Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “precision ranging”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 307 records · Page 17

Precise orbit determination of high-earth elliptical orbiters using differenced Doppler and ranging measurements

Recent advances in NASA's Deep Space Network station calibration methods have led to renewed interest in the use of differenced radiometric data types for interplanetary navigation, particularly differenced Doppler and range. An orbit determination error analysis which compares the performance of these differenced data types when used in concert with conventional two-way Doppler for precise navigation of high-earth orbiters is described. Three highly elliptical orbits are investigated, with apogee heights on the order of 20,000 km, 70,000 km, and 156,000 km. The analysis assumes that each orbiter's downlink antenna has no ground footprint limitation in the near apogee regime. Results indicate that the most significant navigational accuracy improvements are seen for the lowest-altitude orbit by using differenced Doppler measurements in conjunction with two-way Doppler. The results for the two higher-altitude orbits, although less dramatic, suggest that accuracy improvements can also be achieved when differenced range measurements are combined with two-way Doppler.

Estefan, Jeff A.↗

Imaging Flash Lidar for Autonomous Safe Landing and Spacecraft Proximity Operation

3-D Imaging flash lidar is recognized as a primary candidate sensor for safe precision landing on solar system bodies (Moon, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn moons, etc.), and autonomous rendezvous proximity operations and docking/capture necessary for asteroid sample return and redirect missions, spacecraft docking, satellite servicing, and space debris removal. During the final stages of landing, from about 1 km to 500 m above the ground, the flash lidar can generate 3-Dimensional images of the terrain to identify hazardous features such as craters, rocks, and steep slopes. The onboard fli1ght computer can then use the 3-D map of terrain to guide the vehicle to a safe location. As an automated rendezvous and docking sensor, the flash lidar can provide relative range, velocity, and bearing from an approaching spacecraft to another spacecraft or a space station from several kilometers distance. NASA Langley Research Center has developed and demonstrated a flash lidar sensor system capable of generating 16k pixels range images with 7 cm precision, at a 20 Hz frame rate, from a maximum slant range of 1800 m from the target area. This paper describes the lidar instrument design and capabilities as demonstrated by the closed-loop flight tests onboard a rocket-propelled free-flyer vehicle (Morpheus). Then a plan for continued advancement of the flash lidar technology will be explained. This proposed plan is aimed at the development of a common sensor that with a modest design adjustment can meet the needs of both landing and proximity operation and docking applications.

Amzajerdian, Farzin↗

Current Trends in Satellite Laser Ranging

Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) techniques are used to accurately measure the distance from ground stations to retroreflectors on satellites and the moon. SLR is one of the fundamental techniques that define the international Terrestrial Reference Frame (iTRF), which is the basis upon which we measure many aspects of global change over space, time, and evolving technology. It is one of the fundamental techniques that define at a level of precision of a few mm the origin and scale of the ITRF. Laser Ranging provides precision orbit determination and instrument calibration/validation for satellite-borne altimeters for the better understanding of sea level change, ocean dynamics, ice budget, and terrestrial topography. Laser ranging is also a tool to study the dynamics of the Moon and fundamental constants. Many of the GNSS satellites now carry retro-reflectors for improved orbit determination, harmonization of reference frames, and in-orbit co-location and system performance validation. The GNSS Constellations will be the means of making the reference frame available to worldwide users. Data and products from these measurements support key aspects of the GEOSS 10-Year implementation Plan adopted on February 16, 2005, The ITRF has been identified as a key contribution of the JAG to GEOSS and the ILRS makes a major contribution for its development since its foundation. The ILRS delivers weekly additional realizations that are accumulated sequentially to extend the ITRF and the Earth Orientation Parameter (EOP) series with a daily resolution. Additional products are currently under development such as precise orbits of satellites, EOP with daily availability, low-degree gravitational harmonics for studies of Earth dynamics and kinematics, etc. SLR technology continues to evolve toward the next generation laser ranging systems as programmatic requirements become more stringent. Ranging accuracy is improving as higher repetition rate, narrower pulse lasers and faster detectors are implemented. Automation and pass interleaving at some stations is already expanding temporal coverage. Web-based safety keys are allowing the SLR network stations to range to optically vulnerable satellites. Some stations are experimenting with two-wavelength operation as a means of better understanding the atmospheric refraction and with very low power laser to improve eye-safety conditions. New retroreflector designs are improving the signal link and enable daylight ranging. Dramatic improvements have also been made with lunar ranging with the new APOLLO Site in New ?Mexico, USA and the upgraded lunar station "MEO" in Grasse,

Pearlman, M. R.↗

A proposed time transfer experiment between the USA and the South Pacific

This paper describes the concept, architecture and preliminary details of an experiment directc<l towards providing continuous Ultra High Precision (UHP) time transfer between Washington, DC; Salisbury, SA Australia; Orroral Valley, ACT Australia; arid Lower Hutt, New Zealand. It further describes a proposed method of distributing UTC(USNO) at a high level of precision to passive users over a broad area of the South Pacific. The concept is based on active two-way satellite time transfer from the United States Naval Observatory (USNO) to the proposed USNO Master Clock West (MCW) in Wahiwa, HI USA at the 1 nanosecond level using active satellite two-way time transfer augmented by Precise Positioning Service (PPS) of the Global Positioning System (GPS). MCW would act as an intermediate transfer/reference station, again linked to Salisbury at the 1 nanosecond level using active satellite two-way time transfer augmented by PPS GPS. From this point, time would bc distributed within the region by two methods. The first is an existing TV line sync system using an Australian communications satellite (AUSSAT K1) which is useful to the 20 nanosecond level. The second approach is RF ranging and multilateration between Salisbury, Orroral Observatory, Lower Hutt and the AUSSAT B1 and B2 to be launched in 1992. Orroral Observatory will provide precise laser ranging to the AUSSAT B1/B2 retro reflectors which will reduce ephemeris related time transfer errors to below 1 nanosecond. The corrected position will be transmitted by both the time transfer modem and the existing TV line sync dissemination process. Multilateration has the advantage of being an all weather approach and when used with the laser ranging technique will provide a precise measurement of the propagation path delays. This will result in time transfer performance levels on the order of 10 nanoseconds to passive users in both Australia and New Zealand.

John Luck↗

Precise Orbit Determination for GEOSAT Follow-On Using Satellite Laser Ranging Data and Intermission Altimeter Crossovers

The U.S. Navy's GEOSAT Follow-On Spacecraft was launched on February 10, 1998 and the primary objective of the mission was to map the oceans using a radar altimeter. Following an extensive set of calibration campaigns in 1999 and 2000, the US Navy formally accepted delivery of the satellite on November 29, 2000. The spacecraft is tracked by satellite laser ranging (SLR) and Doppler (Tranet-style) beacons. Although a limited amount of GPS data were obtained, the primary mode of tracking remains satellite laser ranging. In this paper, we report on progress in orbit determination for GFO using GFO/GFO and TOPEX/GFO altimeter crossovers. We have tuned the nonconservative force model for GFO and the gravity model using SLR, Doppler and altimeter crossover data spanning over one year. Preliminary results show that the predicted radial orbit error from the gravity field covariance to 70x70 on GEOSAT was reduced from 2.6 cm in EGM96 to 1.9 cm with the addition of only five months of the GFO SLR and GFO/GFO crossover data. Further progress is possible with the addition of more data, particularly the TOPEX/GFO crossovers. We will evaluate the tuned GFO gravity model (a derivative of EGM96) using altimeter data from the GEOSAT mission. In January 2000, a limited quantity of GPS data were obtained. We will use these GPS data in conjunction with the SLR and altimeter crossover data obtained over the same time span to compute quasi-reduced dynamic orbits which will also aid in the evaluation of the tuned GFO geopotential model.

Lemoine, F. G.↗

Precise orbit determination of high-earth elliptical orbiters using differenced Doppler and range measurements

Recent advances in Deep Space Network station calibration methods have led to renewed interest in the use of differenced Doppler and range data types for interplanetary navigation. Described here is an orbit determination error analysis of the performance of these differenced data types when used with conventional two-way Doppler for precise navigation of High-Earth Orbiters. Three highly elliptical Earth orbits are investigated, with apogee heights on the order of 20,000 km, 70,000 km, and 156,000 km. Results indicate that the most significant navigational accuracy improvements, relative to the performance obtained from two way Doppler alone, are achieved for the lowest altitude orbit by using differenced Doppler measurements with two way Doppler (assuming that spacecraft onboard downlink antennas have no ground footprint limitation in the near-apogee regime). In the case of the two higher altitude orbits, accuracy improvements over Doppler-only performance, although less dramatic, are also achieved when differenced range measurements are combined with two-way Doppler.

Estefan, J. A.↗

Precise orbit determination of high-earth elliptical orbiters using differenced Doppler and ranging measurements

Recent advances in Deep Space Network station calibration methods have led to renewed interest in the use of differenced Doppler and range data types for interplanetary navigation. Described here is an orbit determination error analysis of the performance of these differenced data types when used with conventional two-way Doppler for precise navigation of High-Earth Orbiters. Three highly elliptical earth orbits are investigated, with apogee heights on the order of 20,000 km, 70,000 km, and 156,000 km. Results indicate that the most significant navigational accuracy improvements, relative to the performance obtained from two way Doppler alone, are achieved for the lowest altitude orbit by using differenced Doppler measurements with two way Doppler (assuming that spacecraft onboard downlink antennas have no ground footprint limitation in the near-apogee regime). In the case of the two higher altitude orbit accuracy improvements over Doppler-only performance, although less dramatic, are also achieved when differenced range measurements are combined with two-way Doppler.

Estefan, Jeff A.↗

Experimental investigation of aeronautical and maritime communications and surveillance using satellites

The experimental program described included an evaluation of every significant factor affecting the accuracy of position fixing by range measurements from geostationary satellites. The tone-code ranging technique was found to provide a precision of roughly 0.1 n mi at mid-lattitudes with one range measurement at L-band and one at VHF. The factors which introduce bias errors were studied analytically and experimentally, and means of rectifying the bias errors were developed. An operational system at L-band may be expected to provide position fix accuracy of 0.1 n mi over large regions of the earth. The ranging technique developed within this program is digital, and uses a single signalling waveform and a single modem for communications and ranging.

Anderson, R. E.↗

Notes on SAW Tag Interrogation Techniques

We consider the problem of interrogating a single SAW RFID tag with a known ID and known range in the presence of multiple interfering tags under the following assumptions: (1) The RF propagation environment is well approximated as a simple delay channel with geometric power-decay constant alpha >/= 2. (2) The interfering tag IDs are unknown but well approximated as independent, identically distributed random samples from a probability distribution of tag ID waveforms with known second-order properties, and the tag of interest is drawn independently from the same distribution. (3) The ranges of the interfering tags are unknown but well approximated as independent, identically distributed realizations of a random variable rho with a known probability distribution f(sub rho) , and the tag ranges are independent of the tag ID waveforms. In particular, we model the tag waveforms as random impulse responses from a wide-sense-stationary, uncorrelated-scattering (WSSUS) fading channel with known bandwidth and scattering function. A brief discussion of the properties of such channels and the notation used to describe them in this document is given in the Appendix. Under these assumptions, we derive the expression for the output signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for an arbitrary combination of transmitted interrogation signal and linear receiver filter. Based on this expression, we derive the optimal interrogator configuration (i.e., transmitted signal/receiver filter combination) in the two extreme noise/interference regimes, i.e., noise-limited and interference-limited, under the additional assumption that the coherence bandwidth of the tags is much smaller than the total tag bandwidth. Finally, we evaluate the performance of both optimal interrogators over a broad range of operating scenarios using both numerical simulation based on the assumed model and Monte Carlo simulation based on a small sample of measured tag waveforms. The performance evaluation results not only provide guidelines for proper interrogator design, but also provide some insight on the validity of the assumed signal model. It should be noted that the assumption that the impulse response of the tag of interest is known precisely implies that the temperature and range of the tag are also known precisely, which is generally not the case in practice. However, analyzing interrogator performance under this simplifying assumption is much more straightforward and still provides a great deal of insight into the nature of the problem.

Barton, Richard J.↗

The vapor pressures of solid and liquid ozone

Vapor pressures of solid and liquid ozone have been measured over a temperature range 87 to below 66 K. The experiment was performed under flow conditions, and the gas was analyzed by a precision mass spectrometer system. In the range of solid ozone two forms, supercooled and crystalline ozone, were found. A least-square fit of the data for crystalline ozone resulted in the equation log P(torr) = A + B/T, where A = 10.460 and B = -1021.6. The estimated uncertainty of the data is + or - 1.0 percent. A triple-point temperature of 79.6 + or - 0.3 K was found where supercooled and crystalline ozone data intersect.

Hanson, David↗

Environmental Stress Testing of the Single Sample Cylinder: A Proven Consensus Standard for Internal Gas Analysis (IGA) or Residual Gas Analysis (RGA)

In August 2008, Schuessler Consulting was contracted by NASA GSFC in support of the NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging (NEPP) program to perform two separate studies on moisture laden air in a stainless steel cylinder that had been designed to become a consensus standard for Test Method 1018. This Test Method was originally released for hybrids under Mil. Std. 883 but was quickly utilized on other microelectronic devices under the auspice of Mil. Std. 750. The cylinder had subsequently been fabricated for the 750 community. It was back-filled with moist air and subsequently analyzed over a period of time under a previous NASA contract. It had been shown that moisture in the 4000 - 5000 ppm range could be analyzed rather precisely with a mass spectrometer, commonly referred to as a Residual Gas Analyzer (RGA). The scope of this study was to ascertain if the composition and precision varied as a function of thermal shock at sub-zero temperatures and whether there was consensus when the standard was submitted to other RGA units. It was demonstrated and published that the consensus standard would yield precise RGA data for moisture within +/- 1% when optimized for a given RGA unit. It has been subsequently shown in this study at Oneida Research Services, that sub-zero storage did not affect that precision when a well-defined protocol for the analysis was followed. The consensus standard was taken to a second facility for analysis where it was found that moisture adsorption on the transfer lines caused precision to drop to +/- 12%. The Single Sample Cylinder (SSC) is a one liter stainless steel cylinder with associated sampling valves and has considerable weight and volume. But this considerable size allows for approximately 300 gas samples of the same composition to be delivered to any RGA unit. Lastly, a smaller cylinder, approximately 75 cc, of a second consensus standard was fabricated and tested with a different mix of fixed gases where moisture was kept in the 100 ppm range. This second standard has the potential of providing 30 gaseous samples and can be readily shipped to any analytical facility that desires to generate comparison RGA data. A series of comparison residual gas analyses was performed at the Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies facility in the National Nuclear Facility Administration s plant in Kansas City to complete this project. It was shown that improvements in the precision of a given RGA unit can be done by controlling the cycle time for each analysis and increasing analysis temperatures to minimize moisture adsorption. It was also found that a "one time event" in the subzero storage of the large SSC did not effect the units ability to continuously supply precise samples of the same chemistry, however the "event" caused a permanent +8% shift in the reported value of the moisture content. Lastly, a set of SSC RGA results was plotted on a common graph with DSCC "correlation study" RGA data. The result demonstrates the ability of the SSC to remove many of the individual variances that single, individual samples introduce. The consensus standards are now in storage at Oneida Research Services, one of the DSCC certified houses that does RGA to Military Standards, where they await future studies. The analytical data and the operational parameters of the instruments used are provided in the following discussion. Limitations and suggested means for improvement of both precision and accuracy are provided.

Schuessler, Philipp WH↗

Comparison of column abundances from three infrared spectrometers during AASE 2

Three Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectromenters were based on board the NASA DC-8 during the second Airborne Arctic Stratospheric Expedition (AASE II) in 1992. Two FTIRs used solar absorption and one used thermal emission. We compare over 2000 measurements from these 3 FTIRs, on 12 DC-8 flights, for closely coincident air masses and times, both inside and outside the polar vortex. In the majority of cases the offset biases are quite small, in the range 1-4%, and comparable to the absolute precisions expected. In most cases the rms scatter is in the range 4-11%; this scatter is unlikely to be geophysical, but rather is probably instrumental or analytical in origin.

Traub, W. A.↗

Elevation profiles of the moon

Five MHz radar data obtained from the Apollo 17 mission are used to determine elevation profiles of the moon. A change in range of one quarter of a wavelength (15 m for the 5 MHz radar) changes the round-trip radar range one half wavelength or 180 deg, thus allowing determination of the relative surface profile or slope with a high degree of precision. The technique of deriving the range or altimetry measurement from the range-Doppler data record on film yields a better understanding of the range accuracy. The presence of fade intervals can be observed directly and their effect on the profile measurement reduced to a minimum. The maria used to generate the center of maria are Western Procellarum, Serenitatis, and Crisium. The location of the center of mare relative to the center of figure and center of mass is identified.

Brown, W. E., Jr.↗

Uncertainty Optimization Applied to the Monte Carlo Analysis of Planetary Entry Trajectories

Recently, strong evidence of liquid water under the surface of Mars and a meteorite that might contain ancient microbes have renewed interest in Mars exploration. With this renewed interest, NASA plans to send spacecraft to Mars approx. every 26 months. These future spacecraft will return higher-resolution images, make precision landings, engage in longer-ranging surface maneuvers, and even return Martian soil and rock samples to Earth. Future robotic missions and any human missions to Mars will require precise entries to ensure safe landings near science objective and pre-employed assets. Potential sources of water and other interesting geographic features are often located near hazards, such as within craters or along canyon walls. In order for more accurate landings to be made, spacecraft entering the Martian atmosphere need to use lift to actively control the entry. This active guidance results in much smaller landing footprints. Planning for these missions will depend heavily on Monte Carlo analysis. Monte Carlo trajectory simulations have been used with a high degree of success in recent planetary exploration missions. These analyses ascertain the impact of off-nominal conditions during a flight and account for uncertainty. Uncertainties generally stem from limitations in manufacturing tolerances, measurement capabilities, analysis accuracies, and environmental unknowns. Thousands of off-nominal trajectories are simulated by randomly dispersing uncertainty variables and collecting statistics on forecast variables. The dependability of Monte Carlo forecasts, however, is limited by the accuracy and completeness of the assumed uncertainties. This is because Monte Carlo analysis is a forward driven problem; beginning with the input uncertainties and proceeding to the forecasts outputs. It lacks a mechanism to affect or alter the uncertainties based on the forecast results. If the results are unacceptable, the current practice is to use an iterative, trial-and-error approach to reconcile discrepancies. Therefore, an improvement to the Monte Carlo analysis is needed that will allow the problem to be worked in reverse. In this way, the largest allowable dispersions that achieve the required mission objectives can be determined quantitatively.

Olds, John↗

NASA Tech Briefs, January 2011

The topics include: 1) Distributed Aerodynamic Sensing and Processing Toolbox; 2) Collaborative Supervised Learning for Sensor Networks; 3) Hazard Detection Software for Lunar Landing; 4) Onboard Nonlinear Engine Sensor and Component Fault Diagnosis and Isolation Scheme; 5) Network-Capable Application Process and Wireless Intelligent Sensors for ISHM; 6) Interface Supports Multiple Broadcast Transceivers for Flight Applications; 7) FPGA Sequencer for Radar Altimeter Applications; 8) Miniature Sapphire Acoustic Resonator - MSAR; 9) Process-Hardened, Multi-Analyte Sensor for Characterizing Rocket Plume Constituents; 10) SAD5 Stereo Correlation Line-Striping in an FPGA; 11) Hybrid Composite Cryogenic Tank Structure; 12) Nanoscale Deformable Optics; 13) Reliability-Based Design Optimization of a Composite Airframe Component; 14) Zinc Oxide Nanowire Interphase for Enhanced Lightweight Polymer Fiber Composites; 15) Plasma Igniter for Reliable Ignition of Combustion in Rocket Engines; 16) Wire Test Grip Fixture; 17) A Sub-Hertz, Low-Frequency Vibration Isolation Platform; 18) Carbon Nanofibers Synthesized on Selective Substrates for Nonvolatile Memory and 3D Electronics; 19) Nanoparticle/Polymer Nanocomposite Bond Coat or Coating; 20) High-Resolution Wind Measurements for Offshore Wind Energy Development; 21) Spring Tire; 22) Marsviewer 2008; 23) Mission Services Evolution Center Message Bus; 24) Major Constituents Analysis for the Vehicle Cabin Atmosphere Monitor; 25) Astronaut Health Participant Summary Application; 26) Adaption of the AMDIS Method to Flight Status on the VCAM Instrument; 27) Natural Language Interface for Safety Certification of Safety-Critical Software; 28) Cryogenic Caging for Science Instrumentation; 29) Wide-Range Neutron Detector for Space Nuclear Applications; 30) In Situ Guided Wave Structural Health Monitoring System; 31) Multiplexed Energy Coupler for Rotating Equipment; 32) Attitude Estimation in Fractionated Spacecraft Cluster Systems; 33) Full Piezoelectric Multilayer-Stacked Hybrid Actuation/Transduction Systems; 34) Active Flow Effectors for Noise and Separation Control; 35) Method and System for Temporal Filtering in Video Compression Systems; 36) Apparatus for Measuring Total Emissivity of Small, Low-Emissivity Samples; 37) Multiple-Zone Diffractive Optic Element for Laser Ranging Applications; 38) Simplified Architecture for Precise Aiming of a Deep-Space Communication Laser Transceiver; 39) Two-Photon-Absorption Scheme for Optical Beam Tracking; 40) High-Sensitivity, Broad-Range Vacuum Gauge Using Nanotubes for Micromachined Cavities; 41) Wide-Field Optic for Autonomous Acquisition of Laser Link; 42) Extracting Zero-Gravity Surface Figure of a Mirror; 43) Modeling Electromagnetic Scattering From Complex Inhomogeneous Objects; 44) Visual Object Recognition and Tracking of Tools; 45) Method for Implementing Optical Phase Adjustment; 46) Visual SLAM Using Variance Grid Maps; 47) Rapid Calculation of Spacecraft Trajectories Using Efficient Taylor Series Integration; 48) Efficient Kriging Algorithms; 49) Predicting Spacecraft Trajectories by the WeavEncke Method; 50) An Augmentation of G-Guidance Algorithms; 51) Comparison of Aircraft Icing Growth Assessment Software; 52) Silicon-Germanium Voltage-Controlled Oscillator at 105 GHz; 53) Estimation of Coriolis Force and Torque Acting on Ares-1; 54) Null Lens Assembly for X-Ray Mirror Segments; and 55) High-Precision Pulse Generator.

Source record↗

On-Board Chemical Propulsion Technology

On-board propulsion functions include orbit insertion, orbit maintenance, constellation maintenance, precision positioning, in-space maneuvering, de-orbiting, vehicle reaction control, planetary retro, and planetary descent/ascent. This paper discusses on-board chemical propulsion technology, including bipropellants, monopropellants, and micropropulsion. Bipropellant propulsion has focused on maximizing the performance of Earth storable propellants by using high-temperature, oxidation-resistant chamber materials. The performance of bipropellant systems can be increased further, by operating at elevated chamber pressures and/or using higher energy oxidizers. Both options present system level difficulties for spacecraft, however. Monopropellant research has focused on mixtures composed of an aqueous solution of hydroxl ammonium nitrate (HAN) and a fuel component. HAN-based monopropellants, unlike hydrazine, do not present a vapor hazard and do not require extraordinary procedures for storage, handling, and disposal. HAN-based monopropellants generically have higher densities and lower freezing points than the state-of-art hydrazine and can higher performance, depending on the formulation. High-performance HAN-based monopropellants, however, have aggressive, high-temperature combustion environments and require advances in catalyst materials or suitable non-catalytic ignition options. The objective of the micropropulsion technology area is to develop low-cost, high-utility propulsion systems for the range of miniature spacecraft and precision propulsion applications.

Reed, Brian D.↗

Mossbauer vibration calibration systems evaluated

Mossbauer effect vibration calibrator measures the velocity of high frequency, low amplitude vibration at various velocity and frequency ranges. It contains a highly precise calibrations standard unit and a vibration measuring system and may be applied to ultrafine testing and calibrating prezoelectric shakers, and vibration transducers.

Hobbs, J. V.↗

Launch constraints.

Launch opportunity and window constraints, considering injection energy and precision, reference body occultation, communications range, etc

Zweigbaum, H.↗