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At least 199 records · Page 11

DSN command system Mark III-78

The Deep Space Network command Mark III-78 data processing system includes a capability for a store-and-forward handling method. The functions of (1) storing the command files at a Deep Space station; (2) attaching the files to a queue; and (3) radiating the commands to the spacecraft are straightforward. However, the total data processing capability is a result of assuming worst case, failure-recovery, or nonnominal operating conditions. Optional data processing functions include: file erase, clearing the queue, suspend radiation, command abort, resume command radiation, and close window time override.

Stinnett, W. G.↗

Evaluation of Honeywell Recoverable Computer System (RCS) in Presence of Electromagnetic Effects

The design and development of a Closed-Loop System to study and evaluate the performance of the Honeywell Recoverable Computer System (RCS) in electromagnetic environments (EME) is presented. The development of a Windows-based software package to handle the time critical communication of data and commands between the RCS and flight simulation code in real-time, while meeting the stringent hard deadlines is also presented. The performance results of the RCS while exercising flight control laws under ideal conditions as well as in the presence of electromagnetic fields is also discussed.

Malekpour, Mahyar↗

Characterization of a Recoverable Flight Control Computer System

The design and development of a Closed-Loop System to study and evaluate the performance of the Honeywell Recoverable Computer System (RCS) in electromagnetic environments (EME) is presented. The development of a Windows-based software package to handle the time-critical communication of data and commands between the RCS and flight simulation code in real-time while meeting the stringent hard deadlines is also submitted. The performance results of the RCS and characteristics of its upset recovery scheme while exercising flight control laws under ideal conditions as well as in the presence of electromagnetic fields are also discussed.

Malekpour, Mahyar↗

Space platforms for science and applications

It is pointed out that space platforms offer a flexible and cost-effective evolutionary approach to conducting science and applications missions of several months' duration and can pave the way for major manned orbital facilities. General-purpose Low-Earth-Orbit space platforms are made possible by the Space Transportation System. Such platforms could remain in orbit for many years serviced as needed by the Shuttle. Attention is given to a Power System Platform, aspects of communications and data handling, stability and control, system and subsystem capability, a dynamics-analysis model of an expanded platform, command and data flow for a space platform, comparative costs of flying a pallet-size payload, a continually mannable Science and Applications Manned Space Platform, and a scenario of how the space platform might evolve.

Snoddy, W. C.↗

The ion drive program - Comet rendezvous issues for SEPS developers

Preliminary steps have been taken in a joint high-priority project between NASA and the European Space Agency, whereby a Solar Electric Propulsion System (SEPS), using ion drive of a 25-30 kilowatt power level, will be utilized for the first time, as part of the Space Transportation System, in powering a probe to be deployed toward Halley's comet in 1985 and a separate spacecraft which will rendezvous with the Temple 2 comet in 1988 and study it for one year. Unlike ballistically-launched vehicles, an unprecedented long-term interaction between the SEPS, the primary source of power and attitude control, and the spacecraft, responsible for data handling (at a rate of 10-120 kilobits per second), and command and telecommunications to earth (requiring capabilities at both X- and S-band frequencies, for dual-frequency navigational tracking), is required, as mission phases alternate between powered flight and science data-taking. Different design sensitivities are presented graphically.

Atkins, K. L.↗

The SAS-3 delayed command system

To meet the requirements arising from the increased complexity of the power, attitude control and telemetry systems, a full redundant high-performance control section with delayed command capability was designed for the Small Astronomy Satellite-3 (SAS-3). The relay command system of SAS-3 is characterized by 56 bystate relay commands, with capability for handling up to 64 commands in future versions. The 'short' data command service of SAS-1 and SAS-2 consisting of shifting 24-bit words to two users was expanded to five users and augmented with a 'long load' data command service (up to 4080 bits) used to program the telemetry system and the delayed command subsystem. The inclusion of a delayed command service ensures a program of up to 30 relay or short data commands to be loaded for execution at designated times. The design and system operation of the SAS-3 command section are analyzed, with special attention given to the delayed command subsystem.

Hoffman, E. J.↗

IEEE 1393 Spaceborne Fiber Optic Data Bus: A Standard Approach to On-Board Payload Data Handling Networks for the AIAA Space Technology Conference and Exposition "Partnering in the 21th Century"

The Spaceborne Fiber Optic Data Bus (SFODB) is the next generation in on-board data handling networks. It will do for high speed payloads what SAE 1773 has done for on-board command and telemetry systems. That is, it will significantly reduce the cost of payload development, integration and test through interface standardization. As defined in IEEE 1393, SFODB is a 1 Gb/s, fiber optic network specifically designed to support the real-time, on-board data handling requirements of remote sensing spacecraft. The network is highly reliable, fault tolerant, and capable of withstanding the rigors of launch and the harsh space environment. SFODB achieves this operational and environmental performance while maintaining the small size, light weight, and low power necessary for spaceborne applications. SFODB was developed jointly by DoD and NASA GSFC to meet the on-board data handling needs of Remote Sensing satellites. This jointly funded project produced a complete set of flight transmitters, receivers and protocol ASICS; a complete Development & Evaluation System; and, the IEEE 1393 standard.

Andrucyk, Dennis J.↗

DSN command system Mark III-80

The Deep Space Network command system configuration and functional operation are described. Voyager and Helios command operations are supported with Deep Space Station store and forward data handling; Viking and Pioneer are supported with the older, near real time data handling method.

Thorman, H. C.↗

NASA standard communications and data handling subsystem

The paper gives a functional description and discusses hardware implementation for the Communication and Data Handling (C&DH) subsystem of the Multimission Modular Spacecraft. The C&DH subsystem: (1) provides the command and telemetry link between the spacecraft and the terrestrial system, (2) distributes commands to and collects telemetry from all spacecraft systems via a duplex serial multiplex data bus and remote interface units, and (3) contains onboard computation capability. The C&DH is a single 4 x 4 x 1-1/2 foot module; the stuffed module weighs 270 lbs including 60 lbs of mission unique weight. The hardware is versatile and cost effective, and its modular structure permits repair, refurbishment, and even modification/updating in space

Robinson, D. L.↗

EOS ground data and operations support

The Earth Observing System (EOS) is planned as a space-based measurement system, earth-science research program, and data and information system (EOSDIS). It will consist of several observatories with multiple earth sensing instruments to provide investigators with a thorough, long-term view of the earth's environment. Providing the data handling and flight operations support for EOS will be the EOSDIS Core System (ECS). The ECS will command and control the observatories consisting of core service platforms and science instruments, and it will transport, process, and store the EOS data, provide access to the data for years, and support researchers. EOS and EOSDIS are briefly described to provide a context for a description of the ECS.

Smith, Gene↗

Space Transportation System/Spacelab accommodations

A description is provided of the capabilities offered by the Spacelab design for doing research in space. The Spacelab flight vehicle consists of two basic elements including the habitable pressurized compartments and the unpressurized equipment mounting platforms. Spacelab services to payloads are considered, taking into account payload mass, electrical power and energy, heat rejection for Spacelab and payload, aspects of Spacelab data handling, and the extended flight capability. Attention is also given to the Spacelab structure, crew station and habitability, the electrical power distribution subsystem, the command and data management subsystem, the experiment computer operating system, the environmental control subsystem, the experiment vent assembly, the common payload support equipment, the instrument pointing subsystem, and details concerning the utilization of Spacelab.

De Sanctis, C. E.↗

Riding and handling qualities of light aircraft: A review and analysis

Design procedures and supporting data necessary for configuring light aircraft to obtain desired responses to pilot commands and gusts are presented. The procedures employ specializations of modern military and jet transport practice where these provide an improvement over earlier practice. General criteria for riding and handling qualities are discussed in terms of the airframe dynamics. Methods available in the literature for calculating the coefficients required for a linearized analysis of the airframe dynamics are reviewed in detail. The review also treats the relation of spin and stall to airframe geometry. Root locus analysis is used to indicate the sensitivity of airframe dynamics to variations in individual stability derivatives and to variations in geometric parameters. Computer programs are given for finding the frequencies, damping ratios, and time constants of all rigid body modes and for generating time histories of aircraft motions in response to control inputs. Appendices are included presenting the derivation of the linearized equations of motion; the stability derivatives; the transfer functions; approximate solutions for the frequency, damping ratio, and time constants; an indication of methods to be used when linear analysis is inadequate; sample calculations; and an explanation of the use of root locus diagrams and Bode plots.

Smetana, F. O.↗

A conceptual design for an integrated data base management system for remote sensing data

The requirements of potential users were considered in the design of an integrated data base management system, developed to be independent of any specific computer or operating system, and to be used to support investigations in weather and climate. Ultimately, the system would expand to include data from the agriculture, hydrology, and related Earth resources disciplines. An overview of the system and its capabilities is presented. Aspects discussed cover the proposed interactive command language; the application program command language; storage and tabular data maintained by the regional data base management system; the handling of data files and the use of system standard formats; various control structures required to support the internal architecture of the system; and the actual system architecture with the various modules needed to implement the system. The concepts on which the relational data model is based; data integrity, consistency, and quality; and provisions for supporting concurrent access to data within the system are covered in the appendices.

Maresca, P. A.↗

An Object-Oriented Interface to the CCSDS Ground Telecommand Services

The Telecommand Data Routing and Channel Services defined by the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) are flexible enough to support a myriad of commanding models. Because the standard is so broad, the traditional approach has been to implement only the portion of the standard needed by the particular spacecraft being tested/operated. Tasked with providing Telecommand Services for an entire class of spacecraft, where each spacecraft may choose any valid CCSDS commanding model, NASA Code 584 designed a common architecture capable of handling the full CCSDS protocol. The solution uses another CCSDS standard - the Standard Formatted Data Unit (SFDU) as the interface to the Telecommand Services. SFDUs provide a consistent way of labelling data objects, as well as allowing data objects to encapsulate other data objects. The resulting interface is: - Flexible: The full Data Routing and Channel Services are available via a single interface. The client (i.e. the command source) may enter commands at any layer within the protocol stack, specify any of the data aggregation or segmentation methods, and dynamically set any configuration parameter defined in the standard. - Object-oriented: Each object specifies both the data and the actions to be performed with the data. An object may contain other objects. - Expandable: New capabilities are added by defining new objects. Objects pass thru the protocol layers until they reach the applicable layer. The resulting design is: - Modular: The logic for each protocol layer is contained in a separate Application Program Interface (API). The objects used for the external interface are also used for communication between layers. - Distributable: The design can be split along any layer boundary for distribution across multiple machines. The objects ensure data consistency across platforms. This paper describes the SFDU-based interface and the resulting protocol implementation. The implementation is currently used by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) for integration & test of the microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP) and Earth observer-I (EO-l) spacecraft. It will be used for post-launch operations of these spacecraft as well as the Imager for Magnetopause to Aurora Global Exploration (IMAGE) spacecraft.

Ray, Timothy Joseph↗

Flight test evaluation of a separate surface attitude command control system on a Beech 99 airplane

A joint NASA/university/industry program was conducted to flight evaluate a potentially low cost separate surface implementation of attitude command in a Beech 99 airplane. Saturation of the separate surfaces was the primary cause of many problems during development. Six experienced professional pilots who made simulated instrument flight evaluations experienced improvements in airplane handling qualities in the presence of turbulence and a reduction in pilot workload. For ride quality, quantitative data show that the attitude command control system results in all cases of airplane motion being removed from the uncomfortable ride region.

Gee, S. W.↗

SCL: An off-the-shelf system for spacecraft control

In this age of shrinking military, civil, and commercial space budgets, an off-the-shelf solution is needed to provide a multimission approach to spacecraft control. A standard operational interface which can be applied to multiple spacecraft allows a common approach to ground and space operations. A trend for many space programs has been to reduce operational staff by applying autonomy to the spacecraft and to the ground stations. The Spacecraft Command Language (SCL) system developed by Interface and Control Systems, Inc. (ICS) provides an off-the-shelf solution for spacecraft operations. The SCL system is designed to provide a hyper-scripting interface which remains standard from program to program. The spacecraft and ground station hardware specifics are isolated to provide the maximum amount of portability from system to system. Uplink and downlink interfaces are also isolated to allow the system to perform independent of the communications protocols chosen. The SCL system can be used for both the ground stations and the spacecraft, or as a value added package for existing ground station environments. The SCL system provides an expanded stored commanding capability as well as a rule-based expert system on-board. The expert system allows reactive control on-board the spacecraft for functions such as electrical power systems (EPS), thermal control, etc. which have traditionally been performed on the ground. The SCL rule and scripting capability share a common syntax allowing control of scripts from rules and rules from scripts. Rather than telemeter over sampled data to the ground, the SCL system maintains a database on-board which is available for interrogation by the scripts and rules. The SCL knowledge base is constructed on the ground and uploaded to the spacecraft. The SCL system follows an open-systems approach allowing other tasks to communicate with SCL on the ground and in space. The SCL system was used on the Clementine program (launched January 25, 1994) and is required to have bidirectional communications with the guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) algorithms which were written as another task. Sequencing of the spacecraft maneuvers are handled by SCL, but the low-level thruster pulse commands are handled by the GNC software. Attitude information is reported back as telemetry, allowing the SCL expert system to inference on the changing data. The Clementine SCL flight software was largely reused from another Naval Center for Space Technology (NCST) satellite program. This paper details the SCL architecture and how an off-the-shelf solution makes sense for multimission spacecraft programs. The Clementine mission will be used as a case study in the application of the SCL to a 'fast track' program. The benefits of such a system in a 'better, cheaper, faster' climate will be discussed.

Buckley, Brian↗

The Space Telescope SI C&DH system

The Hubble Space Telescope Scientific Instrument Control and Data Handling Subsystem (SI C&DH) is designed to interface with five scientific instruments of the Space Telescope to provide ground and autonomous control and collect health and status information using the Standard Telemetry and Command Components (STACC) multiplex data bus. It also formats high throughput science data into packets. The packetized data is interleaved and Reed-Solomon encoded for error correction and Pseudo Random encoded. An inner convolutional coding with the outer Reed-Solomon coding provides excellent error correction capability. The subsystem is designed with the capacity for orbital replacement in order to meet a mission life of fifteen years. The spacecraft computer and the SI C&DH computer coordinate the activities of the spacecraft and the scientific instruments to achieve the mission objectives.

Gadwal, Govind R.↗