Carpenter, Russell

Olson, Corwin

NASA Technical Reports Server

 
1 
Magnetospheric 
Multiscale (MMS) Mission 
Navigation Concept 
Corwin Olson 
a.i. solutions, Inc. 
AIAA Region I Young Professional, Student and Education Conference 
November 4, 2011 
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20110023402 2019-08-30T18:10:08+00:00Z
Mission Overview 
 
2 
• Four spinning spacecraft 
• Identical instrument suites 
• Flying in formation 
Magnetic Energy   
 
 
Heat, Kinetic 
Energy of 
Charged Particles 
MMS Science 
Primary Objective: “Magnetic Reconnection” 
 
3 
Magnetic Field Lines 
Tetrahedron Formation 
 
4 
Primary Science Phases 
 
5 
Phase 1 Phase 2 
1.2 Re 12 Re 
SUN 
25 Re 
Sun Distance 
Not to Scale 
Estimated Launch: 
Late 2014 
10km to 
160km 25km to 
400km 
Re = Earth Radii = 6378 kilometers 
MMS Navigation 
 
6 
Navigation = Orbit and Time Determination 
 
 
Primary Navigation Challenge: Relative 
Position and Time Accuracy Requirements 
• 1% of separation for relative position 
• 1 millisecond relative timing accuracy 
MMS Navigation 
 
7 
Only viable solution: onboard orbit and 
time determination using GPS 
 
Other options considered by NASA: 
• Inter-spacecraft ranging 
• Ground tracking 
Nav Challenge #2 
 
8 
4 active GPS antennas on spinning spacecraft - 
handoffs required every 5 seconds 
Nav Challenge #3 
 
9 
GPS Signals 
GPS Acquisition 
 
10 Perigee Apogee 
Navigator 
 
11 
Onboard GPS Receiver 
Pic of Navigator 
Navigator 
 
12 
GEONS GPS RF  
Front End 
GPS L1 
Pseudoranges 
• Position 
• Velocity 
• Time Bias 
Parameters 
Ultra-Stable 
Oscillator 
GPS  
Signals 
ρ = c x Δt 
Other Sensors 
 
13 
GEONS 
Accelerometers Body-fixed Acceleration 
Star Tracker Spacecraft Orientation 
Flight 
Software 
Thrust 
Acceleration 
Navigation Products 
 
14 
Ground Uses of GEONS Information 
 
• Definitive position & velocity for science 
 
• Using definitive, generate predictive 
•Science planning 
•Mission management & scheduling 
•Maneuver planning 
Summary 
 
15 
 
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Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Mission Navigation Concept

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