Engineering topics
Wolff, P.
Publications and source records attributed to Wolff, P..
Navigation Considerations for Low-Thrust Planetary Missions
Over the past several years, deep space exploration missions which use low-thrust propulsion to accomplish mission goals have been gaining renewed interest.
Autonomous Serendipitous Science Acquisition for Planets (ASSAP)
This paper discusses work in progress to develop and demonstrate a set of autonomy technologies that provide teh onboard capability to redirect science observations.
TOPEX/POSEIDON operational orbit determination results using global positioning satellites
Results of operational orbit determination, performed as part of the TOPEX/POSEIDON (T/P) Global Positioning System (GPS) demonstration experiment, are presented in this article. Elements of this experiment include the GPS satellite constellation, the GPS demonstration receiver on board T/P, six ground GPS receivers, the GPS Data Handling Facility, and the GPS Data Processing Facility (GDPF). Carrier phase and P-code pseudorange measurements from up to 24 GPS satellites to the seven GPS receivers are processed simultaneously with the GDPF software MIRAGE to produce orbit solutions of T/P and the GPS satellites. Daily solutions yield subdecimeter radial accuracies compared to other GPS, LASER, and DORIS precision orbit solutions.
Preliminary TOPEX/Poseidon SLR and GPS Station Coordinate Calibration
TOPEX/Poseidon(T/P) is a joint altimetric mission of U.S. NASA and French CNES design launched August 10, 1992. There are a variety of tracking systems on T/P for both operational and precise orbit determination.
Seasat-A and the commercial ocean community
The Seasat-A program has been initiated as a 'proof-of-concept' mission to evaluate the effectiveness of remotely sensing oceanology and related meteorological phenomena from a satellite platform in space utilizing sensors developed on previous space and aircraft test programs. The sensors include three active microwave sensors; a radar altimeter, a windfield scatterometer, and a synthetic aperture radar. A passive scanning multifrequency microwave radiometer, visual and infrared radiometer are also included. All weather, day-night measurements of sea surface temperature, surface wind speed/direction and sea state and directional wave spectra will be made. Two key programs are planned for data utilization with users during the mission. Foremost is a program with the commercial ocean community to test the utility of Seasat-A data and to begin the transfer of ocean remote sensing technology to the civil sector. A second program is a solicitation of investigations, led by NOAA, to involve the ocean science community in a series of scientific investigations.