Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Bryan, A. I..
The Pioneer Venus 1978 flight project Deep Space Network telecommunications compatibility test program is discussed. Subsystem design tests performed during April 1977 and November 1977 are described.
The Voyager Flight Project - DSN Telecommunications Compatibility Test Program consisted of three phases: Subsystem Design, System Design, and System Verification Tests. Subsystem Design Tests were performed during mid 1976. System Design Tests were performed during late 1976 and early 1977. System Verification Tests were performed during the spring and summer of 1977. This article describes the System Design Tests and test results that provided the basis for establishment of telecommunications design between the DSN and the Voyager Flight Project.
Deep Space Network-Voyager telecommunications compatibility tests are described. A series of engineering level tests to determine the flight-ground interface compatibility and performance characteristics between the two systems were utilized. A summary and status of tests conducted on Voyager spacecraft are reported.
The DSN-Mariner Jupiter/Saturn 1977 telecommunications compatibility tests conducted during the periods 15-20 November 1976, 7-16 December 1976 and 5 January 1977, are an ongoing series of engineering level tests to determine the flight-ground interface compatibility and performance characteristics between these two systems.
An assessment was made of telecommunications capability between the radio frequency subsystem on the Mariner Jupiter-Spacecraft and the Deep Space Network.
The Configuration Control and Audit Assembly (CCA) is reported that has been designed to provide a distributed data base management capability for the DSN. The CCA utilizes capabilities provided by the DSN standard minicomputer and the DSN standard nonreal time high level management oriented programming language, MBASIC. The characteristics of the CCA for the first phase of implementation are described.
Major system design features of a distributed data management system for the NASA Deep Space Network (DSN) designed for continuous two-way deep space communications are described. The reasons for which the distributed data base utilizing third-generation minicomputers is selected as the optimum approach for the DSN are threefold: (1) with a distributed master data base, valid data is available in real-time to support DSN management activities at each location; (2) data base integrity is the responsibility of local management; and (3) the data acquisition/distribution and processing power of a third-generation computer enables the computer to function successfully as a data handler or as an on-line process controller. The concept of the distributed data base is discussed along with the software, data base integrity, and hardware used. The data analysis/update constraint is examined.