ISDN at NASA Lewis Research Center

An expository investigation of the potential impact of the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) at NASA Lewis Research Center is described. To properly frame the subject, the paper contains a detailed survey of the components of Narrowband ISDN. The principles and objectives are presented as decreed by the Consultative Committee for International Telephone and Telegraph (CCITT). The various channel types are delineated and their associated service combinations are described. The subscriber-access network functions are explained pictorially via the ISDN reference configuration. A section on switching techniques is presented to enable the reader to understand the emergence of the concept of fast packet switching. This new technology is designed to operate over the high bandwidth, low error rate transmission media that characterizes the LeRC environment. A brief introduction to the next generation of networks is covered with sections on Broadband ISDM (B-ISDN), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), and Synchronous Optical Networks (SONET). Applications at LeRC are presented, first in terms of targets of opportunity, then in light of compatibility constraints. In-place pilot projects and testing are described that demonstrate actual usage at LeRC

Ultra wideband communication link

Ultra-wideband communication (UWB) has been a topic of extensive research in recent years especially for its short-range communication and indoor applications. The preliminary objective of the project was to develop a description and understanding of the basic components of the communication link at microwave frequencies in order to achieve the primary objective of establishing a communication setup at a bandwidth of 2.5 GHz for testing Ultra Wideband (UWB) antennas. This was achieved with the aid of commercially available optical system which was modified for the purpose. Beginning with the generation of baseband narrow pulses with energy spanning over a broad frequency range, through multiplexing of different parallel channels carrying these pulses into a single stream, to finally capturing the received signal to understand the effect of the communication link formed; all provided basis for identifying the issues and possible solutions to establishing a reliable communication link at UWB frequency