Engineering Papers⌕ Search

SEARCH · Engineering Papers

Results for “Communication”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 1,765 records · Page 98

An adaptive narrow band frequency modulation voice communication system

A narrow band frequency modulation communication system is described which provides for the reception of good quality voice at low carrier-to-noise ratios. The high level of performance is obtained by designing a limiter and phase lock loop combination as a demodulator, so that the bandwidth of the phase lock loop decreases as the carrier level decreases. The system was built for the position location and aircraft communication equipment experiment of the ATS 6 program.

Wishna, S.↗

Apollo/Saturn C00.00.19.3 operations and maintenance. Cathodic protection of communication cables

Operating and maintenance instructions for cathodic protection of communication cables at the Cape Kennedy Launch Complex are presented. The system is designed to prevent or arrest corrosion of communication cables buried in soil or submerged in water by impressing sufficient direct current from the rectifier through the anodes to the cable. This process neutralizes or counteracts current flowing from the cable into the soil or water, thus preventing or arresting corrosion of the cable sheath material.

Source record↗

Communications terminal breadboard

A baseline design is presented of a digital communications link between an advanced manned spacecraft (AMS) and an earth terminal via an Intelsat 4 type communications satellite used as a geosynchronous orbiting relay station. The fabrication, integration, and testing of terminal elements at each end of the link are discussed. In the baseline link design, the information carrying capacity of the link was estimated for both the forward direction (earth terminal to AMS) and the return direction, based upon orbital geometry, relay satellite characteristics, terminal characteristics, and the improvement that can be achieved by the use of convolutional coding/Viterbi decoding techniques.

Source record↗

Space shuttle data handling and communications considerations.

Operational and development flight instrumentation, data handling subsystems and communication requirements of the space shuttle orbiter are discussed. Emphasis is made on data gathering methods, crew display data, computer processing, recording, and telemetry by means of a digital data bus. Also considered are overall communication conceptual system aspects and design features allowing a proper specification of telemetry encoders and instrumentation recorders. An adaptive bit rate concept is proposed to handle the telemetry bit rates which vary with the amount of operational and experimental data to be transmitted. A split-phase encoding technique is proposed for telemetry to cope with the excessive bit jitter and low bit transition density which may affect television performance.

Stoker, C. J.↗

Choice of an ion engine for the Communications Technology Satellite.

The purpose of the spacecraft is to space qualify a number of components for the next generation of communications satellites. The state of development of ion thrusters has reached a point where at least three types of engine may be considered for integration on spacecraft. The proposed methods of stationkeeping require that the thruster operate with a duty cycle of somewhat less than 12 hours in a 24 hour period. Several possible mounting positions for the thrusters were considered during the conceptual design phase. It is concluded that an experimental ion thruster subsystem may be incorporated in the communication satellite and used to demonstrate, at a minimum, north-south stationkeeping of the spacecraft in synchronous orbit.

Payne, W. F.↗

The Skylab communications system.

Skylab is an experimental manned space station which will be operated by three astronauts intermittently over eight months in 1973. It will be in a 235 nautical mile, 50 degree inclination orbit. The communication system includes an onboard audio distribution hard-line network with 13 stations; a teleprinter for recording messages from the ground; telemetry, voice and television links; an onboard video distribution network. The radio frequencies system also includes radiometer and scatterometer earth-scanning sensors operating at 13.9 GHz and 1.4 GHz. The overall Skylab Program is discussed briefly and the communications system is described in more detail.

Disher, J. H.↗

Some theoretical results in variable-rate optical communications.

Review of several variable-rate optical transmission schemes over an earth-to-space link which neutralize the effects of atmospheric turbulence. These adaptive laser communication systems exploit atmospheric reciprocity and the relatively long coherence time of the turbulence to monitor the time-varying state of the earth-to-space channel by using a satellite beacon and making appropriate measurements at the ground terminal. Optimal variable-rate strategy based on this channel-state information results is considerably improved performance in comparison with nonadaptive optical communication systems.

Levitt, B. K.↗

The 20 and 30 GHz communications system for the ATS-F millimeter wave experiment.

The first space communications system operating at millimeter wavelengths is planned for the sixth Applications Technology Satellite (ATS-F), scheduled for launch in May of 1973. The ATS-F experiment is designed to provide engineering data on wideband space-to-earth transmissions at 20 and 30 GHz as a function of meteorological conditions and modulation techniques. The system design for both the spacecraft and ground station portions of the experiment is presented, and the unique design characteristics of these relatively new and unexplored frequency bands are emphasized. The experiment is designed to provide wideband 1440-MHz propagation links and 40-Megabit communications links with simultaneous operation at 20, 30, and 4 GHz for link comparisons.

Ippolito, L. J.↗

Study of mathematical modeling of communication systems transponders and receivers

The modeling of communication receivers is described at both the circuit detail level and at the block level. The largest effort was devoted to developing new models at the block modeling level. The available effort did not permit full development of all of the block modeling concepts envisioned, but idealized blocks were developed for signal sources, a variety of filters, limiters, amplifiers, mixers, and demodulators. These blocks were organized into an operational computer simulation of communications receiver circuits identified as the frequency and time circuit analysis technique (FATCAT). The simulation operates in both the time and frequency domains, and permits output plots or listings of either frequency spectra or time waveforms from any model block. Transfer between domains is handled with a fast Fourier transform algorithm.

Walsh, J. R.↗

NASA Compendium of Satellite Communications Programs

A comprehensive review is presented of worldwide communication programs that range in time from the inception of satellite communications to August 1971. The programs included are: Echo, Courier, West Ford, Telstar, Relay, Syncom, Lincoln experimental satellites, Intelsat, Tacsat, Skynet, Nato system, and Telesat.

Source record↗

The applications of satellites to communications, navigation and surveillance for aircraft operating over the contiguous United States

The objective was to determine on a priority basis the satellite applications to communications, navigation, and surveillance requirements for aircraft operating beyond 1975 over the contiguous United States and adjacent oceanic transition regions, and to determine if and how satellite technology can meet these requirements in a reliable, efficient, and economical manner. Major results and conclusions are as follows: (1) The satellite applications of greatest importance are surveillance and rapid collision warning communications; and (2) The necessary technology is available as demonstrated by an attractive system concept.

Craigie, J. H.↗

Trends in NASA communication satellites.

Discussion of the potential applications of satellite communications technology in meeting the national needs in education, health care, culture, and data transfer techniques. Experiments with the NASA ATS 1, 3 and 5 spacecraft, which are conducted in an attempt to satisfy such needs, are reviewed. The future needs are also considered, covering the requirements of multiple region coverage, communications between regions, large numbers of ground terminals, multichannel capability and high quality TV pictures. The ATS F and CTS spacecraft are expected to be available in the near future to expand experiments in this field.

Sivo, J. N.↗

Coded communication link for an advanced manned spacecraft.

An analysis, in terms of key design parameters, is presented of a digital link for bidirectional communication between an advanced manned spacecraft, such as the space shuttle, and a ground terminal by means of a synchronous communication relay satellite. Performance of both ground to manned spacecraft and return links are compared with and without coding. A breadboard terminal for simulating the two-way link is described. Results of error rate tests are discussed.

Gould, L. M.↗

Integration of an ion engine on the Communications Technology Satellite.

An ion engine subsystem intended for satellite stationkeeping tasks is described. Ion thrusters are chosen to perform the task because the specific impulse is at least an order of magnitude higher than the commonly used reaction control jets. The higher the value of specific impulse, the greater the total impulse that can be attained for a given weight of propellant, hence cost benefits result. The integration, subsystem testing, and the operating plans for the ion engine experiment to be flown in 1975 on the Canadian Communications Technology Satellite (CTS) are described. The subsystem is designed to demonstrate north-south stationkeeping, attitude control by means of thrust vectoring, long-term space storage and restart capability, and compatibility with a high powered communications transponder.

Payne, W. F.↗

SYSTID - A flexible tool for the analysis of communication systems.

Description of the System Time Domain Simulation (SYSTID) computer-aided analysis program which is specifically structured for communication systems analysis. The SYSTID program is user oriented so that very little knowledge of computer techniques and very little programming ability are required for proper application. The program is designed so that the user can go from a system block diagram to an accurate simulation by simply programming a single English language statement for each block in the system. The mathematical and functional models available in the SYSTID library are presented. An example problem is given which illustrates the ease of modeling communication systems. Examples of the outputs available are presented, and proposed improvements are summarized.

Dawson, C. T.↗

Airborne visible laser optical communication experiment.

A series of optical communication experiments between a high altitude aircraft at 18.3 km (60,000 ft) and a ground station are planned by NASA in the summer of 1972. The basic concept is that an optical tracker and transmitter will be located in each terminal. The aircraft transceiver consists of a 5-mW HeNe laser transmitter with a 30-megabit modulator. The ground station beacon is an argon laser operating at 488 nm. A separate pulsed laser radar is used for initial acquisition. The objective of the experiment is to obtain engineering data on the precision tracking and communication system performance at both terminals. Atmospheric effects on the system performance are of prime importance.

Randall, J. L.↗

Multibeam satellite EIRP adaptability for aeronautical communications.

EIRP enhancement and management techniques, emphasizing aeronautical communications and adaptable multibeam concepts, are classified and characterized. User requirement and demand characteristics that exploit the improvement available from each technique are identified, and the relative performance improvement of each is discussed. It is concluded that aeronautical satellite communications could benefit greatly by the employment of these techniques.

Kinal, G. V.↗