The Asolant/Rubin-5 Technology Demonstration Mission - System Description and First Flight Results

This paper addresses the Asolant/Rubin-5 flight experiment conducted onboard the upper stage of a Cosmos rocket in late 2005. The main objective of the project was to flight-qualify a newly developed combined solar cell/antenna device, the so-called Advanced SOLar ANTenna (ASOLANT) technology. In order to assess both, the reception as well as emission of R/F signals, two different devices were involved in the mission. One was linked to a space-borne Phoenix-S GPS receiver to examine the receiving performance. A second device was designed to send out S-Band beacon signals generated by the SAFIR-S amateur radio transmitter to evaluate the radiation characteristics. Moreover, both ASOLANT devices supplied the electrical power for the onboard systems. Telecommand and telemetry functionalities were provided by an ORBCOMM communicator making use of the ORBCOMM satellite network to relay data between space and ground. This unit, furthermore, served as onboard computer. The experiment was launched along with eight multinational payload satellites. It was designed to remain attached to the rockets upper stage after burnout. Due to a separation failure of one of the copassengers, the primary mission objectives could not be fully met. Nevertheless, a sufficient number of data was retrieved to confirm the good overall performance of the ASOLANT devices. Roughly ten month after the launch, still most system components are operational and experiment data are transmitted to ground. Following a description of the main flight system components and the overall ystem architecture, the paper summarizes the hitherto obtained experiment results

Intelligent redundant actuation system requirements and preliminary system design

Several redundant actuation system configurations were designed and demonstrated to satisfy the stringent operational requirements of advanced flight control systems. However, this has been accomplished largely through brute force hardware redundancy, resulting in significantly increased computational requirements on the flight control computers which perform the failure analysis and reconfiguration management. Modern technology now provides powerful, low-cost microprocessors which are effective in performing failure isolation and configuration management at the local actuator level. One such concept, called an Intelligent Redundant Actuation System (IRAS), significantly reduces the flight control computer requirements and performs the local tasks more comprehensively than previously feasible. The requirements and preliminary design of an experimental laboratory system capable of demonstrating the concept and sufficiently flexible to explore a variety of configurations are discussed

Airborne Advanced Reconfigurable Computer System (ARCS)

A digital computer subsystem fault-tolerant concept was defined, and the potential benefits and costs of such a subsystem were assessed when used as the central element of a new transport's flight control system. The derived advanced reconfigurable computer system (ARCS) is a triple-redundant computer subsystem that automatically reconfigures, under multiple fault conditions, from triplex to duplex to simplex operation, with redundancy recovery if the fault condition is transient. The study included criteria development covering factors at the aircraft's operation level that would influence the design of a fault-tolerant system for commercial airline use. A new reliability analysis tool was developed for evaluating redundant, fault-tolerant system availability and survivability; and a stringent digital system software design methodology was used to achieve design/implementation visibility

Develop a FTTH network management system using visual basic

This paper proposed an efficient network management software tool named Smart Access Network _ Testing,Analyzing and Database (SANTAD) for remote control, inservice transmission surveillance, centralized monitoring, and fault detection for fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) using Visual Basic programming. A virtual network is setup to operate the software tool from central office (CO) or remote point.This program is able to prevent and detect the occurrence of fault in network system through event identification against optical signal level, attenuation, and losses.SANTAD enable each status of transmission link to be displayed a single screen with capability to configure the attenuation and detect the failure simultaneously

IUS/payload communication system simulator configuration definition study

The requirements and specifications for a general purpose payload communications system simulator to be used to emulate those communications system portions of NASA and DOD payloads/spacecraft that will in the future be carried into earth orbit by the shuttle are discussed. For the purpose of on-orbit checkout, the shuttle is required to communicate with the payloads while they are physically located within the shuttle bay (attached) and within a range of 20 miles from the shuttle after they have been deployed (detached). Many of the payloads are also under development (and many have yet to be defined), actual payload communication hardware will not be available within the time frame during which the avionic hardware tests will be conducted. Thus, a flexible payload communication system simulator is required

Integration of a cellular Internet-of-Things transceiver into 6G test network and evaluation of its performance

Abstract. This thesis focuses on the integration and deployment of an aftermarket cellular IoT transceiver on a 6G/5G test network for the purpose of evaluating the feasibility of such device for monitoring the network performance. The cellular technology employed was NB-IoT paired with a Raspberry Pi device as the microprocessor that collects network telemetry and uses MQTT protocol to provide constant data feed. The system was first tested in a public cellular network through a local service provider and was successfully connected to the network, establishing TCP/IP connections, and allowing internet connectivity. To monitor network information and gathering basic telemetry data, a network monitoring utility was developed. It collected data such as network identifiers, module registration status, band/channel, signal strength and GPS position. This data was then published to a MQTT broker. The Adafruit IO platform served as the MQTT broker, providing an interface to visualize the collected data. Furthermore, the system was configured for and deployed on a 6G/5G test network successfully. The device functionality that was developed and tested in the public network remained intact, enabling continuous monitoring and analysis of network data. Through this study, valuable insights into the integration and deployment of cellular IoT transceivers into cellular networks that employ the latest IoT technology were gained. The findings highlight the feasibility of utilizing such a system for network monitoring and demonstrate the potential for IoT applications in cellular networks

Advanced sensors technology survey

This project assesses the state-of-the-art in advanced or 'smart' sensors technology for NASA Life Sciences research applications with an emphasis on those sensors with potential applications on the space station freedom (SSF). The objectives are: (1) to conduct literature reviews on relevant advanced sensor technology; (2) to interview various scientists and engineers in industry, academia, and government who are knowledgeable on this topic; (3) to provide viewpoints and opinions regarding the potential applications of this technology on the SSF; and (4) to provide summary charts of relevant technologies and centers where these technologies are being developed

Advanced flight control system study

The architecture, requirements, and system elements of an ultrareliable, advanced flight control system are described. The basic criteria are functional reliability of 10 to the minus 10 power/hour of flight and only 6 month scheduled maintenance. A distributed system architecture is described, including a multiplexed communication system, reliable bus controller, the use of skewed sensor arrays, and actuator interfaces. Test bed and flight evaluation program are proposed

Smart Sensors: Analyzing Efficiency of Smart Sensors in Public Domain

The paper gives the brief idea of smart sensors, structure and its application. Smart sensor as compare to other sensors can sensor anything with the special computing devices connected with each other in sensor network. These smart sensors first convert the digital signals to analog signals and then communicate the message to the device. Now a days smart sensors are used almost everywhere around us but very few people know its working and future applications. So here is a small review on smart sensors. This paper will help you gain knowledge and its applications in daily life

Deep Space Network information system architecture study

The purpose of this article is to describe an architecture for the Deep Space Network (DSN) information system in the years 2000-2010 and to provide guidelines for its evolution during the 1990s. The study scope is defined to be from the front-end areas at the antennas to the end users (spacecraft teams, principal investigators, archival storage systems, and non-NASA partners). The architectural vision provides guidance for major DSN implementation efforts during the next decade. A strong motivation for the study is an expected dramatic improvement in information-systems technologies, such as the following: computer processing, automation technology (including knowledge-based systems), networking and data transport, software and hardware engineering, and human-interface technology. The proposed Ground Information System has the following major features: unified architecture from the front-end area to the end user; open-systems standards to achieve interoperability; DSN production of level 0 data; delivery of level 0 data from the Deep Space Communications Complex, if desired; dedicated telemetry processors for each receiver; security against unauthorized access and errors; and highly automated monitor and control