Continuous transverse stub technology

Military and civil radar and communication systems utilize phased array antennas that require hundreds or, in some cases, thousands of transmit/receive (T/R) modules. T/R modules, even when low cost, drive the total RF system cost to an undesirable level, resulting in fewer systems being purchased, This paper reviews the application of continuous transverse stub (CTS) antenna technology to reduce the number of T/R modules required and, thus, the overall RF system cost, and military and civil applications and their respective cost savings     

Spacecraft Application of Expert Systems

Artificial Intelligence (AI) will play a major role in future spacecraft operation. Because the technology has not matured, knowledge-based systems will be incorporated in an evolutionary manner, with increasing responsibility as their performance is proven. Internal research at Boeing Aerospace Company has demonstrated that AI software development techniques, knowledge-based systems in particular, can be used to provide limited spacecraft subsystem automation. This capability represents a first step toward an evolutionary path to spacecraft automation. A likely progression will proceed to integrated subsystem control, automated planning and scheduling, plan execution, anomoly handling, and eventually to autonomous spacecraft operation. Although this paper is written in the context of Space Station the ideas and techniques identified should be easily transferable to spacecraft automation in general.     

Are current and future space technologies favourable to SSPS projects?

This viewpoint looks at the positive and negative prospects for the establishment of Space Solar Power Stations (SSPSs) from the standpoint of the way in which space technology has evolved since the concept was first proposed. While there are pressing arguments for alternatives to today’s energy sources, and technological advances have made construction and maintenance of SSPSs potentially easier and less expensive, it is argued that the general trend towards miniaturization in space, plus the probable difficulty of obtaining frequency allocations for SSPSs, militate against their realization. Further, the increasing militarization of space provides additional competition and could mean that SSPSs will never be launched for fear of becoming an enemy target. Nevertheless, SSPSs could have a future supplying electricity within the space environment itself.     

Integrated precision SAR targeting: a SAR targeting simulation

Operational deficiencies exist in the current ability to perform high resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) targeting for precision strike missions in difficult electronic countermeasure (ECM) and anti-aircraft environments. Increasingly sophisticated enemy defenses require that fire control information be derived from highly maneuverable aircraft trajectories rather than traditional straight-and-level flight. In addition, target area aspect information is needed to determine optimal attack approaches. These imaging and targeting conditions impose severe performance requirements on the sensor aircraft motion compensation system (MCS), and dictate the need for sophisticated algorithms to counteract ECM threats. This paper describes the development of a user friendly “Design Tool” for modeling and analysis of airborne radar system performance for SAR imaging and Precision SAR Targeting