Navigation, Guidance, Control and Dynamics Commons^™

Ka-Band Propagation Measurements: An Opportunity With The Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (Acts), Robert Bauer

Online Journal of Space Communication

The Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) was conceived at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as a follow-on program to its long history in satellite communications projects that have reduced the risk of developing new technologies that fall outside the sponsorship capability of the private sector.

To counter the foreign challenge that developed in the late 1970's to the once insuperable U.S. lead in this field, ACTS was developed to maintain the U.S. preeminence. Launched in September 1993 from the space shuttle, key technologies on ACTS include a multibeam antenna, a baseband processor, a 900-MHz wideband microwave switch matrix, …

Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (Acts): Design And On-Orbit Performance Measurements, Frank Gargione, R. Acosta, T. Coney, R. Krawczyk

Online Journal of Space Communication

The Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS), developed and built by Lockheed Martin Astro Space for the NASA Lewis Research Center, was launched in September 1993 on the Shuttle STS 51 mission. ACTS is a digital experimental communications test bed that incorporates gigahertz bandwidth transponders operating at Ka band, hopping spot beams, on-board storage and switching, and dynamic rain fade compensation. This paper describes the ACTS enabling technologies, the design of the communications payload, the constraints imposed on the spacecraft bus, and the measurements conducted to verify the performance of the system in orbit.

Historical Development: Acts Technology, Richard Gedney, Ron Schertler, Frank Gargione

Online Journal of Space Communication

The following material has been extracted from "The Advanced Communications Technology Satellite" book by Richard Gedney, Ron Schertler and Frank Gargione.

Issue 2: From The Guest Editor, Frank Gargione

Online Journal of Space Communication

Guest editor introduction

Historical Development: Acts Program Formulation, Richard Gedney, Ron Schertler, Frank Gargione

Online Journal of Space Communication

The following material has been extracted from "The Advanced Communications Technology Satellite" book by Richard Gedney, Ron Schertler and Frank Gargione.

Air Navigation And Covid-19: Atm Efficiency In Pandemic Crisis, Fabio Lourenco Carneiro Barbosa

Graduate Student Works

The coronavirus crisis effects on aviation in 2020 are currently well-documented. Nonetheless, the widely registered low traffic due to the crisis does not necessarily lead to increased air navigation efficiency. Thus, the present work, developed to fulfill the program outcomes for the Master of Science in Aeronautics, Air Traffic Management (ATM) specialization, aimed to investigate what was the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on air navigation efficiency in Brazil. This research question was addressed through a quantitative, nonexperimental, observational approach with two parallel branches, designed to answer two sub-questions. For the first, regarding what was the impact of the crisis …

White Paper Report: Needs In Space Education For The 21st Century—Research, Higher Education, Training And Public Policy, Randall Johnson, Joseph Pelton, Henry Hertzfeld, Don Flournoy, Hussein J. Hussein

Online Journal of Space Communication

May 2, 2003

A Forum Seeking Innovative Answers

• New Approaches to Higher Education and Training
• Distance Learning, Tele-education and the Internet
• Shared Research Facilities and New Approaches to Research
• Joint University Projects
• Multidisciplinary Needs and International Perspectives and Languages
• Space and Security Issues Related to Education
• How to Attract More Students to Higher Education in the Space Field
• How to Prepare Incoming Students More Effectively for College
• Wide Spread Survey on Space Education to Find Concerns and New Solutions

From The Industry: Yasunori Matogawa, Ph.D., Professor Of Space Communications At The Institute Of Space And Astronautical Science, Yasunori Matogawa

Online Journal of Space Communication

Dr. Yasunori Matogawa is Professor at the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science directly reporting to the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, Sports and Technology. He is also in charge of supervising Kagoshima Space Center in Kyushu as Director General. Widely considered to be the man of space education in Japan, Dr. Matogawa is the President for the Japan Society for Aeronautical and Space Sciences. Internationally, he is well-known as the Chairman of the International Astronautical Federation. The interview was conducted at Sophia University, Japan with the assistance of Dr. Tsutomu Kanayama (Email: [email protected]).

Students Interested In Satellite Communications Can Gain An Edge In The Job Market By Studying Science And Theory, Ben Chang

Online Journal of Space Communication

The mind has an extraordinary ability to see things that are hoped for, Arthur C. Clarke said in 1973. Years later he noted that it cost about $100, in terms of kilowatt-hours, to go to the moon, "whereas it costs about a billion dollars the way we've done it."

These two quotes from the grandfather of satellite communications and author of 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY point to one of the primary qualities INTELSAT looks for in filling engineering positions: the ability to apply book knowledge to the practical aspects of satellite communications.

Model Curricula: University Of Texas Medical Branch

Online Journal of Space Communication

University of Texas Medical Branch UTMB/NASA Aerospace Medicine Residency

Model Curricula: University Of Oklahoma

Online Journal of Space Communication

University of Oklahoma Aerospace Engineering

Model Curricula: Space Foundation

Online Journal of Space Communication

The Space Foundation is a national non-profit organization advancing space awareness and space education.

The Space Foundation pursues the mission of vigorously advancing civil, commercial and national security space endeavors for a brighter future and supporting educational excellence through the excitement of space.

Model Curricula: Umea University, Carol Norberg

Online Journal of Space Communication

The town of Kiruna, lying 140 kilometres above the Arctic Circle in northernSweden, has for many years been considered the ‘‘space centre’’ of Sweden.The high latitude makes Kiruna an attractive base for international spaceresearch. This paper describes the practical-oriented Space EngineeringProgram run in Kiruna by the University of Umeå. The students on theprogram benefit from the expertise of resident and visiting space scientistsand engineers. The education is the only one of its kind in Sweden.

Model Curricula: Esa Telecom Training Programme

Online Journal of Space Communication

This paper describes the content of an e-training course on satellite communications prepared under contract to ESA and now available at the ESA Telecom User Support Office website. The contract to develop this online training was led by EADS Fleximage with significant contributions from a team of subcontractors including EADS Astrium, British Telecom Exact Technologies, ENSAE/ SUP'Aero and ISU. The course is divided into five modules covering the following areas in an animated and progressive way:

• Systems and Services
• Communication Link
• Networking
• Space Segment
• Earth Segment

Model Curricula: International Space University

Online Journal of Space Communication

How to educate Space professionals able to meet the needs of the Space community and the challenges of a changing Space sector in a changing world? The International Space University (ISU) was created in 1987 to educate Space leaders using a unique approach. ISU programs are based on a "3-I" International, Interdisciplinary and Intercultural) model which was built from discussions and meetings within the world Space community to meet its evolving needs.

Model Curricula: Ohio University

Online Journal of Space Communication

Programs of Education Relating to Satellite and Space Communication in:

Telecommunication Communications Systems Management

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Model Curricula: George Washington University

Online Journal of Space Communication

There is a growing need for qualified engineers, scientists, technicians, marketing and sales and management personnel in the field of satellite applications and only a few universities that are actually offering undergraduate or graduate degrees in this area.

Model Curricula: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Online Journal of Space Communication

Many universities have added courses and curricula related to satellites and space. A search of the Internet reveals that few of these are designated degree programs in space studies degree, rather they are traditional programs offering courses and concentrations which involve study of space and space applications from several perspectives. The Internet search also reveals a large variation in both the titles and the curricula for these programs. The author has sought to standardize definitions, identify workable program names and suggest core courses. Five programs and their core courses are outlined for consideration.

Database Of Academic Institutions: International

Online Journal of Space Communication

Institutions, research centers and professional associations around the world that do research and teach content and skills relating to satellite and space communication.

Database Of Academic Institutions: United States K-12

Online Journal of Space Communication

Institutions, research centers and professional associations in the United States that do research and teach content and skills relating to satellite and space communication at the K-12 level.

Adaptive And Neural Network-Based Aircraft Tracking Control With Synthetic Jet Actuators, Joshua Teramae

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Wing-embedded synthetic jet actuators (SJA) can be used to achieve maneuvering control in aircraft by delivering controllable airflow perturbations near the wing surface. Trajectory tracking control design for aircraft equipped with SJA is particularly challenging, since the controlling actuator itself has an uncertain dynamic model. These challenges necessitate advanced nonlinear control design methods to achieve desirable performance for SJA-based aircraft (e.g., micro air vehicles (MAVs)). In this research, adaptive and neural-network based control methods are investigated, which are specifically designed to compensate for the SJA dynamic model uncertainty and unpredictable operating conditions characters tic of real-world MAV applications. The control …

Design Of Rotorcraft Performance-Based Navigation Routes And Procedures: Current Challenges And Prospects, Carlos Gonzaga Lopez

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

Helicopters play a relevant role in society due to their extraordinary versatility. However, they are particularly vulnerable to adverse weather conditions as the majority of operations are carried out under visual flight rules. This is partly due to the shortage of tailored helicopter instrument flight procedures and routes. The emergence of the performance-based navigation concept supported by the latest satellite navigation technologies has opened up new possibilities for rotorcraft operations in the last few years. This paper presents an extensive overview of the state of the art in the design of performance-based navigation routes for helicopters from two main standpoints: …

Aircraft Runway Safe Navigation System, David S. Obando Ortegon

Honors College Theses

Aircraft are one of the most used alternatives of traveling long distances and making them safer is a global necessity. For this reason, being able to create a functional prototype where the aircraft would be capable to acquire and process information in real time from the environment generating wingtip collision detection and simulation of a collection of exteroceptive sensors is necessary in progressing air flight safety systems. The aim of this project is to design and build, an electronic aircraft undercarriage composed with multiple exteroceptive sensors that will be able to determine and process digital information of the aircraft envelope, …

Ion Gnss Software-Defined Radio Metadata Standard, Sanjeev Gunawardena, Thomas Pany, James Curran

Faculty Publications

The past several years have seen a proliferation of software‐defined radio (SDR) data collection systems and processing platforms designed for or applicable to satellite navigation (satnav) applications. These systems necessarily produce datasets in a wide range of different formats. To correctly interpret this SDR data, essential information such as the packed sample format and sampling rate is needed. Communicating this metadata between creators and users has historically been an ad‐hoc, cumbersome, and error‐prone process. To address this issue, the satnav SDR community developed a metadata standard and normative software library to automate this process, thus simplifying the exchange of datasets …

Automated Find Fix And Track With A Medium Altitude Long Endurance Remotely Piloted Aircraft, Aubrey L. Olson

Theses and Dissertations

A limitation in RPA ISR operations is loss of target track if the command link is severed. For an RPA to effectively execute the ISR mission without a command link, it needs the capability to F2T targets autonomously. Automated Find Fix and Track (AFFTRAC) was developed to help solve this problem by demonstrating a proof of concept tactical autopilot. Monocular stereo vision was used to process sequential images acquired during orbit to produce a partial structural point cloud of the original structure. This partial structural point cloud was then exploited to create a holding area density for the aircraft to …

Delayed Authentication System For Civilian Satellite, Sean M. Feschak

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents the feasibility of a Delayed Authentication System (DAS) for civilian satellite navigation (satnav) receivers. In satnav systems, encrypted signal components are transmitted synchronously with civilian components. Hence, the civilian signals can be authenticated by detecting the presence of encrypted signal components within the received signal. To authenticate, a reference station transmits estimated encrypted signal spreading code symbols processed using a high gain antenna. In this thesis, it is shown that a 1-meter diameter dish antenna is adequate to provide a high probability of successful authentication, thereby reducing overall system complexity and cost.

Modeling Aircraft Disturbance Fields For Magnetic Navigation Using Dense Anns And The Novel Manntl Architecture, Kyle A. Emery

Theses and Dissertations

The ability to use GPS for navigation is becoming increasingly limited in certain areas of the world. Knowing this, the Air Force Research Labs is constantly looking for ways to improve alternate navigation methods such as magnetic navigation. In the interest of making advancements in aircraft disturbance field modelling, Lieutenant Emery recreates models from previous works to prove results. Lieutenant Emery also introduces a novel model architecture that attempts to mix the filtering properties of Tolles-Lawson with the non-linear capabilities of an artificial neural network. The introduction of this model could present better aircraft disturbance field modelling and in turn, …

Optimizing A Bank Of Kalman Filters For Navigation Integrity, Luis E. Sepulveda

Theses and Dissertations

Alternative navigation is an area of research which employs a variety of sensor technologies to provide a navigation solution in Global Navigation Satellite System degraded or denied environments. The Autonomy and Navigation Technology Center at the Air Force Institute of Technology has recently developed the Autonomous and Resilient Management of All-source Sensors (ARMAS) navigation framework which utilizes an array of Kalman Filters to provide a navigation solution resilient to sensor failures. The Kalman Filter array size increases exponentially as system sensors and detectable faults are scaled up, which in turn increases the computational power required to run ARMAS in areal-world …

Accelerated Controller Tuning For Wind Turbines Under Multiple Hazards, Aly Mousaad Aly, Milad Rezaee

Faculty Publications

During their lifecycle, wind turbines can be subjected to multiple hazard loads, such as high-intensity wind, earthquake, wave, and mechanical unbalance. Excessive vibrations, due to these loads, can have detrimental effects on energy production, structural lifecycle, and the initial cost of wind turbines. Vibration control by various means, such as passive, active, and semi-active control systems provide crucial solutions to these issues. We developed a novel control theory that enables semi-active controller tuning under the complex structural behavior and inherent system nonlinearity. The proposed theory enables the evaluation of semi-active controllers’ performance of multi-degrees-of-freedom systems, without the need for time-consuming …

Gps-Denied Localization Of Daughter-Ships In A Mother-Daughter Ship Collaborative Environment, Ethan W. Jacquin

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigates the possibility of using the communication link between a mothership and daughter-ship UAV and an Extended Kalman Filter algorithm as a replacement of GPS, assuming a ranging link exists between the mothership and daughter-ship and that the mothership is GPS-enabled. A simulation study examines the viability of the approach and the effect of parameters such as distance, altitude, roll angle, speed, ranging sensor noise, and inertial measurement unit uncertainty were considered. The magnitude of the errors between predicted and measured position were examined and a range of acceptable flight parameters was formed.