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In this paper we consider a spacecraft with one main thruster for translational control and reaction wheels for full attitude control. This is an underactuated control problem, which in this paper is solved using backstepping in order to couple the position tracking problem with the attitude. Assuming that the thrust is non-zero the nonlinear tracking control law is shown to be uniformly globally...
We describe technology development for the ExaVolt Antenna (EVA) mission, a planned ultra-high energy (UHE) particle observatory under development for NASA's suborbital super-pressure balloon program in Antarctica. The design is based on a novel application of toroidal reflector optics which utilizes a super-pressure balloon surface, along with a feed-array mounted on an inner membrane, to create...
A novel solar power harvesting technique that uses a network of low earth orbit (LEO) spacecraft formation has been discussed in the literature [1]. Here, all spacecraft within a formation harvest solar energy and simultaneously transmit the power to the ground station. LEO spacecraft within formation travels at a very high speed with respect to each other. Thus, a significant Doppler across satellites...
This paper describes the methodologies and findings from an industry survey of awareness and utility of Spacecraft Plug-&-Play Avionics (SPA). The survey was conducted via interviews, in-person and teleconference, with spacecraft prime contractors and suppliers. It focuses primarily on AFRL's SPA technology development activities but also explores the broader applicability and utility of Plug-&-Play...
The United States and Taiwan, through an Agreement signed in May 2010, have begun to jointly develop a satellite program to deliver next-generation global navigation satellite system (GNSS) radio occultation (RO) data to users around the world. This Program, known as FORMOSAT-7/COSMIC-2, is the follow-on to the FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC mission, which was a joint US-Taiwan 6-satellite constellation demonstration...
The use of small satellites has increased substantially in recent years due to the reduced cost of their development and launch, as well to the flexibility offered by commercial components. The test bed is a platform that allows components to be evaluated and tested in space. It is a flexible platform, which can be adjusted to a wide quantity of components and interfaces. This work proposes the design...
The Titan Mare Explorer (TiME) is a Discovery-class mission concept that underwent a detailed Phase A study in 2011–2012. The mission would splashdown a capsule on Titan's ethane sea Ligeia Mare as early as the summer of 2023, and would spend multiple Titan days performing science measurements and transmitting data directly back to Earth. This paper reviews briefly the mission concept.
Optical communication using space borne lasers has long promised to increase the amount of science data transmitted down to Earth. A first step in achieving operational capability is demonstrating the fundamentals of the optical link in an equivalent environment. The International Space Station, with its vast capability, is well suited to accommodate payloads aimed at advancing the readiness of such...
Earthquake science and emergency response require integration of many data types and models that cover a broad range of scales in time and space. Timely and efficient earthquake analysis and response require automated processes and a system in which the interfaces between models and applications are established and well defined. Geodetic imaging data provide observations of crustal deformation from...
In this work, we analyze a historical archive of single event upsets (SEUs) maintained by Inmarsat, one of the world's leading providers of global mobile satellite communications services. Inmarsat has operated its geostationary communication satellites and collected extensive satellite anomaly and telemetry data since 1990. Over the course of the past twenty years, the satellites have experienced...
Desert dust devil phenomena on Earth and Mars are reviewed, and progress in studying them with novel unattended field sensors, and with timelapse imaging, is described. These new datasets present data analysis challenges which are familiar in other tracking/target identification applications.
This paper describes the algorithmic basis and development of FRACSAT (FRACtionated Spacecraft Architecture Toolkit), a new approach to conceptual design, cost-benefit analysis, and detailed trade studies for space systems. It provides an automated capability for exploration of candidate spacecraft architectures, leading users to near-optimal solutions with respect to user-defined requirements, risks,...
This paper describes highly sensitive tunable diode laser spectrometers suitable for in situ planetary exploration. The technology developed at JPL is based on wavelength modulated cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy. It is capable of sensitively detecting chemical signatures of life through the abundance of biogenic molecules and their isotopic composition, and chemicals such as water necessary...
The Hyperspectral Microwave Atmospheric Sounder (HyMAS) is being developed at Lincoln Laboratories and accommodated by the Goddard Space Flight Center for a flight opportunity on a NASA research aircraft. The term “hyperspectral microwave” is used to indicate an all-weather sounding that performs equivalent to hyperspectral infrared sounders in clear air with vertical resolution of approximately 1...
A 1-gigawatt space solar power satellite using a large array of individually pointable optical elements is identified as the key mass element of a large scale space solar power architecture using the Space Power Grid concept. The proposed satellite design enables a significant increase in specific power. Placed in sun-synchronous dynamic orbits near 2000km altitude, these satellites can maintain the...
The research was aimed to quantify the existence of anisotropy in fracture toughness of aluminium alloy 2024 T3 plate (used in aircraft structural members). It was further needed to establish the direction in which the fracture toughness of aluminium alloy 2024 T3 plate is maximum and minimum. This could help ascertain the structural integrity of aircraft structural components; also while designing...
In this paper, we investigate how technical complexity affects the decision to collaborate or combine. First, we discuss a model that mimics the system architecting process that was used on the National Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS). Next, we present a metric that can be used to assess technical complexity and risk during the early system architecting phase of a program. We...
Small satellites are more highly resource-constrained by mass, power, volume, delivery timelines, and financial cost relative to their larger counterparts. Small satellites are operationally challenging because subsystem functions are coupled and constrained by the limited available commodities (e.g. data, energy, and access times to ground resources). Furthermore, additional operational complexities...
Juno is a NASA New Frontiers mission managed and operated by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), commissioned to explore the origin, interior, atmosphere, and polar magnetosphere of Jupiter. The spacecraft was developed and built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, and its nine science instruments were developed by JPL and six national and international partner institutions. Juno launched on August...
A multi-tier architecture consists of numerous craft as part of the system, orbital, aerial, and surface tiers. Each tier is able to collect progressively greater levels of information. Generally, craft from lower-level tiers are deployed to a target of interest based on its identification by a higher-level craft. While the architecture promotes significant amounts of science being performed in parallel,...
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