Space flight operations communications phraseology and techniques

Communications are a critical link in space flight operations. Specific communications phraseology and techniques have been developed to allow rapid and clear transfer of information. Communications will be clear and brief through the use of procedural words and phrases. Communications protocols standardize the required information transferred. The voicing of letters and numbers is discussed. The protocols used in air-to-ground communications are given. A glossary of communications terminology is presented in the appendix

An overview of the communications technology satellite project: Executive summary

An overview of the Communications Technology Satellite (CTS) project, a joint venture between NASA and the Canadian Department of Communications is given. A brief technical description of the CTS spacecraft and its cognate hardware and operations, a history of the CTS project, and a list of the CTS experiments and demonstrations conducted during the course of the project are given

Brief state-of-the-art review on optical communications for the NASA ISES workshop

The current state of the art of optical communications is briefly reviewed. This review covers NASA programs, DOD and other government agency programs, commercial aerospace programs, and foreign programs. Included is a brief summary of a recent NASA workshop on optical communications. The basic conclusions from all the program reviews is that optical communications is a technology ready to be accepted but needed to be demonstrated. Probably the most advanced and sophisticated optical communications system is the Laser Intersatellite Transmission Experiment (LITE) system developed for flight on the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS). Optical communications technology is available for the applications of data communications at data rates in the under 300 MBits/sec for nearly all applications under 2 times GEO distances. Applications for low-earth orbiter (LEO) to ground will allow data rates in the multi-GBits/sec range. Higher data rates are limited by currently available laser power. Phased array lasers offer technology which should eliminate this problem. The major problem of cloud coverage can probably be eliminated by look ahead pointing, multiple ground stations, and knowledge of weather conditions to control the pointing. Most certainly, optical communications offer a new spectral region to relieve the RF bands and very high data communications rates that will be required in less than 10 years to solve the communications problems on Earth

Stuck in the Middle: Re-defining What Successful Scholarly Communications Programs Look Like

What are the goals of your scholarly communications programs and services, and how do you define success? Critics and proponents alike often attempt to paint the scholarly communications movement with a broad brush. Both groups seem to push for a common definition of what the movement should look like and how success should be defined. In the world we live in today, these loudest voices are often amplified through their use of social media, listservs and prominent roles on the conference circuit, leaving some in the middle to question their own success and whether they have a place in this movement. And because scholarly communications programs do often grow out of the open access movement, some institutions may define their local success in terms of the movement as a whole. We argue that effective scholarly communications programs are ones that are aligned with their institutions’ mission and goals, and use planning and evaluation methods that reflect their unique community and needs. This panel will explore the challenges posed by those who seek a singular definition of success and share brief examples of how scholarly communications programs are developed, sustained, and evaluated at three different institutions. Panelists from a liberal arts college, a comprehensive university and a research university will discuss the ways they define and measure success at their institutions, and how this may have evolved over time

UAV as a Reliable Wingman: A Flight Demonstration

In this brief, we present the results from a flight experiment demonstrating two significant advances in software enabled control: optimization-based control using real-time trajectory generation and logical programming environments for formal analysis of control software. Our demonstration platform consisted of a human-piloted F-15 jet flying together with an autonomous T-33 jet. We describe the behavior of the system in two scenarios. In the first, nominal state communications were present and the autonomous aircraft maintained formation as the human pilot flew maneuvers. In the second, we imposed the loss of high-rate communications and demonstrated an autonomous safe “lost wingman” procedure to increase separation and reacquire contact. The flight demonstration included both a nominal formation flight component and an execution of the lost wingman scenario

Caritas in Veritate: Updating Catholic Social Teachings for Macromarketing and Business

In an effort to assess the latest thinking in the Roman Catholic Church on economic matters, this communications note briefly highlights the recent publication of a new encyclical by Pope Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth). Core ethical values, consistent with previous examples of Catholic Social Teaching (CST), are retained. However, some important nuances are added to previous treatments and certain points of emphasis are shifted to account for recent global developments. Key areas that relate to abiding marketing issues are spelled out and some brief commentary on matters of importance to macromarketing is offered