Detection of interference/jamming and spoofing in a DGPS-aidedinertial system

Previous research at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) has resulted in the design of a differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) aided INS-based (inertial navigation system) precision landing system (PLS) capable of meeting the FAA precision requirements for instrument landings. The susceptibility of DGPS transmissions to both intentional and nonintentional interference/jamming and spoofing must be addressed before DGPS may be safely used as a major component of such a critical navigational device. This research applies multiple model adaptive estimation (MMAE) techniques to the problem of detecting and identifying interference/jamming and spoofing in the DGPS signal. Such an MMAE is composed of a bank of parallel filters, each hypothesizing a different failure status, along with an evaluation of the current probability of each hypothesis being correct, to form a probability-weighted average state estimate as an output. For interference/jamming degradation represented as increased measurement noise variance, simulation results show that, because of the good failure detection and isolation (FDI) performance using MMAE, the blended navigation performance is essentially that of a single extended Kalman filter (EKF) artificially informed of the actual interference noise variance. However, a standard MMAE is completely unable to detect spoofing failures (modeled as a bias or ramp offset signal directly added to the measurement). This work describes a moving-bank pseudoresidual MMAE (PRMMAE) to detect and identify such spoofing. Using the PRMMAE algorithm, spoofing is very effectively detected and isolated; the resulting navigation performance is equivalent to that of an EKF operating in an environment without spoofing     

THE CLUSTER ION SPECTROMETRY (CIS) EXPERIMENT

The Cluster Ion Spectrometry (CIS) experiment is a comprehensive ionic plasma spectrometry package on-board the four Cluster spacecraft capable of obtaining full three-dimensional ion distributions with good time resolution (one spacecraft spin) with mass per charge composition determination. The requirements to cover the scientific objectives cannot be met with a single instrument. The CIS package therefore consists of two different instruments, a Hot Ion Analyser (HIA) and a time-of-flight ion COmposition and DIstribution Function analyser (CODIF), plus a sophisticated dual-processor-based instrument-control and Data-Processing System (DPS), which permits extensive on-board data-processing. Both analysers use symmetric optics resulting in continuous, uniform, and well-characterised phase space coverage. CODIF measures the distributions of the major ions (H⁺, He⁺, He⁺⁺, and O⁺) with energies from ~0 to 40 keV/e with medium (22.5°) angular resolution and two different sensitivities. HIA does not offer mass resolution but, also having two different sensitivities, increases the dynamic range, and has an angular resolution capability (5.6° × 5.6°) adequate for ion-beam and solar-wind measurements.     

Control of a large space structure using MMAE/MMAC techniques

The application of moving-bank multiple model adaptive estimation and control (MMAE/MMAC) algorithms to an actual spade structure (Space Integrated Controls Experiment (SPICE)) being examined at Phillips Laboratory at Kirtland AFB, NM, is presented. The structure consists of a large platform and a smaller platform connected by three legs in a tripod fashion. Kalman filtering and LQG (linear system, quadratic cost, Gaussian noise) control techniques are utilized as the primary design tools for the components of the MMAE/MMAC. Implementing a bank of filters or controllers increases the robustness of the algorithms when uncertainties exist in the system model, whereas the moving bank is utilized to reduce the computational load. Several reduced-order models are developed from the truth model using modal analysis and modal cost analysis. The MMAE/MMAC design with a substantially reduced-order filter model provides an excellent method to estimate a wide range of parameter variations and to quell oscillations in the structure.     

The evolutionary status of eta Car based on historical and modern optical and infrared photometry

We present a photometric study of the luminous early-type star Car. The star's secular brightness increase is due largely to the expansion of the Homunculus. Car is a LBV with a possible B0.5V companion. The combined effect of Balmer-line emission, and of warm and cold dust radiation explains the star's other light variations.     

Distributed binary integration

A distributed radar detection system that employs binary integration at each local detector is studied. Local decisions are transmitted to the fusion center where they are combined to yield a global decision. The optimum values of the two thresholds at each local processor are determined so as to maximize the detection probability under a given probability of false alarm constraint. Using an important channel model, performance comparisons are made to determine the integration loss     

Simulation considers the human factors

Human factors aspects of flight simulation design at McDonnell Douglas are considered. Modeling approaches are examined and testing with pilots and cockpits is described.     

Early Data from Aura and Continuity from Uars and Toms

Aura, the last of the large EOS observatories, was launched on July~15, 2004. Aura is designed to make comprehensive stratospheric and tropospheric composition measurements from its four instruments, HIRDLS, MLS, OMI and TES. These four instruments work in synergy to provide data on ozone trends, air quality and climate change. The instruments observe in the nadir and limb and provide the best horizontal and vertical resolution ever achieved from space. After over one year in orbit the instruments are nearly operational and providing data to the scientific community. We summarize the mission, instruments, and initial results and give examples of how Aura will provide continuity to earlier chemistry missions.     

Observing the Sun at 20–650 MHz at Thermopylae with Artemis

Fine structure of type IV radio solar bursts with a great variety and complexity often give much information in different ways and enable estimation of various coronal characteristics. In this work, we expose our new method for fine structure revealing and separation of two basic kinds of type IV fine structure, as fibers and pulsations. We also estimate frequency drift of fibers from dynamic spectra, clean from continuous background, with a prototype method using 2-D Fourier transform and we estimate periodicities of fibers as well as pulsations with continuous wavelet transform. Working with the last method we found periodicities close to 3 min umbral oscillations and 5 min global solar oscillations.     

Risk-based technology portfolio optimization for early space mission design

The successful design, development, and operation of space missions requires informed decisions to be made across a vast array of investment, scientific, technological, and operational issues. In the work reported in this paper, we address the problem of determining optimal technology investment portfolios that minimize mission risk and maximize the expected science return of the mission. We model several relationships that explicitly link investment in technologies to mission risk and expected science return. To represent and compute these causal and computational dependencies, we introduce a generalization of influence diagrams that we call inference nets. To illustrate the approach, we present results from its application to a technology portfolio investment trade study done for a specific scenario for the projected 2009 Mars MSL mission. This case study examines the impact of investments in precision landing and long-range roving technologies on the mission capability, and the associated risk, of visiting a set of preselected science sites. We show how an optimal investment strategy can be found that minimizes the mission risk given a fixed total technology investment budget, or alternatively how to determine the minimum budget required to achieve a given acceptable mission risk.