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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2014

Aerogel Antennas Communications Study Using Error Vector Magnitude Measurements

This paper discusses an aerogel antennas communication study using error vector magnitude (EVM) measurements. The study was performed using 4x2 element polyimide (PI) aerogel-based phased arrays designed for operation at 5 GHz as transmit (Tx) and receive (Rx) antennas separated by a line of sight (LOS) distance of 8.5 meters. The results of the EVM measurements demonstrate that polyimide aerogel antennas work appropriately to support digital communication links with typically used modulation schemes such as QPSK and pi/4 DQPSK. As such, PI aerogel antennas with higher gain, larger bandwidth and lower mass than typically used microwave laminates could be suitable to enable aerospace-to-ground communication links with enough channel capacity to support voice, data and video links from cubesats, unmanned air vehicles (UAV), and commercial aircraft.

Aerogel Antennas↗
NASA NTRS2014

Aerogel Antennas Communications Study Using Error Vector Magnitude Measurements

This presentation discusses an aerogel antennas communication study using error vector magnitude (EVM) measurements. The study was performed using 2x4 element polyimide (PI) aerogel-based phased arrays designed for operation at 5 GHz as transmit (Tx) and receive (Rx) antennas separated by a line of sight (LOS) distance of 8.5 meters. The results of the EVM measurements demonstrate that polyimide aerogel antennas work appropriately to support digital communication links with typically used modulation schemes such as QPSK and 4 DQPSK. As such, PI aerogel antennas with higher gain, larger bandwidth and lower mass than typically used microwave laminates could be suitable to enable aerospace-to- ground communication links with enough channel capacity to support voice, data and video links from CubeSats, unmanned air vehicles (UAV), and commercial aircraft.

Polyimide Aerogel↗
NASA NTRS2016

Measurement of Error Vector Magnitude (EVM) to Characterize the Impairment of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) Channel

A digital signal is transmitted via a carrier wave, it demodulates at a receiver, and locates at an ideal constellation point. However, noise distortion, carrier leakage, and phase noise can force a signal to divert from its ideal position to a new position. Consequently, the performance of the signal is decreased. Bit Error Rate (BER) and Error Vector Magnitude (EVM) measurement techniques are used to enable the analysis and assessment of the extent to which the performance of a signal has been decreased. In this paper, we present the EVM measurement technique as a figure of merit to analyze and evaluate the performance of a User Services Subsystem Component Replacement (USSCR) modem. Also, we demonstrate the use of the EVM measurement technique in a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) system to measure and evaluate channel impairment between a satellite (transmitter) and the ground terminal (receiver) at the White Sands Complex.

Spacecraft RF Communications↗
NASA NTRS1991

Wheel speed management control system for spacecraft

A spacecraft attitude control system uses at least four reaction wheels. In order to minimize reaction wheel speed and therefore power, a wheel speed management system is provided. The management system monitors the wheel speeds and generates a wheel speed error vector. The error vector is integrated, and the error vector and its integral are combined to form a correction vector. The correction vector is summed with the attitude control torque command signals for driving the reaction wheels.

Goodzeit, Neil E.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Feedback controlled optics with wavefront compensation

The sensitivity model of a complex optical system obtained by linear ray tracing is used to compute a control gain matrix by imposing the mathematical condition for minimizing the total wavefront error at the optical system's exit pupil. The most recent deformations or error states of the controlled segments or optical surfaces of the system are then assembled as an error vector, and the error vector is transformed by the control gain matrix to produce the exact control variables which will minimize the total wavefront error at the exit pupil of the optical system. These exact control variables are then applied to the actuators controlling the various optical surfaces in the system causing the immediate reduction in total wavefront error observed at the exit pupil of the optical system.

Breckenridge, William G.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Design of analytical failure detection using secondary observers

The problem of designing analytical failure-detection systems (FDS) for sensors and actuators, using observers, is addressed. The use of observers in FDS is related to the examination of the n-dimensional observer error vector which carries the necessary information on possible failures. The problem is that in practical systems, in which only some of the components of the state vector are measured, one has access only to the m-dimensional observer-output error vector, with m or = to n. In order to cope with these cases, a secondary observer is synthesized to reconstruct the entire observer-error vector from the observer output error vector. This approach leads toward the design of highly sensitive and reliable FDS, with the possibility of obtaining a unique fingerprint for every possible failure. In order to keep the observer's (or Kalman filter) false-alarm rate under a certain specified value, it is necessary to have an acceptable matching between the observer (or Kalman filter) models and the system parameters. A previously developed adaptive observer algorithm is used to maintain the desired system-observer model matching, despite initial mismatching or system parameter variations. Conditions for convergence for the adaptive process are obtained, leading to a simple adaptive law (algorithm) with the possibility of an a priori choice of fixed adaptive gains. Simulation results show good tracking performance with small observer output errors, while accurate and fast parameter identification, in both deterministic and stochastic cases, is obtained.

Sisar, M.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Failure detection and isolation methods for redundant gimballed inertial measurement units.

Skewed alignment of two redundant conventional inertial measuring units permits nonambiguous detection and isolation of hard and soft failures in real time by an airborne computer. Accelerometer outputs and gimbal readouts are monitored periodically, and attitude rate and velocity error vectors are computed from these data. Magnitudes of these vectors provide failure detection, and projection of these error vectors onto the coordinate axes of the two clusters permits isolation. A detailed Monte Carlo simulation of one version of the mechanization as applied to Space Shuttle boost trajectories demonstrates effectiveness down to very low levels of inertial instrument performance failures. The results indicate that worst case overall navigation performance occurs when accelerometer failures are of the order of 20 sigma and gyro failures are about 100 sigma for conventional state-of-the-art IMU instruments.

Solov, E. G.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Dynamic performance of an aero-assist spacecraft - AFE

Dynamic performance of the Aero-assist Flight Experiment (AFE) spacecraft was investigated using a high-fidelity 6-DOF simulation model. Baseline guidance logic, control logic, and a strapdown navigation system to be used on the AFE spacecraft are also modeled in the 6-DOF simulation. During the AFE mission, uncertainties in the environment and the spacecraft are described by an error space which includes both correlated and uncorrelated error sources. The principal error sources modeled in this study include navigation errors, initial state vector errors, atmospheric variations, aerodynamic uncertainties, center-of-gravity off-sets, and weight uncertainties. The impact of the perturbations on the spacecraft performance is investigated using Monte Carlo repetitive statistical techniques. During the Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) deorbit phase, a target flight path angle of -4.76 deg at entry interface (EI) offers very high probability of avoiding SRM casing skip-out from the atmosphere. Generally speaking, the baseline designs of the guidance, navigation, and control systems satisfy most of the science and mission requirements.

Chang, Ho-Pen↗
NASA NTRS1974

Derivation of formulas for root-mean-square errors in location, orientation, and shape in triangulation solution of an elongated object in space

Formulas are derived for the root-mean-square (rms) displacement, slope, and curvature errors in an azimuth-elevation image trace of an elongated object in space, as functions of the number and spacing of the input data points and the rms elevation error in the individual input data points from a single observation station. Also, formulas are derived for the total rms displacement, slope, and curvature error vectors in the triangulation solution of an elongated object in space due to the rms displacement, slope, and curvature errors, respectively, in the azimuth-elevation image traces from different observation stations. The total rms displacement, slope, and curvature error vectors provide useful measure numbers for determining the relative merits of two or more different triangulation procedures applicable to elongated objects in space.

Long, S. A. T.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Spaceflight Ka-Band High-Rate Radiation-Hard Modulator

A document discusses the creation of a Ka-band modulator developed specifically for the NASA/GSFC Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). This flight design consists of a high-bandwidth, Quadriphase Shift Keying (QPSK) vector modulator with radiation-hardened, high-rate driver circuitry that receives I and Q channel data. The radiationhard design enables SDO fs Ka-band communications downlink system to transmit 130 Mbps (300 Msps after data encoding) of science instrument data to the ground system continuously throughout the mission fs minimum life of five years. The low error vector magnitude (EVM) of the modulator lowers the implementation loss of the transmitter in which it is used, thereby increasing the overall communication system link margin. The modulator comprises a component within the SDO transmitter, and meets the following specifications over a 0 to 40 C operational temperature range: QPSK/OQPSK modulator, 300-Msps symbol rate, 26.5-GHz center frequency, error vector magnitude less than or equal to 10 percent rms, and compliance with the NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration) spectral mask.

Jaso, Jeffery M.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Robustness studies in adaptive control

It has been shown that several similar Model Reference Adaptive Controllers (MRAC's) are globally stable under certain restrictive assumptions, including the assumption that the order and relative degree of the plant are exactly known, and that no disturbances are present. Under certain 'sufficiently rich' excitation conditions, the origin is globally asymptotically stable for the adaptive controller parameter error. The time-evolution of the parameter error vector represents the key factor to the stability of the adaptive controller. This time-evolution is described by a complicated set of time-varying nonlinear differential equations. The present investigation is concerned with an approximate analysis technique for studying the long term trends of the parameter error vector trajectory for an adaptive controller under periodic excitation.

Krause, J.↗
NASA NTRS1975

A study of attitude control concepts for precision-pointing non-rigid spacecraft

Attitude control concepts for use onboard structurally nonrigid spacecraft that must be pointed with great precision are examined. The task of determining the eigenproperties of a system of linear time-invariant equations (in terms of hybrid coordinates) representing the attitude motion of a flexible spacecraft is discussed. Literal characteristics are developed for the associated eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the system. A method is presented for determining the poles and zeros of the transfer function describing the attitude dynamics of a flexible spacecraft characterized by hybrid coordinate equations. Alterations are made to linear regulator and observer theory to accommodate modeling errors. The results show that a model error vector, which evolves from an error system, can be added to a reduced system model, estimated by an observer, and used by the control law to render the system less sensitive to uncertain magnitudes and phase relations of truncated modes and external disturbance effects. A hybrid coordinate formulation using the provided assumed mode shapes, rather than incorporating the usual finite element approach is provided.

Likins, P. W.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Simplified Convolution Codes

Simple recursive algorithm efficiently calculates minimum-weight error vectors using Diophantine equations. Recursive algorithm uses general solution of polynomial linear Diophantine equation to determine minimum-weight error polynomial vector in equation in polynomial space.

Truong, T. K.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Amplifier Output Power, Gain, Efficiency, and Bandwidth: A Comparative Study of GaN HEMT MMIC Multi-Stage Power Amplifiers versus Distributed Power Amplifiers

In this paper we present first, the results of a study conducted to investigate the microwave performance of a wideband (25-31 GHz) GaN MMIC distributed high power amplifier (HPA). Second, we compare and contrast the above performance with that of an alternate architecture that relies on two HPAs to provide contiguous 25-31 GHz coverage. The two HPAs operate across 25-28 GHz and 27-31 GHz, respectively, and can be switched in and out depending on the need at any given time. The parameters investigated includes the output power, gain, power added efficiency, bandwidth, RMS error vector magnitude for offset-QPSK, 8PSK, 16APSK, and 32 APSK waveforms, 3rd-order intermodulation distortion products, noise figure, and single sideband phase noise.

MMIC↗
NASA NTRS2024

Spectrally Efficient GaN High-Power Amplifier for Lunar Communications

The paper demonstrates a spectrally efficient Ka-band GaN MMIC based high-power amplifier (HPA) that uses a waveguide 4-port magic-tee as a 2-way power combiner to combine the output from two lower power amplifier circuits. The paper presents for the prototype HPA the measured output power, gain, power added efficiency, error vector magnitude for Offset-QPSK, 8PSK, 16APSK, 32APSK, and 16QAM waveforms, waveform spectrum, and out-of-band spectral regrowth. The HPA is intended for establishing a direct communication link between assets on the lunar surface/orbit and Earth.

Gallium nitride↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Ka-Band GaN-on-SiC MMIC Balanced High Power Amplifier for NASA's Lunar Missions

The feasibility of Ka-band GaN-on-SiC MMIC based balanced power amplifier for science data downlinks from NASA’s lunar mission assets in space is investigated. The balanced amplifier combines the RF output power from two power amplifiers using a rectangular waveguide based 3-dB hybrid coupler. The investigation includes characterizing the balanced amplifier for the overall RF output power, Gain, power added efficiency, RMS error vector magnitude for offset-QPSK, 8PSK, 16APSK, and 32APSK waveforms, 3rd order intermodulation products, and noise figure. The balanced amplifier has high output RF power and good linearity and can support high data rate downlinks from the surface and vicinity of the Moon to Earth.

Gallium Nitride↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Benefits of Ka-band GaN MMIC High Power Amplifiers With Wide Bandwidth and High Spectral/Power Added Efficiencies for Cognitive Radio Platforms

A cognitive radio on a future NASA near-Earth spacecraft will be capable of sensing its environment and dynamically adapting its operating parameters to provide the desired SATCOM service to the mission. A key component that can enable this type of operation is a high-power amplifier (HPA) that resides on the radio platform. In this paper, we present the RF performance characteristics of a Ka-band gallium nitride (GaN) monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) based HPA for cognitive radio platforms. These characteristics include the output power, gain, power added efficiency (PAE), RMS error vector magnitude (EVM), spectral efficiency, 3rd-order intermodulation distortion (IMD) products, spectrum, spectral regrowth, noise figure (NF), and phase noise. The data presented indicates that the HPA meets NTIA, military, and commercial spectral mask requirements. In addition, we discuss the benefits offered by the above performance characteristics toward the design and implementation of a cognitive radio platform. Furthermore, as examples, we discuss three potential use cases that apply artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) techniques and exploit the performance characteristics discussed above to provide a knowledge-based cognitive radio platform design for SATCOM. Thus, cognitive radios with performance flexibility can enable roaming and provide seamless interoperability autonomously in the future between NASA, commercial, and other space networks owned by U.S. government agencies.

Gallium nitride↗