with TEMPEST is to use a variety of first principles estimation methods coupled with an atmosphere model to predict vehicle aerothermodynamics across the entire flight regime while propagating a 3 or 6 degree of freedom (DoF) trajectory. Aerodynamics methods include modified Newtonian, Maxwell and Cercignani- Lampis-Lord (CLL) for continuum, transitional, and free molecular flow regimes. Aerothermodynamics include boundary layer and reference enthalpy methods, and Mutation++ for non-equilibrium chemistry modeling. TEMPEST is also capable of stitching multiple trajectory segments together to study mission scenarios like multi-pass aerocapture and aero-gravity assists. Most of the program is implemented in MATLAB using modern system objects, it relies on several C++ shared libraries for supporting tools like Gmsh, the Global Reference Atmospheric Model (GRAM), and Mutation++. The various first principles aerothermal estimation methods are discretized across either a structured axisymmetric panel mesh or an unstructured tri-mesh generated from an open-source tool such as Gmsh, this allows solutions on the same mesh to be compared across tools such as CB-Aero. CFD Coupling. A physics-aware, gaussian process CFD anchoring scheme is proposed to adjust the various first principles methods as a CFD database is populated. One goal for this anchoring module is to inform the project where CFD should be run. Full knowledge of the entire trajectory, atmosphere, and aerothermodynamics allows for easier identification of high sensitivity areas and uncertainty quantification. While the first principles effects are well known and proven accurate in existing tools such as CB- Aero and Cart3D, a physics aware CFD anchoring scheme increases tool credibility across a project lifecycle. Material Response Modeling. Correct TPS sizing is critical for optimizing mass for science payloads and ensuring mission success. The process typically involves a thermal analysis along the trajectory with surface heating environments as a boundary condition. Several design constraints are maximum bondline temperature and maximum recession with various margining techniques. The material response tool FIAT, developed out of NASA Ames, is currently being integrated into the TEMPEST environment. TPS recession, shape change, mass loss, and mass property alteration are all factors that can perturb an entry trajectory. For missions like Mars 2020, recession was minimal and was safely handled separately as a post process. For missions such as Jupiter Galileo with a high TPS mass fraction or asteroid entries, recession plays a major role. The proposed fully coupled scheme is to use an epoch-based approach where the trajectory integration is halted after a recession threshold, the energy balance and FIAT are solved at each panel, the mesh, aerodynamics, and mass properties are updated, and the trajectory continues. Several computational tradeoffs have been made during the development of TEMPEST to limit the cost of a single trajectory and preserve its utility as a conceptual, rapid iteration tool. Conclusion: Development of TEMPEST is ongoing and the project is still in its infancy. This talk aims to showcase its unique capabilities to support future NASA entry systems missions.

Bohdan O Wesely↗

Thermal modeling of the Shuttle Infrared Telescope Facility

The Shuttle Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) is a cryogenically cooled telescope in the one-meter aperture class designed for sensing in the infrared from 2-200 microns. This facility is currently planned for multiple missions onboard the Space Shuttle with varying instrument complements. All components of the SIRTF within the field of view of the optics are cryogenically cooled. The baseline primary coolant is supercritical helium which is stored in an external tank and routed through the telescope-cooling the instruments, the optical components and the baffles. For detector cooling below 6 K, small reservoirs of superfluid helium (HeII) are provided. The SIRTF was thermally modeled on the SINDA computer program both for steady state and transient solutions. The analysis shows that the baseline configuration has a large capacity for growth in cryogen requirements. A proportional controller model was developed for transient operations. The control system maintained the optics within all prescribed temperature limits except for certain combinations of transients involving a large step change in the power dissipation in the secondary mirror assembly and/or when the primary mirror was assumed to be constructed of quartz. The baseline SIRTF will perform the mission for which it was designed.

Gier, H. L.↗

Multiple Boundary Condition Tests (MBCT) for verification of large space structures

The Multiple Boundary Condition Tests (MBCT) approach is evaluated and recent modifications are described. For the application of MBCT, 12 different boundary conditions are selected and the results of applying MBCT in conjunction with a nonlinear formulation are indicated schematically. It is concluded that the nonlinear formulation enhances the ability to implement the MBCT test approach on large space structures which cannot be ground tested without the artificial boundary conditions incorporated in MBCT. In addition, it leads to significant improvements in the convergence to the correct solution.

Wada, B. K.↗

Application of the Thurston bifurcation solution strategy to problems with modal interaction

The solution of bifurcation problems with closely-spaced critical points is achieved by first separating the singular part of the equation system encountered during a Newton iteration and carrying the Taylor expansion of the reduced system out to higher order. This separation is accomplished by transforming the equation system into an equivalent system in which some of the original unknowns are replaced with an equal number of modal amplitude coefficients. This method was used to continue the analysis of two significant example problems well past multiple fiburcation points, allowing a detailed examination of postbuckling behavior in the presence of modal interaction.

Rankin, C. C.↗

Kaon-nucleus scattering

The derivations of the Lippmann-Schwinger equation and Watson multiple scattering are given. A simple optical potential is found to be the first term of that series. The number density distribution models of the nucleus, harmonic well, and Woods-Saxon are used without t-matrix taken from the scattering experiments. The parameterized two-body inputs, which are kaon-nucleon total cross sections, elastic slope parameters, and the ratio of the real to the imaginary part of the forward elastic scattering amplitude, are presented. The eikonal approximation was chosen as our solution method to estimate the total and absorptive cross sections for the kaon-nucleus scattering.

Hong, Byungsik↗

Statistical discrete particle simulation studies

A particle simulation code was developed that is suited to Multiple Instruction Multiple Data multiprocessor computers. The resulting code is designed to be portable between a large class of multiprocessor computer architectures, including hypercubes (e.g., Intel iPSC/860), shared memory machines (e.g., Cray, SGI, DASH), and simple uniprocessors (e.g., SUN, VAX, IBM PC). This code provides a powerful general framework that can be adapted to specific applications, such as thermomechanical modeling, general 3-D geometry support, or visualization support via a codeveloped CPlot data reduction and visualization system. Chemistry models were implemented and validated with comparison to continuum solutions of thermochemically relaxing gas mixtures and with experimental results from the high speed flow about a circular cylinder. Furthermore, the exchange of energy between translational and internal modes was modeled. New models were developed, combining greater efficiency than earlier phenomenological models. They offer greater physical detail by addressing vibrational energy as a discretely distributed quantity.

Mcdonald, Jeffrey D.↗

Multi-Impulse to Time Optimal Finite Burn Trajectory Conversion

A novel algorithm is presented that provides an improvement over a traditional parameter optimization method when solving time-optimal, finite-burn pseudo-rendezvous spacecraft trajectory problems. A hybrid optimization procedure is described that converts a set of multiple-impulses, representing high- or low-thrust maneuvers, to an exact time-optimal finite-burn trajectory for a thrust limited, constant exhaust velocity spacecraft. The Hybrid Method applies a control law derived from the Euler-Lagrange system of equations within the classical Indirect Method to a modern Direct Method. An iterative adjoint-control transformation and an evolving constraint vector are introduced to solve the optimal control two-point boundary value problem. This method requires no prior knowledge of the solution, which adds simplicity to the trajectory design process and aids automation. Examples are shown for low-thrust apogee raise maneuvers, non-coplanar Earth orbit transfers, and a modified Deep Space 1 low-thrust trajectory. A numerically significant improvement to objective cost is shown across all application problems compared to a traditional solution method, as well as a significant improvement to convergence speed for a select class of problems.

Joshua A Fogel↗

Magnetic fields interacting with nonlinear compressible convection

Two-dimensional numerical simulations are used to study fully compressible convection in the presence of an imposed magnetic field. Highly nonlinear flows are considered that span multiple density scale heights. The convection tends to sweep the initially uniform vertical magnetic field into concentrated flux sheets with significant magnetic pressures. These flux sheets are partially evacuated, and effects of buoyancy and Lorentz forces there can serve to suppress motions. The flux sheets can be surrounded by a sheath of descending flow. If the imposed magnetic field is sufficiently strong, the convection can become oscillatory. The unstably stratified fluid layer has an initial density ratio (bottom to top of layer) of 11. Surveys of solutions at fixed Rayleigh number sample Chandrasekhar numbers from 1 to 1000 and magnetic Prandtl numbers from 1/16 to 1. These nonlinear simulations utilize a two-dimensional numerical scheme based on a modified two-step Lax-Wendroff method.

Hulburt, Neal E.↗

Implicit solution of three-dimensional internal turbulent flows

The scalar form of the approximate factorization method was used to develop a new code for the solution of three-dimensional internal laminar and turbulent compressible flows. The Navier-Stokes equations in their Reynolds-averaged form are iterated in time until a steady solution is reached. Evidence is given to the implicit and explicit artificial damping schemes that proved to be particularly efficient in speeding up convergence and enhancing the algorithm robustness. A conservative treatment of these terms at domain boundaries is proposed in order to avoid undesired mass and/or momentum artificial fluxes. Turbulence effects are accounted for by the zero-equation Baldwin-Lomax turbulence model and the q-omega two-equation model. For the first, an investigation on the model behavior in case of multiple boundaries is performed. The flow in a developing S-duct is then solved in the laminar regime at Reynolds number (Re) 790 and in the turbulent regime at Re=40,000 using the Baldwin-Lomax model . The Stanitz elbow is then solved using an inviscid version of the same code at M(sub inlet)=0.4. Grid dependence and convergence rate are investigated showing that for this solver the implicit damping scheme may play a critical role for convergence characteristics. The same flow at Re=2.5x10(exp 6) is solved with the Baldwin-Lomax and the q-omega models. Both approaches showed satisfactory agreement with experiments, although the q-omega model is slightly more accurate.

Michelassi, V.↗

Design Consideration on the ACTS T1-VSAT

The Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) was developed by NASA as an experimental platform to demonstrate to industry the high risk technologies need for the next generation of communication satellites. The ACTS contains many state-of-the-art technologies including time division multiple accessing, adaptive error correction coding, multiple electronically steerable hopping beam antennas, spectrally efficient SMSK modulation, demand assignment multiple access protocol and on-board baseband circuit switching. An integral part of this testbed is the ACTS T1-very small aperture terminal (VSAT). The requirements imposed on the T1-VSAT demanded numerous design tradeoffs; balancing risk, cost, and implementation. Some of these considerations include: the method used for determining link quality, the development of a low cost and reliable Ka-band high power amplifier, the integration and testing environment for use in development and production and the low cost signal processing solution to high rate burst data. This paper discusses the tradeoffs considered in the selected implementation and the results obtained over the past two years of operation. Recommendations for improvements are also included.

Lilley, Richard D.↗