Internship Experience at NASA-GSFC and JHUAPL

1. Internship Experience at NASA-GSFC and JHUAPL Bill Van Besien D.C. Space Grant Consortium Sponsorship Recipient National Science Foundation Cyber Corps Scholar Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab George Washington University (BS ’09, MS ’10) September 8th, 2008

2. Introduction • Educational • Computer Science, B.S. from GWU 2009 • Computer Science (Focus in Computer Security and Information Assurance), M.S. from GWU 2010 • National Science Foundation Cyber Corps Scholar • Contributed Projects under D.C. Space Grant • NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (2007) • Expandable Reconfigurable Instrument Nodes (ERIN) • Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab (2008) • Analysis of CCSDS File Delivery Protocol on MESSENGER • Continued work in public Space sector • Senior Design: Secure and Authenticated Deep Space Communication • Delay Tolerant Networking Protocol Suite • Future plans in the Space Industry

3. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Internship • Student Internship Program (SIP), Summer 2007 • Code 564 – Microelectronics and Signals Processing Branch • Mentor: Kenda Newton • Expandable Reconfigurable Instrument Node (ERIN) • Distributed Sensor Network with terrestrial and space applications • Generic sensor platform with on-boarddata processing capabilities • Contributions • Developed serial-to-parallel hardwareinterface in VHDL • Developed custom connector bypassingmanufacturer’s I/O board saving mass,money and power consumption • Produced documentation for integratingGPS receiver into hardware • Debugged flight software for a UAV at Wallops Island facility (radiometerdemonstration)

4. JHU Applied Physics Lab Internship • APL Student Internship Program, Summer 2008 • Space Department, Embedded Applications Group • Mentor: Chris Krupiarz • Activities at the Lab • MESSENGER • Developed application to determine state of CFDP from spacecraft telemetry log • Results will be used in upcoming publication analyzing performance of CFDP on MESSENGER • Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) • Gained experience developing flight software with CFE and CFDP from Goddard • Student Trojan Asteroid Mission Proposal (STAMP) • Interns designed mission to Trojan asteroids near Jupiter • Each intern given specialty (e.g., avionics, FSW, propulsion, R/F, systems engineering, etc…)

5. CFDP Performance on MESSENGER • What is CFDP? • Standardization of communication protocols and ground systems • Requirement to downlink science and telemetry data as fast as possible • Observed that bitrate can be increased as antenna angle from horizon increases • Must determine: • Frequency and distribution of bit errors • Optimal configuration of CFDP to maximize effective downlink speed • CFDP Header Parser makes this investigation much simpler Raw Ground Software Telemetry Dump PDU Header Parser Architecture

6. Senior Design: CFDP Security Layer • Provides data authentication and confidentiality (encryption) to systems working within a CFDP framework • Threats to Deep Space Missions, current and future… • Extremely limited telecommand authentication • Individuals or organizations may sabotage (or otherwise affect) space craft • Earth departure/flybys do not require large (DSN-caliber) dish or narrow beam-width • Independent or foreign government teams may be able to uplink to spacecraft • Standard ground software for International Missions • Chinese, Russian, US, and more operating through same ground system • All communication unencrypted and subject to eavesdropping • Legal repercussions for proprietary or export-controlled instruments • Dual use technologies • Enforce separation between protocol layers • Security layer will encrypt all data to and from thespacecraft • Authentication layer will ensure that telecommandsto the spacecraft are from the MOC • Selectable levels of security

7. Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN) • Suite of protocols amounting to an “Interplanetary Internet” • Interplanetary communication involves • Extremely high latency • High bit-error rates • Asymmetric communication • Intermittent communication windows • Common protocols in use in the Internet (TCP/IP) do not perform on networks with these constraints • CFDP has some functionality, but… • Does not have clear separate levels of abstraction like TCP/IP • Largely limited to point-to-point (i.e., not intended to rout through a complex network) • Intended to be phased out within several years • Case study of Mars system • Agents and routers are: rovers on the surface, stationary Landers, and orbital relay stations • DTN is a joint effort between JHUAPL and NASA JPL

8. Experience with Internship Program • Intern Mentoring • Highly Supportive mentors who I have kept in contact with after internship • Real contributions to projects • Developed hardware, software, and utilities for spaceflight missions • Opportunity to explore other areas • CS major, but worked in EE • Challenging Projects • Able to directly apply concepts learned from coursework • Professional networking • Friends in theoretical physics, mission design, management, and EE Special thanks to the D.C. Space Grant Consortium for sponsoring my internships at GSFC and APL! Thank you!! Any questions?