Galileo AltBOC signal multiresolution acquisition strategy

Herein, some critical aspects related to the acquisition of the future Galileo signals are discussed. In particular, the Alternative Binary Offset Carrier (AItBOC) modulation that will be used by the Galileo satellites to broadcast navigation signals on the E5 band is considered, addressing acquisition issues only partially analyzed in previous works. The implementation of an acquisition section for the AltBOC signals is not straightforward, since several different receiver architectures can be used and remarkable differences are required with respect to the conventional signal processing used in GPS receivers. The main problems that must be handled (risk of false lock, resolution of the search space, and computational burden) are outlined in the following. An innovative technique, called multiresolution acquisition and tailored to the AltBOC signals, is then proposed as an effective solution to previous problems. As demonstrated by means of simulations, this novel strategy can be successfully used in coherent dual-band AltBOC receiver architectures with a feasible implementation complexity and it leads to remarkable advantages in terms of acquisition time.     

Contemporary Czech space policy and its future prospects

Czechoslovakia was the third nation to have a citizen in space when Vladimir Remek flew in 1978. It was present at the formulation of international space law principles and ran some space-related projects within Intercosmos. The Czech Republic reassumed this tradition after Czechoslovakia was dissolved in 1993. There are no special funds to support space R&D. Hence, participants must compete for R&D resources with companies from other areas of industry. This improves their competitiveness. Czech society is broadly interested in space-related activities. The graduate system structure reflects this. Not only can one study space-related courses at technical universities but international space law is an obligatory part of international public law courses in the Czech Republic. Strong support for space activities is mirrored in the institutional fragmentation of this sphere. Competences in space applications are distributed among some 20 institutions and organizations. This status harms the Czech potential in space activities and R&D. The Czech Republic became a member of ESA in 2008 but Czech companies have not taken advantage of the full potential of membership. Participation in international projects is very important for a small post-communist economy because economic growth is based on convergence towards developed countries, which may dissipate after 2020. Now is the right time to strengthen the primary research that will establish a strong foundation for innovation-based economic growth.     

Military Satellite Communications Using Small Earth Terminals

Satellite communications technology has reached the stage at which it is feasible to develop a reliable military tactical communications system using small transportable Earth terminals. This paper discusses the design considerations involved for a multiple-access system, with particular reference to the Earth terminals.     

Near Optimal Ground Support in Multi-Spacecraft Missions: A GA Model and its Results

This study addresses the optimal allotment of ground station support time to low Earth orbit (LEO) spacecraft with clashing radio visibilities. LEOs now form a critical global infrastructure for natural resource management, rescue, crop yield estimation, flood control, communication, and space research and travel support. In the multi-spacecraft scenario, ground support becomes complex because of spacecraft-specific constraints, station configuration, spacecraft priorities and priorities of payload and special operations. A generalization of the classical product mix problem, spacecraft support is NP-complete and more complex than the former because of arbitrarily defined profitability profile. Genetic algorithms (GA) are used to near optimally resolve visibility clashes. It concludes with the illustration of real life spacecraft support optimization problems routinely faced by mission managers. A spin-off of this work is that it can enable the decision maker to also determine optimal ground station locations and support capability deployment in diverse planning scenarios.     

A Diagnostic Tree Approach for Fault Cause Identification in the Attitude Control Subsystem of Satellites

Space and Earth observation programs demand stringent guarantees ensuring smooth and reliable operations of space vehicles and satellites. Due to unforeseen circumstances and naturally occurring faults, it is desired that a fault-diagnosis system be capable of detecting, isolating, identifying, or classifying faults in the system. Unfortunately, none of the existing fault-diagnosis methodologies alone can meet all the requirements of an ideal fault- diagnosis system due to the variety of fault types, their severity, and handling mechanisms. However, it is possible to overcome these shortcomings through the integration of different existing fault-diagnosis methodologies. In this paper, a novel learning-based, diagnostic-tree approach is proposed which complements and strengthens existing efficient fault detection mechanisms with an additional ability to classify different types of faults to effectively determine potential fault causes in a subsystem of a satellite. This extra capability serves as a semiautomatic diagnostic decision support aid to expert human operators at ground stations and enables them to determine fault causes and to take quick and efficient recovery/reconfiguration actions. The developed diagnosis/analysis procedure exploits a qualitative technique denoted as diagnostic tree (DX-tree) analysis as a diagnostic tool for fault cause analysis in the attitude control subsystem (ACS) of a satellite. DX-trees constructed by our proposed machine-learning-based automatic tree synthesis algorithm are demonstrated to be able to determine both known and unforeseen combinations of events leading to different fault scenarios generated through synthetic attitude control subsystem data of a satellite. Though the immediate application of our proposed approach would be at ground stations, the proposed technique has potential for being integrated with causal model-based diagnosis and recovery techniques for future autonomous space vehicle missions.     

SVSS: Intelligent video surveillance system for aircraft

Safety and security are the most discussed topics in the aviation field. The latest security initiatives in the field of aviation propose [1I] the aircraft carriers to implement video surveillance within the aircraft at strategic locations. The current proposals allow the video surveillance data to be stored within the aircraft and monitored by one of the flight crew. The monitoring crew will be responsible for identifying the anomaly within the aircraft and take necessary preventive actions. With the introduction of additional technology within the aircraft, mere human perception may not be sufficient to make a decision. In this research work, the authors explore the possibility of implementing a smart video surveillance system (SVSS) within the aircraft that is tuned toward detecting the behavioral anomaly within the aircraft. The SVSS will generate security triggers when it detects an anomaly within the aircraft. These triggers could be combined with other triggers generated by different aircraft components (possible alarms from the flight crew, data traffic anomaly, or alarm generated by one of the avionics components) to provide a better understanding of the situation to the monitoring crew.     

Early history of cosmic rays and solar wind – Some personal remembrances

The early history of solar wind was replete with prejudices and strong opposition to Parker’s formulation. It was only after conclusive evidence from satellite data was obtained that the idea of solar wind was accepted. Some personal experiences of mine during my stay at the University of Chicago in 1953–1954, including the encounter of Dr. Simpson with Dr. Biermann and the inconclusive discussion between them about a possible perpetual solar outflow of particles are presented and further developments when Parker came to Chicago in 1956 and formulated his idea of solar wind, as narrated to me later by Dr. Simpson, are described.     

CWLFM Radar for Ship Detection and Identification

Continuous wave lineal frequency modulated (CWLFM) radar presents some interesting advantages for coast surveillance and control as well as low probability of interception (LPI). This paper presents real results obtained with a radar prototype and processed with ISAR techniques. Also, results of an automatic ship identification system applied to simulated ISAR images are exposed. Moreover, radar behavior with unfavorable meteorological conditions is discussed     

Quality management for space systems in ISRO

In a little over four decades, the Indian Space Program has carved a niche for itself with the unique application driven program oriented towards National development. The end-to-end capability approach of the space projects in the country call for innovative practices and procedures in assuring the quality and reliability of space systems. The System Reliability (SR) efforts initiated at the start of the projects continue during the entire life cycle of the project encompassing design, development, realisation, assembly, testing and integration and during launch. Even after the launch, SR groups participate in the on-orbit evaluation of transponders in communication satellites and camera systems in remote sensing satellites. SR groups play a major role in identification, evaluation and inculcating quality practices in work centres involved in the fabrication of mechanical, electronics and propulsion systems required for Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO's) launch vehicle and spacecraft projects. Also the reliability analysis activities like prediction, assessment and demonstration as well as de-rating analysis, Failure Mode Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) and worst-case analysis are carried out by SR groups during various stages of project realisation. These activities provide the basis for project management to take appropriate techno-managerial decisions to ensure that the required reliability goals are met. Extensive test facilities catering to the needs of the space program has been set up. A system for consolidating the experience and expertise gained for issue of standards called product assurance specifications to be used in all ISRO centres has also been established.     

Characterization of the near Earth radiation environment by Liulin type spectrometers

Comprehensive study of the dose, flux and deposited energy spectra shape data obtained by Liulin type spectrometers on spacecraft (five different experiments) and aircraft since 2001 is performed with the aim of understanding how well these parameters can characterize the type of predominant particles and their energy in the near Earth radiation environment. Three different methods for characterisation of the incoming radiation from Liulin spectrometers are described. The results revealed that the most informative one is by the shape of the deposited energy spectra. Spectra generated by Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCR) protons and their secondaries are with linear falling shape in the coordinates deposited energy/deposited per channel dose rate. The position of the maximum of the deposited energy spectra inside the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) region depends on the incident energy of the incoming protons. Spectra generated by relativistic electrons in the outer radiation belt have a maximum in the first channels. For higher energy depositions these spectra are similar to the GCR spectra. Mixed radiation by protons and electrons and/or bremsstrahlung is characterized by spectra with 2 maxima. All type of spectra has a knee close to 6.2 MeV deposited energy, which correspond to the stopping energy of protons in the detector. Dose to flux ratio known also as specific dose is another high information parameter, which is given by experimentally obtained formulae [Heffner, J. Nuclear radiation and safety in space. M. Atomizdat. 115, 1971 (in Russian)] connecting the dose to flux ratio and the incident energy of the particles.