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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.

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NASA NTRS2018

Ground System Development at the Morehead State University for Interplanetary Smallsat Missions

As more small satellites are used for interplanetary research and exploration, more ground antennas with sufficiently large aperture are needed to support the increased demand in deep space communication. The 21-m ground antenna at the Morehead State University in Kentucky, United States is under development to upgrade its telemetry, tracking and command capability at X-band. The system architecture is based on a hybrid design that combines commercially available products with specialized equipment developed for the National Aeronautic and Aerospace Administration’s Deep Space Network. This architecture produces a low-cost and geographically diverse system, connecting elements at the Morehead State University and those of the DSN at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The architecture makes Morehead antenna appears as one of the DSN nodes, albeit with a different performance metrics due to difference in aperture size. Its operation is geared for automation, with automated data retrieval of information needed for configuring the ground station for spacecraft tracking. An incremental testing approach is used to verify system capabilities as various components are deployed into the system.

Kruth, Jeff↗
NASA NTRS2020

An Inter Planetary Network Enabled by SmallSats

This paper describes the implementation of an unparalleled large sensor and communications platform along the solar system that we call the inter planetary network (IPN). The proposed IPN consists of thousands of small spacecraft (e.g. CubeSats) strategically deployed around planetary bodies in the solar system where each spacecraft is furnished with fast communications and sensor systems. The IPN concept is being proposed as an avant-garde science and communications platform that could allow for continuous fast communications and remarkable science returns. The IPN spacecraft, furnished with suitable miniaturized sensors, could form an amazing deep space platform for unique observation of the solar system, stars, galaxies and universe. A key feature of the IPN architecture is the use of swarms of spacecraft as network units. Super-high-speed intra-swarm communications could be achieved via omnidirectional optical links. The swarms act as autonomous network nodes and are capable of forming large synthetic apertures that enable high data rate communications among the IPN nodes. Depending on the sensors they carry, these swarms may also be capable of forming large synthetic sensors by rapidly combining data among the spacecraft. We envision distances between spacecraft forming a swarm to be in the range of 102-104 kilometers, whereas distances of 106-108 kilometers among swarms (IPN nodes) are expected. We provide an example of an initial IPN implementation in the inner solar system where swarms of spacecraft are deployed around the Earth, Moon, Mars, Venus and Mercury. Placing swarms around 3 Lagrange points per planet yield a total of 12 possible IPN network nodes. We present communications link calculations among IPN nodes that allow high data rate communications between Earth and Mars while Mars is in solar conjunction (behind the Sun). A second example of an IPN platforms includes a giant spaceborne radio telescope behind the moon.

Velazco, Jose↗