The W-band data collection experiment of the DAVID mission

The data collection experiment (DCE) of the scientific mission DAVID (DAta and Video Interactive Distribution) of the Italian Space Agency (ASI) will pioneer the use of the W-band for telecommunications experiments. In particular the collection of high volumes of data from remote or virtually remote sites will be achieved through the exploitation of a W-band link in a time window of a few minutes per satellite pass. The experiment will hence demonstrate the capability of the W-band channel to be used reliably for a telecommunication link. At the same time, the experiment will provide useful elements for the characterisation of the W-band channel, in order to be able to design properly future operational systems working at W-band.     

Exploitation of the W-band for high capacity satellite communications

The scientific mission DAVID (Data and Video Interactive Distribution) of the Italian Space Agency (ASI) will pioneer the use of the W-band for a challenging telecommunications experiment. The unavailability of channel measurements and the technological limitations in that frequency range imply a system assessment based on channel extrapolation and a wise error control strategy. In that frame, a system approach is proposed that will allow the exploitation of the W-band for high capacity satellite communications. The results obtained through that approach in the assessment of the DAVID W-band experiment are provided and their perspectives identified and discussed.     

The DAVID mission of the Italian Space Agency (ASI - Agenzia Spaziale Italiana)

Italian satellite mission development history is dominated by the need to explore increasing frequency ranges and characterizing, through experimental results, communications channels, in order to render them useful for the design of operational systems using these frequency ranges. the DAVID (DAta and Video Interactive Distribution) Programme is a multi-experiment mission of the Italian Space Agency (ASI - Agenzia Spaziale Italiana). As the frequency range expands, today's frontiers will be in full use tomorrow; the series provides the status and main achievements of the program to date. DAVID will pioneer the use of the W-band (94 GHz channel) for telecommunications experiments that can contribute to the exploitation of that frequency range for future high-capacity operational services.     

Satellite data collection & forwarding systems

A possible classification of satellites can be related to their capability to provide or not provide real-time services. Nonreal-time systems store the information, and forward it to destination later, usually by means of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. Nowadays the main application of these systems is small data exchange to/from remote sites where no other communication infrastructure is available, hence, covering a niche market. Low on-board memory storage capability and, moreover, low bit rate due to little bandwidth allocated for these systems do not allow us to collect and forward a considerable volume of data in the short visibility window of the satellite passage. New applications and services can be conceived through the deployment of new systems able to overcome the above-described limitations, while existing applications can be provided more cost-effectively. These aspects are addressed together with an experimental interactive system which allows huge data collection in W-band and for forwarding to the Internet.     

WARLOC: A High-Power Coherent 94 GHz Radar

This paper describes the development of a high-power, coherent radar system at W-band and discusses potential applications of radars with this new capability. Previous radars in this frequency band were limited by available power-amplifier technology to about 500 W of average power; WARLOC radar represents an increase in power, by 20 times, over previous coherent radars at 94 GHz. This performance improvement is possible due to the development of a gyroklystron amplifier specifically for this and future radars in this frequency band. The gyroklystron amplifier tubes deliver 100 kW peak power and 10 kW of average power at a center frequency of approximately 94 GHz. Other novel features of this radar include the use of highly overmoded waveguides and rotary joints for the transmission of power from the final power amplifier (FPA) to the antenna, and a high-power quasi-optical duplexer. The system uses a relatively large 1.8 m diameter (580-wavelength) Cassegrain antenna, which required the development of an antenna with an rms surface accuracy of 0.0025 in, to obtain long-range detection and identification of small objects. Test data show an antenna gain of 62.5 dB, confirming that the needed surface accuracy was achieved. Two mobile shelters house the radar system, permitting relocation to various test sites. WARLOC is presently operational at the Naval Research Laboratory's Chesapeake Bay Detachment facility, Maryland. It is being employed in radar imaging of airborne and surface objects, and in the scientific study of propagation effects and atmospheric physics phenomena.     

Receiver operating characteristics for the coherent UWB randomnoise radar

An ultrawideband (UWB) random-noise radar operating in the 1-2 GHz frequency band has been developed and held-tested at a 200 m range at the University of Nebraska. A unique heterodyne correlation technique based on a delayed transmitted waveform using a photonic delay line has been used to inject coherence within this system. The performance of this radar, assuming a point target, has been investigated from a statistical point of view by developing the theoretical basis for the system's receiver operating characteristics (ROC). Explicit analytical expressions for the joint probability density function (pdf) of the in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) components of the receiver output have been derived under the assumption that the input signals are partially correlated Gaussian processes. The pdf and the complementary cumulative distribution function (cdf) for the envelope of the receiver output are also derived. These expressions are used to relate the probability of detection (P_d) to the probability of false alarm (P_f ) for different numbers of integrated samples, and the results are analyzed     

Modeling and analysis for the GPS pseudo-range observable

In this paper, a digital system for the Global Positioning System (GPS) pseudo-range observable is modeled and analyzed theoretically. The observable is measured in a GPS receiver by accurately tracking the pseudorandom noise (PRN) code phase of the input GPS signal using a digital energy detector and a digital delay lock loop (DDLL). The following issues are presented: (1) mathematical modeling of the digital PRN code acquisition and tracking system, (2) the closed-form expression derivation for the detection and false-alarm probabilities of the acquisition process and for the variance of code phase tracking error, and (3) the linear and nonlinear performance analysis of the DDLL for optimizing the receiver structures and parameters with tradeoff between the tracking errors due to receiver dynamics and due to input noise     

A novel approach for the SARSAT system

A novel method for determining the location of a 406-MHz emergency locator transmitter (ELT) for the search and rescue satellite aided tracking (SARSAT) system is proposed. The technique uses information from a geostationary satellite (Geosat) link, as well as the conventional polar orbiting satellite links. The method is based on solving a system of equations to determine the range from the ELT to the polar orbiting satellite (Polarsat) for each signal transmitted. Only two pulses need to be received from the ELT in order to obtain a location estimate. The main difference between the procedure outlined and the global positioning system (GPS) is that accurate time information is not available in the transmissions since aircraft and marine vessels seldom have accurate time standards onboard     

A study of the polar current systems using the IMS meridian chains of magnetometers

Magnetic field data from a meridian chain of observatories and the recently developed computer codes constitute a powerful tool in studying substorm current systems in the polar region. In this paper, we summarize some of the results obtained from the IMS Alaska meridian chain of observatories. The basic data are the average daily magnetic field variations for 50 successive days (March 9–April 27, 28) which represent a moderately disturbed period. With the aid of the two computer codes, we obtained the distribution of the following quantities in the polar ionosphere in invariant-MLT coordinates: (1) the total ionospheric current; (2) the Pedersen current; (3) the Hall current; (4) the field-aligned currents; (5) the Pedersen-associated field-aligned currents; (6) the Hall-associated field-aligned currents; (7) the electric potential; (8) the Joule heat production rate; (9) the auroral particle energy injection rate; (10) the total energy dissipation rate. All these quantities are related to each other self-consistently at every point under the initial assumptions used in the computation. By using a model of the magnetosphere, the following quantities in the polar ionosphere are projected onto the equatorial plane and the Y — Z plane at X = -20 R _E: (11) the Pedersen current counterpart; (12) the Hall current counterpart; (13) the electric potential; (14) the Pedersen-associated field-aligned currents; (15) the Hall-associated field-aligned currents. These distribution patterns serve as an important basis for studying the generation mechanisms of substorm current systems and the magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling process.     

Several recent findings concerning the dynamics of the Earth's magnetotail

Several recent results concerning the nature of the Earth's magnetotail are briefly reviewed. These observational findings include: (1) the three-dimensional character of the plasma sheet via a comprehensive survey of proton bulk flows, (2) a region of earthward flowing plasmas at the interfaces of the plasma sheet and magnetotail lobes during magnetic substorm recovery, and (3) the signature of electrostatic acceleration for protons within the jetting plasmas from magnetotail fireballs.Proceedings of the Symposium on Solar Terrestrial Physics held in Innsbruck, May–June 1978.     

驻涡燃烧室燃烧性能试验

开展了空气进口温度、流量和余气系数影响驻涡燃烧室燃烧性能的试验研究,获得了燃烧性能参数的变化规律:总压损失系数在3%～6%之间,流阻系数变化不大;点火和贫油熄火性能随流量变化很小,随进口温度的提高而改善,研究中最大点火和贫熄余气系数分别为6.03和14.41;仅驻涡区供油时,燃烧效率在90%～95%之间,驻涡区和主流同时供油时,燃烧效率为84%～99.5%,并随余气系数和进口流量的变小而上升.      

Efficient robust AMF using the FRACTA algorithm

The FRACTA algorithm has been shown to be an effective space-time adaptive processing (STAP) methodology for the airborne radar configuration in which there exists nonhomogeneous clutter, jamming, and dense target clusters. Further developments of the FRACTA algorithm are presented here in which the focus is on the robust, efficient implementation of the FRACTA algorithm. Enhancements to the FRACTA algorithm include a censoring stopping mechanism, an alternative data blocking approach for adaptive power residue (APR) censoring, and a fast reiterative censoring (RC) procedure. Furthermore, a coherent processing interval (CPI) segmentation scheme for computing the adaptive weights is presented as an alternative approach to computing the adaptive matched filter (AMF) weight vector that allows for lower sample support and reduced computational complexity. The enhanced FRACTA algorithm, denoted as FRACTA.E, is applied to the KASSPER I challenge datacube which possesses dense ground target clusters that are known to have a significant deleterious effect on standard adaptive matched filtering (AMF) processors. It is shown that the FRACTA.E algorithm outperforms and is considerably more computationally efficient than both the original FRACTA algorithm and the standard sliding window processing (SWP) approach. Furthermore, using the KASSPER I datacube, the FRACTA.E algorithm is shown to have the same detection performance as the clairvoyant algorithm where the exact range-dependent clutter covariance matrices are known.     

High-Definition Television System Onboard Lunar Explorer Kaguya (SELENE) and Imaging of the Moon and the Earth

The High-Definition television (HDTV) system onboard the Japanese lunar explorer Kaguya (SELENE) consists of a telephotographic camera and a wide-angle camera that each have 2.2 M-pixel IT-CCDs (interline transfer charge-coupled devices) and LSIs (large-scale integrated circuits) of the several-million-gates class. One minute-long motion pictures acquired by the HDTV system at 30 fps (frames per second) are recorded in a 1 GB semiconductor memory after compression, and then transmitted to a ground station. In the development of the space-going HDTV system, a commercial ground-model HDTV system was extensively modified and evaluated for its suitability to withstand the harsh environment of space through environmental tests. The HDTV acquired a total of 6.3 TB of movies and still images of the Earth and the Moon over the mission period that started on September 29, 2007, and ended on June 11, 2009. Footage of an “Earth-rise” and an “Earth-set” on the lunar horizon were captured for the first time by the HDTV system. During a lunar eclipse, images of the Earth’s “diamond ring” were acquired for the first time. The CCDs and the instruments used in the system remained in good working order throughout the mission period, despite the harsh space environment, which suggests a potential new approach to the development of instruments for use in space.     

False alarm analysis of the envelope detection GO-CFAR processor

The greatest of constant false alarm rate processor (GO CFAR) is a useful architecture for adaptively setting a radar detection threshold in the presence of clutter edges. The GO CFAR input is often the envelope detected in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) channels of the baseband signal (x_e=√(I²+Q²)). This envelope detection can also be approximated using x=a max{|I|,|Q|}+b min{|I|,|Q|} which requires less complex hardware (a and b are simple multiplying coefficients). The envelope GO CFAR processor and several envelope approximation GO CFAR processors are compared in terms of the probability of false alarm (PFA) performance. Closed-form expressions which describe the PFA performance are given and their accuracy evaluated. It is shown that for all cases, the PFA is proportional to the number of reference cells n for small threshold multiplier T and inversely proportional to n for large T. A region of intersection occurs where the PFA is the same for two different values of n. For example, at T'=1.68 in the |I|+|Q| GO CFAR (a=1, b=1) the PFA for n=1 is equal to the optimal n=∞ fixed-threshold PFA (PFA=0.112)     

Neural and fuzzy reconstructors for the virtual flight datarecorder

The results are presented of a comparative study evaluating the performance of neural network (NN) and fuzzy logic reconstructors (FLRs) for the development of a virtual flight data recorder (VFDK). Typical flight data recorders (FDRS) on commercial airliners do not record the aircraft control surface deflections. These dynamic parameters are critical in the investigation of an accident or an uncommanded maneuver. The results are shown relative to a VFDR based on a neural network simulator (NNS) along with a neural network reconstructor (NNR) or a FLR The NNS is trained off-line, using available flight data for the particular aircraft, for the purpose of simulating any desired dynamic output recorded in current FDRs. The NNS is then interfaced with the NNR or with the FLR. The output of the two reconstructors are the control surface deflections which minimize a performance index based on the differences between the available data from the FDR and the output from the NNS. The study tested with night data from a B737-300 shows that both schemes, the one with the NNR and the one with the FLR, provide accurate reconstructions of the control surface deflections time histories     

Aging avionics: the problems and the challenges

Aging avionics have become a problem because aircraft are being kept in service far longer than the original plan. This paper discusses the four key problems of aging avionics: (1) determining the systems that are the high cost drivers in order to select those that should receive priority; (2) determining the requirements for the replacement; (3) identifying alternative technologies that will satisfy the requirements and are affordable; and (4) determining the funding required and acquiring the funding needed to replace the aging avionics. Challenges encountered in solving these problems include management and technical. The problem of aging avionics is not limited to a single aircraft, but occurs across all aircraft. Cost-effective modernization requires cutting horizontally across all aging aircraft, and coordination with the end users and the existing management structure. A key technical challenge is to select an architecture that is upgradeable since the funding limitations may ensure parts will become obsolete prior to the completion of a drawn-out production.     

Review of the CIV phenomenon

Alfvén's Critical Ionization Velocity (CIV) phenomenon is reviewed, with the main emphasis on comparisons between experimental and theoretical results. The review covers (1) the velocity measurements in laboratory experiments, (2) the effect of wall interaction, (3) the experimental and theoretical limits to the magnetic field strength and the neutral density, (4) ionospheric release experiments, (5) theoretical models for electron energization in comparison to experimental results, and (6) CIV models. All laboratory investigations of the CIV are found to obey the three following simple rules of thumb: (1) if the magnetic field is so strong that V _A > 3V ₀, and if there is enough neutral gas that the Townsend condition is fulfilled, then the CIV effect occurs, (2) when it occurs, the threshold velocity (or E/B value) is within ± 50% of Alfvén's proposed value V _c , and (3) for weaker magnetic fields, the effect gradually becomes irreproducible or weak and disappears altogether for V _A < V ₀. The theoretical understanding of the process has grown rapidly during the last decade, mainly due to the introduction of computer simulation models which have to a large degree confirmed and extended earlier analytical theories. The CIV mechanism is not due to one single plasma process, but to several different mechanisms which are applicable in different parameter regimes and geometries. The computer simulations have shown that in order to understand the mechanism properly it is necessary to consider a large number of interlocking collisional and plasma processes. The theoretical development has reached the stage where it should be possible to adapt computer simulation models to specific experiments and predict ionization rates, plasma flow velocities, E/B values, particle distributions, and wave spectra. Such models should for the first time provide a really firm basis for extrapolations of the CIV process to space applications.     

Velocity changes of the Giotto spacecraft induced during the flybys of the comets P/Halley and P/Grigg-Skjellerup

The Giotto Radio-Science Experiment (GRE) was designed to measure the reaction of the spacecraft to its close encounters with the comets P/Halley and P/Grigg-Skjellerup. Radio frequency and signal level data of the downlink carrier signals at X- and S-band, recorded at many ground-based tracking stations, were used for the previous analysis. These signals were transmitted in “one-way” mode (Giotto - Earth) during a few hours about closest approach and in “two-way” mode (Earth - Giotto - Earth) during the adjacent pre-encounter and post-encounter tracking intervals. Unexpectedly large differences for the comet-induced Doppler shift residual of the Giotto signal were implied by the one-way versus the two-way data, a discrepancy which was attributed to instabilities of the on-board oscillator during the encounter. The analysis to date assumed that the two-way Doppler shift residual is exactly twice the one-way residual. As shown in this note, this is not generally the case. The spacecraft's change in velocity, which is measured in a rotating (non-inertial) system, must first be determined in the non-rotating frame by applying the appropriate coordinate transformation. The GRE results should be reinvestigated to account for this previously unrecognized effect.     

Electrodynamics of the ionosphere

We review various important studies in the field of electrodynamics of the ionosphere. Four topics are presented; (1) conductivity, (2) wind and the dynamo theory, (3) drift and its effect on the ionosphere formation and (4) interaction between wind and electromagnetic field.We point out some important future problems. They are: (1) We need to consider in the dynamo theory of the geomagnetic daily variation the connection of the ionosphere of both hemispheres by lines of force of the geomagnetic field. (2) Non-periodic wind may be important for producing electric field. (3) Drift to cause interchange of ionization contained in tubes of the geomagnetic field lines, and diffusion of ionization in these tubes control dynamic behaviours of the F2 region. (4) Interaction between wind and electric current presents a new problem. (5) The ionosphere and the magnetosphere react to each other.     

加速新产品开发 发挥企业内在潜力

总结了在军转民过程中,使企业形成以内涵为主发展再生产的良性循环,保证民品生产持续发展,取得较好经济效益的成功经验:①加速新产品开发过程中,重视技术进步;②及时组织人才资源的转移;③狠抓技术改造,增强后劲;④特别注意科学管理,将军品生产中形成的全面质量管理等现代管理手段用于民品生产,创造优质民品。