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At least 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2016

Experimenting Galileo on Board the International Space Station

The SCaN Testbed is an advanced integrated communications system and laboratory facility installed on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2012. The testbed incorporates a set of new generation of Software Defined Radio (SDR) technologies intended to allow researchers to develop, test, and demonstrate new communications, networking, and navigation capabilities in the actual environment of space. Qascom, in cooperation with ESA and NASA, is designing a Software Defined Radio GalileoGPS Receiver capable to provide accurate positioning and timing to be installed on the ISS SCaN Testbed. The GalileoGPS waveform will be operated in the JPL SDR that is constituted by several hardware components that can be used for experimentations in L-Band and S-Band. The JPL SDR includes an L-Band Dorne Margolin antenna mounted onto a choke ring. The antenna is connected to a radio front end capable to provide one bit samples for the three GNSS frequencies (L1, L2 and L5) at 38 MHz, exploiting the subharmonic sampling. The baseband processing is then performed by an ATMEL AT697 processor (100 MIPS) and two Virtex 2 FPGAs. The JPL SDR supports the STRS (Space Telecommunications Radio System) that provides common waveform software interfaces, methods of instantiation, operation, and testing among different compliant hardware and software products. The standard foresees the development of applications that are modular, portable, reconfigurable, and reusable. The developed waveform uses the STRS infrastructure-provided application program interfaces (APIs) and services to load, verify, execute, change parameters, terminate, or unload an application. The project is divided in three main phases. 1)Design and Development of the GalileoGPS waveform for the SCaN Testbed starting from Qascom existing GNSS SDR receiver. The baseline design is limited to the implementation of the single frequency Galileo and GPS L1E1 receiver even if as part of the activity it will be to assess the feasibility of a dual frequency implementation (L1E1+L5E5a) in the same SDR platform.2)Qualification and test the GalileoGPS waveform using ground systems available at the NASA Glenn Research Center. Experimenters can have access to two SCaN Testbed ground based systems for development and verification: the Experimenter Development System (EDS) that is intended to provide initial opportunity for software testing and basic functional validation and the Ground Integration Unit (GIU) that is a high fidelity version of the SCaN Testbed flight system and is therefore used for more controlled final development testing and verification testing.3)Perform in-orbit validation and experimentation: The experimentation phase will consists on the collection of raw measurements (pseudorange, Carrier phase, CN0) in space, assessment on the quality of the measurements and the receiver performances in terms of signal acquisition, tracking, etc. Finally computation of positioning in space (Position, Velocity and time) and assessment of its performance.(Complete abstract in attached document).

Galileo↗
NASA NTRS2018

Development of an Optical Slice for an RF and Optical Software Defined Radio

A key component in the Integrated Radio and Optical Communications project at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Glenn Research Center (GRC) is the radio frequency (RF) and optical software defined radio (SDR). A NASA RF SDR might consist of a general purpose processor to run the Space Telecommunications Radio System (STRS) Architecture for radio command and control, a reconfigurable signal processing device such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) which houses the waveform, and a digital to analog converter (DAC) for transmitting data. Prior to development, SDR architecture trades on how to combine the RF and optical elements were studied. A modular architecture with physically separate RF and optical hardware slices was chosen and the optical slice of an SDR was designed and developed. The Harris AppSTARTM platform, which consists of an FPGA processing platform with a mezzanine card targeted for RF communications, was used as the base platform in prototyping the optical slice. A serially concatenated pulse position modulation (SCPPM) optical waveform was developed. The waveform follows the standard described in the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) Optical Communications Coding and Synchronization Red Book. A custom optical mezzanine printed circuit board card was developed at NASA GRC for optical transmission. The optical mezzanine card replaces the DAC, which is used in the transmission of RF signals. This paper describes RF and optical SDR architecture trades, the Harris AppSTAR platform, the design of the SCPPM waveform, and the development of the optical mezzanine card.

Nappier, Jennifer M.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Development of an Optical Slice for an RF and Optical Software Defined Radio

A key component in the Integrated Radio and Optical Communications project at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Glenn Research Center (GRC) is the radio frequency (RF) and optical software defined radio (SDR). A NASA RF SDR might consist of a general purpose processor to run the Space Telecommunications Radio System (STRS) Architecture for radio command and control, a reconfigurable signal processing device such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) which houses the waveform, and a digital to analog converter for (DAC) transmitting data. Prior to development, SDR architecture trades on how to combine the RF and optical elements were studied. A modular architecture with physically separate RF and optical hardware slices was chosen and the optical slice of an SDR was designed and developed. The Harris AppSTAR("TM") platform, which consists of an FPGA processing platform with a mezzanine card targeted for RF communications, was used as the base platform in prototyping the optical slice. A serially concatenated pulse position modulation (SCPPM) optical waveform was developed. The waveform follows the standard described in the Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) Optical Communions Coding and Synchronization Red Book. A custom optical mezzanine printed circuit board card was developed at NASA GRC for optical transmission. The optical mezzanine card replaces the DAC, which is used in the transmission of RF signals. This paper describes RF and optical SDR architecture trades, the Harris AppSTAR("TM") platform, the design of the SCPPM waveform, and the development of the optical mezzanine card.

optical communications↗
NASA NTRS2011

STRS SpaceWire FPGA Module

An FPGA module leverages the previous work from Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) relating to NASA s Space Telecommunications Radio System (STRS) project. The STRS SpaceWire FPGA Module is written in the Verilog Register Transfer Level (RTL) language, and it encapsulates an unmodified GSFC core (which is written in VHDL). The module has the necessary inputs/outputs (I/Os) and parameters to integrate seamlessly with the SPARC I/O FPGA Interface module (also developed for the STRS operating environment, OE). Software running on the SPARC processor can access the configuration and status registers within the SpaceWire module. This allows software to control and monitor the SpaceWire functions, but it is also used to give software direct access to what is transmitted and received through the link. SpaceWire data characters can be sent/received through the software interface, as well as through the dedicated interface on the GSFC core. Similarly, SpaceWire time codes can be sent/received through the software interface or through a dedicated interface on the core. This innovation is designed for plug-and-play integration in the STRS OE. The SpaceWire module simplifies the interfaces to the GSFC core, and synchronizes all I/O to a single clock. An interrupt output (with optional masking) identifies time-sensitive events within the module. Test modes were added to allow internal loopback of the SpaceWire link and internal loopback of the client-side data interface.

Lux, James P.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Experiments Program for NASA's Space Communications Testbed

NASA developed a testbed for communications and navigation that was launched to the International Space Station in 2012. The testbed promotes new software defined radio (SDR) technologies and addresses associated operational concepts for space-based SDRs, enabled by this first flight of NASA's Space Telecommunications Radio System (STRS) architecture standard. The experiments program consists of a mix of in-house and external experiments from partners in industry, academia, and government. The experiments will investigate key challenges in communications, networking, and global positioning system navigation both on the ground and on orbit. This presentation will discuss some of the key opportunities and challenges for the testbed experiments program.

Chelmins, David↗
NASA NTRS2016

Ka-band Technologies for Small Spacecraft Communications via Relays and Direct Data Downlink

As the scientific capabilities and number of small spacecraft missions in the near Earth region increase, standard yet configurable user spacecraft terminals operating in Ka-band are needed to lower mission cost and risk and enable significantly higher data return than current UHF or S-band terminals. These compact Ka-band terminals are intended to operate with both the current and next generation of Ka-band relay satellites and via direct data communications with near Earth tracking terminals. This presentation provides an overview of emerging NASA-sponsored and commercially provided technologies in software defined radios (SDRs), transceivers, and electronically steered antennas that will enable data rates from hundreds of kbps to over 1 Gbps and operate in multiple frequency bands (such as S- and X-bands) and expand the use of NASA's common Ka-bands frequencies: 22.55-23.15 GHz for forward data or uplink; and 25.5-27.0 GHz for return data or downlink. Reductions in mass, power and volume come from integration of multiple radio functions, operations in Ka-band, high efficiency amplifiers and receivers, and compact, flat and vibration free electronically steered narrow beam antennas for up to + 60 degrees field of regard. The software defined near Earth space transceiver (SD-NEST) described in the presentation is intended to be compliant with NASA's space telecommunications radio system (STRS) standard for communications waveforms and hardware interoperability.

Extremely High Frequency↗
NASA NTRS2019

The Space Communications and Navigation Testbed aboard International Space Station: Seven Years of Space-based Reconfigurable Software Defined Communications, Navigation, and Networking

The adoption of software defined radios offers space missions a new way to develop and operate space transceivers for communications and navigation.The SCaN Testbed on-board the ISS led groundbreaking efforts to champion use of software defined radios for space communications. The SCaN Testbed has allowed NASA, industry, academia, and international partners to pursue their respective interests in joint collaboration with NASA, and move this technology and it's applications to the space domain. Launched in 2012, The SCaN Testbed has logged over 4000 hours of operation exploring the development, reconfiguration, and operation of software defined radios and their software applications. Over the past seven years, experimenters and organizations from across the United States and around the world, have advanced the applications of software defined radios and networks using the SCaN Tested. Some of SCaN Testbed's successful experiments include the demonstration of the first Ka-band full duplex space transceiver, which became an R&D 100 award winning technology, and was inducted into the Space Technology Hall of Fame, following the launch and space deployment of a successful commercial product line based on the Testbed radios.Experiments have focused on new software development and operations concepts for understanding how to manage and apply this relatively new technology to space to improve communications and navigation for space science and exploration missions. The advanced capabilities of the software radios allow for multiple applications or functions (e.g., communication and navigation) to operate from the same radio platform. Multiple software waveform applications enable software component reuse and improve efficiency for multiple applications operating over different mission phases. The new capabilities of software defined radios such as on-orbit reconfiguration, also present new challenges such as increased operational complexity. Experiments of the SCaN testbed include more intelligent or cognitive applications to improve communications efficiency and manage the complexity of the radios, the communication channels, and the network itself. The software defined radios on the SCaN Testbed are each compliant to NASA's Space Telecommunications Radio System (STRS) Architecture. The STRS Architecture provides commonality among radio developments from different providers and different mission applications, and is designed to reduce the cost, risk, and complexity of unique and custom radio developments. This radio architecture standard defines common waveform software interfaces, methods of instantiation, operation, and documentation. As the SCaN Testbed concludes its operations on ISS, this presentation explores the advancements and accomplishments made to advance software defined radio technology and its applications for exploration. The accomplishments cover a number of experiment areas in Ka-band and S-band communications with TDRS, high rate communications, adaptive waveform operation, navigation using both GPA and Galileo constellations, complex networking and disruptive tolerant link protocols, user initiative service, and initial experiments with intelligent and cognitive applications which demonstrate the significant potential of software defined and cognitive radios.

Mortensen, Dale↗
NASA NTRS1997

Trends in Performance and Characteristics of Ultra-Stable Oscillators for Deep Space Radio Science Experiments

Telecommunication systems of spacecraft on deep space missions also function as instruments for Radio Science experiments. Radio scientists utilize the telecommunication links between spacecraft and Earth to examine very small changes in the phase/frequency, amplitude, and/or polarization of radio signals to investigate a host of physical phenomena in the solar system. Several missions augmented the radio communication system with an Ultra-Stable Oscillator (USO) in order to provide a highly stable reference signal for oneway downlink. This configuration is used in order to enable better investigations of the atmospheres of the planets occulting the line-of-sight to the spacecraft; one-way communication was required and the transponders' built-in auxiliary oscillators were neither sufficiently stable nor spectrally pure for the occultation experiments. Since Radio Science instrumentation is distributed between the spacecraft and the ground stations, the Deep Space Network (DSN) is also equipped to function as a world-class instrument for Radio Science research. For a detailed account of Radio Science experiments, methodology, key discoveries, and the DSN's historical contribution to the field, see Asmar and Renzetti (1993). The tools of Radio Science can be and have also been utilized in addressing several mission engineering challenges; e.g., characterization of spacecraft nutation and anomalous motion, antenna calibrations, and communications during surface landing phases. Since the first quartz USO was flown on Voyager, the technology has advanced significantly, affording future missions higher sensitivity in reconstructing the temperature pressure profiles of the atmospheres under study as well as other physical phenomena of interest to Radio Science. This paper surveys the trends in stability and spectral purity performance, design characteristics including size and mass, as well as cost and history of these clocks in space.

Asmar, Sami↗
NASA NTRS2012

Clock Synchronization

Experimental goals are: (1) synchronize 1 pulse per second outputs derived from two different crystal oscillator sources, (2) generate near atomic clock accuracy for other experimental needs.

atomic clock↗
NASA NTRS1974

Investigation of outer planet atmospheres using the pioneer entry probe radio system

The requirements for a telecommunication link which will relay information from a space probe to a carrier spacecraft during space exploration missions are examined. Specific experiments are described and the relative value of the proposed techniques are evaluated. Radio science methods as related to telecommunications systems are discussed. Operational implications of the various approaches to scientific measurement by telemetry of tracking radios are analyzed. Emphasis is placed on a conceptual description of the physics rather than the mathematical development.

Croft, T. A.↗
NASA NTRS2012

CoNNeCT Antenna Positioning System Dynamic Simulator Modal Model Correlation

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) developed an on-orbit, adaptable, Software Defined Radios (SDR)/Space Telecommunications Radio System (STRS)-based testbed facility to conduct a suite of experiments to advance technologies, reduce risk, and enable future mission capabilities on the International Space Station (ISS). The Communications, Navigation, and Networking reConfigurable Testbed (CoNNeCT) Project will provide NASA, industry, other Government agencies, and academic partners the opportunity to develop and field communications, navigation, and networking technologies in both the laboratory and space environment based on reconfigurable, software-defined radio platforms and the STRS Architecture. The CoNNeCT Payload Operations Nomenclature is SCAN Testbed, and this nomenclature will be used in all ISS integration, safety, verification, and operations documentation. The SCAN Testbed (payload) is a Flight Releasable Attachment Mechanism (FRAM) based payload that will launch aboard the Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) Multipurpose Exposed Pallet (EP-MP) to the International Space Station (ISS), and will be transferred to the Express Logistics Carrier 3 (ELC3) via Extravehicular Robotics (EVR). The SCAN Testbed will operate on-orbit for a minimum of two years.

Jones, Trevor M.↗
NASA NTRS2012

CoNNeCT Antenna Positioning System Dynamic Simulator Modal Model Correlation

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) developed an on-orbit, adaptable, Software Defined Radios (SDR)/Space Telecommunications Radio System (STRS)-based testbed facility to conduct a suite of experiments to advance technologies, reduce risk, and enable future mission capabilities on the International Space Station (ISS). The Communications, Navigation, and Networking reConfigurable Testbed (CoNNeCT) Project will provide NASA, industry, other Government agencies, and academic partners the opportunity to develop and field communications, navigation, and networking technologies in both the laboratory and space environment based on reconfigurable, software-defined radio platforms and the STRS Architecture. The CoNNeCT Payload Operations Nomenclature is "SCAN Testbed," and this nomenclature will be used in all ISS integration, safety, verification, and operations documentation. The SCAN Testbed (payload) is a Flight Releasable Attachment Mechanism (FRAM) based payload that will launch aboard the Japanese H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) Multipurpose Exposed Pallet (EP-MP) to the International Space Station (ISS), and will be transferred to the Express Logistics Carrier 3 (ELC3) via Extravehicular Robotics (EVR). The SCAN Testbed will operate on-orbit for a minimum of two years.

Jones, Tevor M.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Space VLBI telecommunication characteristics, protection criteria, and frequency sharing

A brief description of the technical characteristics of space VLBI is made, emphasizing the VLBI cross-correlation process. The signal-to-noise ratio of the cross-correlation process should be maintained as large as possible for the duration of the observation. Protection of this process from unwanted interference is a primary objective. The telecommunication radio links required in a space VLBI system are identified and characterized. Maximum bandwidths are suggested, as well as the minimum carrier frequencies required for the telemetering and the phase-transfer radio links. Planned space VLBI system models-Radioastron (Russia), VLBI Space Observatory Project (VSOP) (Japan), and the DSN orbiting VLBI subnet. (United States)--are taken as a baseline to determine the interference criteria. It is concluded that existing interference criteria for near-Earth research satellites are suitable for the protection of the space VLBI systems planned.

Gutierrez-Luaces, B. O.↗
NASA NTRS2021

Pointing Error Budget Development and Methodology on the Psyche Project

The Psyche mission was selected by NASA as the 14th mission in the Discovery Program in 2017. The Psyche spacecraft utilizes solar electric propulsion, and will journey to the asteroid (16) Psyche during a 3.5 year trajectory after its planned 2022 launch. The spacecraft instrument suite includes a magnetometer, a multispectral imager, a gamma ray neutron spectrometer, and an X-band radio telecommunications system. It also includes the Deep Space Optical Communication technical demonstration. These instruments along with other spacecraft components require pointing accuracy to meet their scientific and engineering performance requirements. Early on in the project development, the team established a methodology by which pointing accuracy (knowledge and control) is analyzed against the system requirements by means of pointing error budgets and requirement allocations. A margin policy was implemented to ensure the instrument and engineering component pointing accuracy requirements will be met during verification and in flight. Psyche’s pointing management framework defines detailed rationales for the system and subsystem error allocations of the top level pointing accuracy requirements, with sufficient project level pointing margin, and supports end-to-end pointing requirement verification. This paper will present an overview of the Psyche project’s pointing error budget development process, and discuss the rationale behind the methodology. Psyche’s pointing budget methodology integrates best practices and lessons learned from heritage missions, while focusing on the specific needs of the Psyche spacecraft and its science instruments. Key challenges in the pointing error budget development will be reviewed, and a deep dive into two key Psyche pointing budgets are presented. The systems engineering of Psyche’s pointing budget methodology outlined in this paper will serve as a resource for future deep space missions.

Lai, Peter↗
NASA NTRS1987

Propagation effects on satellite systems at frequencies below 10 GHz: A handbook for satellite systems design

Frequencies below 10 GHz continue to be used for a large portion of satellite service, and new applications, including mobile satellite service and the global positioning system, use frequencies below 10 GHz. As frequency decreases below 10 GHz, attenuation due to precipitation and gases decreases and ionospheric effects increase. Thus the ionosphere, which can be largely neglected above 10 GHz, receives major attention. Although attenuation and depolarization due to rain are less severe below 10 GHz than above, they are nevertheless still important and constitute another major topic. The handbook emphasizes the propagation effects on satellite communications but material that is pertinent to radio navigation and positioning systems and deep-space telecommunications is included as well. Chapter 1 through 7 describe the various propagation impairments, and Chapter 9 is devoted to the estimation or calculation of the magnitudes of these effects for use in system design. Chapter 10 covers link power budget equations and the role of propagation effects in these equations. Chapter 8 deals with the complex subject of interference between space and terrestrial systems.

Flock, Warren L.↗
NASA NTRS1997

Comparative Study of Optical and Radio-Frequency Communication Systems for a Deep-Space Mission

We have performed a study on telecommunication systems for a hypothetical mission to Mars. The objective of the study was to evaluate and compare the benefits that microwave-X-band (8.4 GHz) and Ka-band (32 GHz) - and optical communications technologies a afford to future missions. The telecommunication systems were required to return data after launch and in orbit at 2.7 AU with daily data volumes of 0.1, 1.0, or 10.0 Gbits (Gb). Spacecraft terminals capable of delivering each of the three data volumes were proposed and characterized in terms of mass, power consumption, size, and cost. The estimated parameters for X-band, Ka-band, and optical frequencies are compared and presented here. For all cases, the optical light terminal exhibits about 60 percent of the mass of the corresponding radio frequency (RF) subsystem. Power consumption is comparable for all three technologies at a 0.1 Gb/day data volume, but the power required at either Ka-band or optical is less than half of the X-band requirement at 10 Gb/day. These benefits can be obtained only with a suitable investment in reception facilities for Ka-band or optical frequencies.

Hemmati, H.↗