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Deep space network enhancement for the Galileo mission to Jupiter

The Galileo mission to Jupiter has unique scientific objectives never attempted before by a planetary mission. These objectives have presented technical challenges to the NASA Deep Space Network. New technologies and system concepts have been developed to meet these challenges. Major implementations are underway to equip the ground stations in the Network. Significant improvement in performance is expected. The ground-based navigation is expected to achieve an angular precision of 50 nanoradians using very-long-baseline interferometry (VLBI). The frequency stability of the ground instrument will be 5 x 10 to the -15th for the detection of gravitational waves. The precision of the Faraday rotation angle measurement of the spacecraft signal will be better than 2 degrees.

Peng, T. K.↗

Galileo early cruise, including Venus, first Earth, and Gaspra encounters

This article documents Deep Space Network (DSN) support for the Galileo cruise to Jupiter. The unique trajectory affords multiple encounters during this cruise phase. Each encounter had or will have unique requirements for data acquisition and DSN support configurations. An overview of the cruise and encounters through the asteroid Gaspra encounter is provided.

Beyer, P. E.↗

An overview of NASA's programs and plans

An overview is given of NASA's technical program offices and their status, recent accomplishments, and plans for the future. Programs covered include the Space Transportation System, TDRS, the Deep Space Network, the various Spacelab missions, the Galileo mission to Jupiter, the Ulysses mission over the poles of the sun, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the Space Station program.

Keller, S. W.↗

Shape, Mean Radius, Gravity Field and Interior Structure of Callisto

Radio Doppler data generated by the Deep Space Network (DSN) from five encounters of the Galileo spacecraft with Callisto, Jupiter's outermost Galilean satellite, have been used to determine the quadrupole moments of the satellite's external gravitational field.

Galileo Mission gravity radio science Jupiter sate↗

Galileo's Telecom Using the Low-gain Spacecraft Antenna

Galileo's accomplishment of a science-rich mission through a low-gain antenna was made possible by a coordinated efforts of the Deep Space Network Support team, the spacecraft designers, and the science principal investigators.

on-board↗

Communicating from the edge of the solar system

Communication technology for deep-space scientific missions is surveyed, with a focus on systems being developed for Galileo, a NASA orbiter/probe mission to Jupiter. The problems faced in designing the links from the probe (descending into the Jovian atmosphere) to the orbiter and from the orbiter to earth are examined; the technological solutions adopted for Galileo are discussed; the expansion of the Deep Space Network for the mission is described; the advantages and limitations of cm-band communication systems being considered to meet the data-rate requirements of future deep-space missions are outlined; and the potential of optical communication for the 21st century is indicated. Also included are tables listing past and planned deep-space missions and a brief description of the use of spacecraft radio signals by radio and planetary scientists to probe solar-system plasmas and gravitational fields.

Posner, E. C.↗

Inter Continental, Inter-Agency Arraying - The Galileo Experience

Since November 1, 1996, the Galileo orbital tour of jupiter and its moons is routinely supported by a massive array of large antennas: two 70-meter antennas in GDSCC and CDSCC, a 64-meter antenna at Parkes, and additional 34-meter antennas at CDSCC. The scope of this array is unprevented, it operates daily in a routine fashion, inter-continentally, and employs antennas of several agenscies, namely two complexes of JPL's Deep Space Network (DSN) an CSIRO's Parkes facility. The Success of this routine arraying operation is the basis for the DSN's new array of 34-meter antennas that is being implementet at GDSCC.

Galileo↗

Galileo

The purpose of the Galileo missions is to make observations of Jupiter and its satellites using an orbiting spacecraft and an atmospheric entry probe. The mission will determine the chemical composition and physical state of the Jovian atmosphere and its satellites, and the topology and behavior of the magnetic field and energetic particle flux of Jupiter. The mission plan calls for a Venus Earth Earth Gravity Assist (VEEGA) trajectory having a launch to end of mission duration of approximately 8 years. The Galileo spacecraft was placed in Earth orbit by the Space Transportation System (STS) on October 18, 1989. The Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) placed the spacecraft on a trajectory to encounter Venus on February 10, 1990. Information is given in tabular form for coverage goals, Deep Space Network (DSN) support, frequency assignments, telemetry, command, and tracking support responsibility.

Ausman, N. E.↗

(abstract) The Galileo Spacecraft: A Telecommunications Legacy for Future Space Flight

The Galileo mission to Jupiter has implemented a wide range of telecommunication improvements in response to the loss of its high gain antenna. While necessity dictated the use of these new techniques for Galileo, now that they have been proven in flight, they are available for use on future deep space missions. This telecommunications legacy of Galileo will aid in our ability to conduct a meaningful exploration of the solar system, and beyond, at a reasonable cost.

Galileo telecommunications Deep Space Network↗

The Galileo Spacecraft: A Telecommunications Legacy for Future Space Flight

The Galileo mission to Jupiter has implemented a wide range of telecommunication inprovements in response to the loss of its high gain antenna. While necessity dictated the use of these new techniques for Galileo, now that they have been proven in flight, they are available for use on future deep space missions. This telecommunications legacy of Galileo will aid in our ability to conduct a meaningful exploration of the solar system, and beyond, at a reasonable cost.

Galileo telecommunications Deep Space Network↗

Phasing the Very Large Array on Galileo in the presence of Jupiter's strong radio emission

Work is in progress to determine the feasibility of using the Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope to receive telemetry from Galileo during its close encounter with Io on 7 Dec. 1995. The VLA was used previously to receive telemetry from Voyager 2 at Neptune. However, Jupiter's strong radio emission is an additional complication in the case of the Galileo encounter. This article analyzes the effect of Jupiter's radio emission on the phase-adjustment procedure ('autophasing') used to maintain coherence among the 27 VLA antennas. Results of an experiment designed to mimic the Io encounter are presented. As expected, Jupiter's strong radio emission has a considerable effect on the autophasing procedure. A simple emission model is found to give a good approximation to the fringe-visibility plots derived from the VLA data, and that successful model is used to estimate the VLA's ability to autophase on Galileo during the Io encounter. The effect of Jupiter should be small for projected baselines longer than approximately 800 m and completely negligible for projected baselines longer than approximately 1.1 km. The most extended configuration of the VLA (the A configuration) probably can be used successfully for telemetry reception during the Io encounter. Further analysis and testing of the effect of correlated noise from Jupiter is necessary before a final decision can be made about the feasibility of using the second largest (B) configuration of the VLA for reception of Galileo telemetry. Use of the B configuration could simplify the upgrades needed to support the Io encounter. Tests to help choose the preferred VLA configuration could be performed by using the VLA to observe the Magellan spacecraft at Venus during Jul. and Oct. 1991. Examination of the effects of planet noise on the VLA have implications beyond the use of that telescope for supporting the Io encounter. The effects of planet radio emission on spacecraft data received by antenna arrays are relevant to choosing the exact locations of antennas that might be built by the Deep Space Network in coming years.

Ulvestad, J. S.↗

Galileo mission planning for Low Gain Antenna based operations

The Galileo mission operations concept is undergoing substantial redesign, necessitated by the deployment failure of the High Gain Antenna, while the spacecraft is on its way to Jupiter. The new design applies state-of-the-art technology and processes to increase the telemetry rate available through the Low Gain Antenna and to increase the information density of the telemetry. This paper describes the mission planning process being developed as part of this redesign. Principal topics include a brief description of the new mission concept and anticipated science return (these have been covered more extensively in earlier papers), identification of key drivers on the mission planning process, a description of the process and its implementation schedule, a discussion of the application of automated mission planning tool to the process, and a status report on mission planning work to date. Galileo enhancements include extensive reprogramming of on-board computers and substantial hard ware and software upgrades for the Deep Space Network (DSN). The principal mode of operation will be onboard recording of science data followed by extended playback periods. A variety of techniques will be used to compress and edit the data both before recording and during playback. A highly-compressed real-time science data stream will also be important. The telemetry rate will be increased using advanced coding techniques and advanced receivers. Galileo mission planning for orbital operations now involves partitioning of several scarce resources. Particularly difficult are division of the telemetry among the many users (eleven instruments, radio science, engineering monitoring, and navigation) and allocation of space on the tape recorder at each of the ten satellite encounters. The planning process is complicated by uncertainty in forecast performance of the DSN modifications and the non-deterministic nature of the new data compression schemes. Key mission planning steps include quantifying resource or capabilities to be allocated, prioritizing science observations and estimating resource needs for each, working inter-and intra-orbit trades of these resources among the Project elements, and planning real-time science activity. The first major mission planning activity, a high level, orbit-by-orbit allocation of resources among science objectives, has already been completed; and results are illustrated in the paper. To make efficient use of limited resources, Galileo mission planning will rely on automated mission planning tools capable of dealing with interactions among time-varying downlink capability, real-time science and engineering data transmission, and playback of recorded data. A new generic mission planning tool is being adapted for this purpose.

Gershman, R.↗

Effects of correlated noise on the full-spectrum combining and complex-symbol combining arraying techniques

The process of combining telemetry signals received at multiple antennas, commonly referred to as arraying, can be used to improve communication link performance in the Deep Space Network (DSN). By coherently adding telemetry from multiple receiving sites, arraying produces an enhancement in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) over that achievable with any single antenna in the array. A number of different techniques for arraying have been proposed and their performances analyzed in past literature. These analyses have compared different arraying schemes under the assumption that the signals contain additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and that the noise observed at distinct antennas is independent. In situations where an unwanted background body is visible to multiple antennas in the array, however, the assumption of independent noises is no longer applicable. A planet with significant radiation emissions in the frequency band of interest can be one such source of correlated noise. For example, during much of Galileo's tour of Jupiter, the planet will contribute significantly to the total system noise at various ground stations. This article analyzes the effects of correlated noise on two arraying schemes currently being considered for DSN applications: full-spectrum combining (FSC) and complex-symbol combining (CSC). A framework is presented for characterizing the correlated noise based on physical parameters, and the impact of the noise correlation on the array performance is assessed for each scheme.

Vazirani, P.↗

Determination of the position of Jupiter from radio metric tracking of Voyager 1

The Voyager 1 spacecraft flew by Jupiter on March 5, 1979. Spacecraft navigation was performed with radio tracking data from NASA's Deep Space Network. In the years since then, there has been a great deal of progress in the definition of celestial reference frames and in determining the orbit and orientation of the Earth. Using these improvements, the radio metric range and Doppler data acquired from the Voyager 1 spacecraft near its encounter with Jupiter have been reanalyzed to determine the plane-of-sky position of Jupiter with much greater accuracy than was possible at the time of the encounter. The position of Jupiter at the time of encounter has been determined with an accuracy of 40 nrad in right ascension and 140 nrad in declination with respect to the celestial reference frame defined by the International Earth Rotation Service. This position estimate has been done to improve the ephemeris of Jupiter prior to the upcoming encounter of the Galileo spacecraft with Jupiter.

Folkner, W. M.↗

Work on Planetary Atmospheres and Planetary Atmosphere Probes

A summary final report of work accomplished is presented. Work was performed in the following areas: (1) Galileo Probe science analysis, (2) Galileo probe Atmosphere Structure Instrument, (3) Mars Pathfinder Atmosphere Structure/Meteorology instrument, (4) Mars Pathfinder data analysis, (5) Science Definition for future Mars missions, (6) Viking Lander data analysis, (7) winds in Mars atmosphere Venus atmospheric dynamics, (8) Pioneer Venus Probe data analysis, (9) Pioneer Venus anomaly analysis, (10) Discovery Venus Probe Titan probe instrument design, and (11) laboratory studies of Titan probe impact phenomena. The work has resulted in more than 10 articles published in archive journals, 2 encyclopedia articles, and many working papers. This final report is organized around the four planets on which there was activity, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and Titan, with a closing section on Miscellaneous Activities. A major objective was to complete the fabrication, test, and evaluation of the atmosphere structure experiment on the Galileo probe, and to receive, analyze and interpret data received from the spacecraft. The instrument was launched on April 14, 1989. Calibration data were taken for all experiment sensors. The data were analyzed, fitted with algorithms, and summarized in a calibration report for use in analyzing and interpreting data returned from Jupiter's atmosphere. The sensors included were the primary science pressure, temperature and acceleration sensors, and the supporting engineering temperature sensors. Computer programs were written to decode the Experiment Data Record and convert the digital numbers to physical quantities, i.e., temperatures, pressures, and accelerations. The project office agreed to obtain telemetry of checkout data from the probe. Work to extend programs written for use on the Pioneer Venus project included: (1) massive heat shield ablation leading to important mass loss during entry; and (2) rapid planet rotation, which introduced terms of motion not needed on Venus. When the Galileo Probe encountered Jupiter, analysis and interpretation of data commenced. The early contributions of the experiment were to define (1) the basic structure of the deep atmosphere, (2) the stability of the atmosphere, (3) the upper atmospheric profiles of density, pressure, and temperature. The next major task in the Galileo Probe project was to refine, verify and extend the analysis of the data. It was the verified, and corrected data, which indicated a dry abiabatic atmosphere within measurement accuracy. Temperature in the thermosphere was measured at 900 K. Participation in the Mars atmospheric research included: (1) work as a team member of the Mars Atmosphere Working Group, (2) contribution to the Mars Exobiology Instrument workshop, (3) asssistance in planning the Mars global network and (4) assitance in planning the Soviet-French Mars mission in 1994. This included a return to the Viking Lander parachute data to refine and improve the definition of winds between 1.5 and 4 kilometer altitude at the two entry sites. The variability of the structure of Mars atmosphere was addressed, which is known to vary with season, latitude, hemisphere and dust loading of the atmosphere. This led to work on the Pathfinder project. The probe had a deployable meteorology mast that had three temperature sensors, and a wind sensor at the tip of the mast. Work on the Titan atmospheric probe was also accomplished. This included developing an experiment proposal to the European Space Agency (ESA), which was not selected. However, as an advisor in the design and preparation of the selected experiment the researcher interacted with scientist on the Huygens Probe Atmosphere Structure Experiment. The researcher also participated in the planning for the Venus Chemical Probe. The science objectives of the probe were to resolve unanswered questions concerning the minor species chemistry of Venus' atmosphere that control cloud formation, greenhouse effectiveness, and the thermal structure. The researcher also reviewed problems with the Pioneer Venus Probe, that caused anomalies which occurred on the Probes at and below 12.5 km level of the Venus' atmosphere. He convened and participated in a workshop that concluded the most likely hardware cause was insulation failure in the electrical harness outside the Probes' pressure vessels. It was discovered that the shrink tubing material failed at 600K. This failure could explain the anomalies experienced by the probes. The descent data of the Pioneer probes, and the Soviet Vega Lander was analyzed to evaluate the presence of small scale gravity waves in and below the Venus cloud layer.

Lester, Peter↗