OPLE experiment
Omega position location equipment feasibility experiment on using Omega navigation system and synchronous satellites for global location and data collection system
DATA ACQUISITION↗
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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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Astrometric Calibration of Array Detectors
The high level of spatial uniformity in modern CCDs and other array detectors makes them excellent devices for astrometric and navigational systems. However, at the level of accuracy envisioned by the more ambitious projects, current technology produces devices with significant pixel registration errors. This paper describes a technique fot measuring relative pixel positions to an accuracy approaching 0.001 pixel. The technique has been applied to WF/PC II CCDs whicha re shown to have 500 nm step-and-repeat errors.
array detectors CCDs navigational systems astromet↗
Results of the second flight test of the Loran-C receiver/data collection system
The components of the Loran-C navigation system which were developed thus far are a phase-locked-loop receiver and a microcomputer development system. The microcomputer is being used as a means of testing and implementing software to handle sensor control and navigation calculations. Currently, the microcomputer is being used to collect and record data from the receiver in addition to development work. With these components, it was possible to record receiver data over a period of time and then reduce this data to obtain statistical information. It was particularly interesting to load the equipment developed in the laboratory into an aircraft and collect data while in flight. For initial flight tests, some important considerations were how well the entire system will perform in the field, signal strength levels while on the ground and in the air, the amount of noise present, changing of signal-to-noise ratio for various aircraft configurations and maneuvers, receiver overloading due to other equipment and antennas, and the overall usefulness of Loran-C as a navigation aid.
Fischer, J. P.↗
Insect-Inspired Optical-Flow Navigation Sensors
Integrated circuits that exploit optical flow to sense motions of computer mice on or near surfaces ( optical mouse chips ) are used as navigation sensors in a class of small flying robots now undergoing development for potential use in such applications as exploration, search, and surveillance. The basic principles of these robots were described briefly in Insect-Inspired Flight Control for Small Flying Robots (NPO-30545), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 29, No. 1 (January 2005), page 61. To recapitulate from the cited prior article: The concept of optical flow can be defined, loosely, as the use of texture in images as a source of motion cues. The flight-control and navigation systems of these robots are inspired largely by the designs and functions of the vision systems and brains of insects, which have been demonstrated to utilize optical flow (as detected by their eyes and brains) resulting from their own motions in the environment. Optical flow has been shown to be very effective as a means of avoiding obstacles and controlling speeds and altitudes in robotic navigation. Prior systems used in experiments on navigating by means of optical flow have involved the use of panoramic optics, high-resolution image sensors, and programmable imagedata- processing computers.
Thakoor, Sarita↗
Navigation Overview Strategic and Technical Aspects of Planetary Small Satellite Missions
The 3rd Planetary CubeSat Science Symposium will be held at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, with the participation of CubeSat/SmallSat scientists and developers. Discussions will include current missions, mission concepts, and opportunities for future mission selections. The sessions will also include panel discussions about strategic and technical aspects of planetary small satellite missions, and an afternoon poster session providing mission proposers the opportunity to meet with vendors and suppliers. This presentation (no paper), will provide an overview of the navigation systems avaiable for Cubesat Planetary missions.
Navigation systems↗
Feasibility of using GPS measurements for OMV attitude update
This paper presents the results of a feasibility study to determine whether the measurements from GPS satellites can be used to estimate the OMV attitude to an accuracy comparable to the onboard sun sensors, i.e., better than 0.5 degree in each axis. The results documented in this paper demonstrate that OMV attitude can be estimated to an accuracy of 0.1 - 0.5 degree in each axis by processing GPS measurements in an onboard integrated, 17-state GPS/inertial navigation filter. The result is particularly significant for missions of short duration burns where accurate attitude information is needed to minimize guidance and control errors. It is shown that the GPS attitude technique described in this paper can be easily implemented in the current OMV navigation system design. Results reported in this paper are expected to support the goal of developing a fault-tolerant guidance, navigation, and control system offering an improved total navigation performance for the OMV.
Upadhyay, Triveni N.↗
Integrated Network Architecture for NASA's Orion Missions
NASA is planning a series of short and long duration human and robotic missions to explore the Moon and then Mars. The series of missions will begin with a new crew exploration vehicle (called Orion) that will initially provide crew exchange and cargo supply support to the International Space Station (ISS) and then become a human conveyance for travel to the Moon. The Orion vehicle will be mounted atop the Ares I launch vehicle for a series of pre-launch tests and then launched and inserted into low Earth orbit (LEO) for crew exchange missions to the ISS. The Orion and Ares I comprise the initial vehicles in the Constellation system of systems that later includes Ares V, Earth departure stage, lunar lander, and other lunar surface systems for the lunar exploration missions. These key systems will enable the lunar surface exploration missions to be initiated in 2018. The complexity of the Constellation system of systems and missions will require a communication and navigation infrastructure to provide low and high rate forward and return communication services, tracking services, and ground network services. The infrastructure must provide robust, reliable, safe, sustainable, and autonomous operations at minimum cost while maximizing the exploration capabilities and science return. The infrastructure will be based on a network of networks architecture that will integrate NASA legacy communication, modified elements, and navigation systems. New networks will be added to extend communication, navigation, and timing services for the Moon missions. Internet protocol (IP) and network management systems within the networks will enable interoperability throughout the Constellation system of systems. An integrated network architecture has developed based on the emerging Constellation requirements for Orion missions. The architecture, as presented in this paper, addresses the early Orion missions to the ISS with communication, navigation, and network services over five phases of a mission: pre-launch, launch from T0 to T+6.5 min, launch from T+6.5 min to 12 min, in LEO for rendezvous and docking with ISS, and return to Earth. The network of networks that supports the mission during each of these phases and the concepts of operations during those phases are developed as a high level operational concepts graphic called OV-1, an architecture diagram type described in the Department of Defense Architecture Framework (DoDAF). Additional operational views on organizational relationships (OV-4), operational activities (OV-5), and operational node connectivity (OV-2) are also discussed. The system interfaces view (SV-1) that provides the communication and navigation services to Orion is also included and described. The challenges of architecting integrated network architecture for the NASA Orion missions are highlighted.
Bhasin, Kul B.↗
Small Unmanned Aircraft System Communications and Navigation Performance
NASA performed research and development of technologies and requirements for traffic management of small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). In this effort, four measures of performance (MOPs) were developed to understand the performance of small UAS communications and navigation systems in urban operations. This Technical Memorandum (TM) describes UAS Traffic Management (UTM) operational architecture, UTM Technical Capability Level 4 (TCL4) flight tests that took place in two different urban settings, the four MOPs, and the TCL4 MOP results.
Unmanned Aviation Systems Traffic Management↗
Flight-control/navigation inertial reference system
The preliminary design of a redundant strapdown navigation system for integrated flight-control/navigation use has been completed. Based on application of tuned-gimbal gyros, a compact configuration (13 in x 13 in x 14 in) has been achieved for fail-operational/fail-operational redundancy. Test data are presented for strapdown system test programs including flight testing of the LN-50 tuned-gimbal gyro system. Testing of a redundant sensor configuration is currently in process. Strapdown gyro development also includes ring laser and nuclear magnetic resonance techniques.
Ebner, R. E.↗
An operational software system for geosynchronous satellite navigation
A software system has been designed to provide navigation parameters during the VAS experiment of the GOES-4 mission along with annotation data for near real time image registration. The four functional subsystems of the software system, Data Base Management, Image Processing, Navigation, and Output, and the principal hardware components are characterized. The ability of the system to fulfil its two principal objectives is verified by results obtained from processing actual SMS-2 satellite imagery.
Koch, D. W.↗
Apollo guidance and navigation electronics.
Guidance computer of Apollo guidance and navigation system discussing setup, keyboard console and memory design
COMPUTER DESIGN↗
Radio direction finder
Three-antenna interferometric system is described for homing on very high frequency transmitters. Antenna signals are sequentially sampled with single receiver and receiver output pulses are held for comparison of signals from outermost antennas with those of center antenna. System can be installed as redundant navigation system in case of failure of VOR receivers.
Hershey, L. M.↗
Optimal and suboptimal methods of satellite surveillance for traffic control of transoceanic flights.
Description of a system which uses two synchronous equatorial satellites. Aircraft location is determined by measuring the range of the aircraft to each satellite as well as aircraft altitude, and transmitting this information periodically to a ground station. There, the aircraft's geographic position at the time of transmission is computed. This information is then combined with past position measurements in a suboptimal filter to determine aircraft position and velocity (the velocity being used to estimate aircraft position between transmissions). The suboptimal filter is a simplification of the optimal Kalman filter. Except for altitude information, the system is independent of the aircraft navigation system.
Winter, H.↗
Architecture and performance of a real time differential GPS ground station
The NAVSTAR Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite based navigation system that can be operated in a differential mode. The basic concept of differential GPS is to have a local ground station at a known location. The ground station continuously determines bias corrections based on the received satellite signals and transmits these corrections to local users. This allows the user to improve significantly their estimate of position. The architecture of a real time differential GPS ground station based on two STI (Stanford Telecommunications, Inc.) single-channel GPS receivers is presented. Receiver requirements are described, together with the receiver architectures. Real time operation results are presented for recent data collected from six satellites.
Turner, R. N.↗
BOREAS Level-0 C-130 Navigation Data
The level-0 C-130 navigation data files contain aircraft attitude and position information acquired during the digital image and photographic data collection missions over the BOReal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (BOREAS) study areas. Various portions of the navigation data were collected at 1, 10, and 30 Hz. The level-0 C-130 navigation data collected for BOREAS in 1994 were improved over previous years in that the C-130 onboard navigation system was upgraded to output inertial navigation parameters every 1/30th of a second (i.e., 30 Hz). This upgrade was encouraged by users of the aircraft scanner data with the hope of improving the relative geometric positioning of the collected images.
Strub, Richard↗
Development of a Real-Time GPS/Seismic Displacement Meter: Applications to Civilian Infrastructure in Orange and Western Riverside Counties, California
We propose a three-year applications project that will develop an Integrated Real-Time GPS/Seismic System and deploy it in Orange and Western Riverside Counties, spanning three major strike-slip faults in southern California (San Andreas, San Jacinto, and Elsinore) and significant populations and civilian infrastructure. The system relying on existing GPS and seismic networks will collect and analyze GPS and seismic data for the purpose of estimating and disseminating real-time positions and total ground displacements (dynamic, as well as static) during all phases of the seismic cycle, from fractions of seconds to years. Besides its intrinsic scientific use as a real-time displacement meter (transducer), the GPS/Seismic System will be a powerful tool for local and state decision makers for risk mitigation, disaster management, and structural monitoring (dams, bridges, and buildings). Furthermore, the GPS/Seismic System will become an integral part of California's spatial referencing and positioning infrastructure, which is complicated by tectonic motion, seismic displacements, and land subsidence. Finally, the GPS/Seismic system will also be applicable to navigation in any environment (land, sea, or air) by combining precise real-time instantaneous GPS positioning with inertial navigation systems. This development will take place under the umbrella of the California Spatial Reference Center, in partnership with local (Counties, Riverside County Flood and Water Conservation District, Metropolitan Water District), state (Caltrans), and Federal agencies (NGS, NASA, USGS), the geophysics community (SCIGN/SCEC2), and the private sector (RBF Consulting). The project will leverage considerable funding, resources, and R&D from SCIGN, CSRC and two NSF-funded IT projects at UCSD and SDSU: RoadNet (Real-Time Observatories, Applications and Data Management Network) and the High Performance Wireless Research and Education Network (HPWREN). These two projects are funded to develop both the wireless networks and the integrated, seamless, and transparent information management system that will deliver seismic, geodetic, oceanographic, hydrological, ecological, and physical data to a variety of end users in real-time in the San Diego region. CSRC is interested in providing users access to real-time, accurate GPS data for a wide variety of applications including RTK surveying/GIS and positioning of moving platforms such as aircraft and emergency vehicles. SCIGN is interested in upgrading sites to high-frequency real-time operations for rapid earthquake response and GPS seismology. The successful outcome of the project will allow the implementation of similar systems elsewhere, particularly in plate boundary zones with significant populations and civilian infrastructure. CSRC would like to deploy the GPS/Seismic System in other parts of California, in particular San Diego, Los Angeles County and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Bock, Yehuda↗
Expected Navigation Flight Performance for the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Mission
The Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission consists of four formation-flying spacecraft placed in highly eccentric elliptical orbits about the Earth. The primary scientific mission objective is to study magnetic reconnection within the Earth s magnetosphere. The baseline navigation concept is the independent estimation of each spacecraft state using GPS pseudorange measurements (referenced to an onboard Ultra Stable Oscillator) and accelerometer measurements during maneuvers. State estimation for the MMS spacecraft is performed onboard each vehicle using the Goddard Enhanced Onboard Navigation System, which is embedded in the Navigator GPS receiver. This paper describes the latest efforts to characterize expected navigation flight performance using upgraded simulation models derived from recent analyses.
Olson, Corwin↗
Look, Ma, No HANS!
As part of the low cost design, the spinning Genesis spacecraft has no High Accuracy Navigation Systems (HANS) on board, such as gyros or accelerometers.
High Accuracy Navigation Systems (HANS) Genesis↗