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USING A VIRTUAL GROUND STATION AS A TOOL FOR SUPPORTING HIGHER EDUCATION

USING A VIRTUAL GROUND STATION AS A TOOL FOR SUPPORTING HIGHER EDUCATION. Ghulam Jaffer IKS, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria ghulam.jaffer@student.tugraz.at M. Tahir MUSHTAQ, Prof. Otto Koudelka. Layout. Introduction Objectives Requirements Implementation

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USING A VIRTUAL GROUND STATION AS A TOOL FOR SUPPORTING HIGHER EDUCATION

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  1. USING A VIRTUAL GROUND STATION AS A TOOL FOR SUPPORTING HIGHER EDUCATION Ghulam Jaffer IKS, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria ghulam.jaffer@student.tugraz.at M. Tahir MUSHTAQ, Prof. Otto Koudelka

  2. Layout • Introduction • Objectives • Requirements • Implementation • Operational Modes • Constraints • Future Tasks • Conclusions 61st International Astronautical Congress, Prague, CZ

  3. Introduction • The EXA HERMES-A: a Ground Station and I-2-O Gateway • Hands-on-Training: Virtual multinational students (North America (Michigan), South America (Ecuador), Europe (Austria) and Asia (Japan)……. Open to ALL • Virtual Ground Station (VGS) based on suite of free softwares • Ham Radio Deluxe (HRD, -Radio, -Sat Track, -DM 780) and MixW • VRS-Remote Monitor (VRS-RM) • WXTOIMG • Operational modes [telemetry (TLM), housekeeping (HK), voice, weather images] 61st International Astronautical Congress, Prague, CZ

  4. Objectives • Higher education, scientific and technological research through satellite activities using VGS • Connect globally, inter-disciplinary space operations and provides synergy among diverse areas of research e.g., Meteorology, Satellite Engineering etc. • A collaborative learning with synchronous round-the-world tracking of amateur satellites and data analysis: Democratize access to space for educational research 61st International Astronautical Congress, Prague, CZ

  5. Requirements • AMATEUR LICENSE: University students as remote users to transmit on Amateur bands (e.g. 2m, 70cm) • The HERMES accepts all transmissions encapsulated in AF. • As a redundant confirmation, remote users must be in contact with local operators in Ecuador to turn off the system if required (as per law in USA, Ecuador, Japan and Austria) • A broadband Internet (~ 512 kbps) with a public IP address • A mutual agreement between EXA and participating Institution 61st International Astronautical Congress, Prague, CZ

  6. Operational Modes • ALPHA: (Data Receiving Only) • Spacecraft TLM from almost all Amateur satellites • Voices from space: Onboard digitalkers and SSTV (CO-66) • BETA: HK data from Compass1 • GAMMA: HDX voice communication with analog satellites (AO-51, HO-68, SO-50) and manned AR-ISS • DELTA: weather images from NOAA-15, 17, 18 and 19 (N') • Scientific / Engineering Satellites: Earth observation images / data from Compass1, SO-67 and SwissCube 61st International Astronautical Congress, Prague, CZ

  7. Operational Modes: How? • Remote VGS user commands HERMESA to track the satellite accordingly and mange the Doppler shift • Satellite Locked: Remote user receives the satellite AF on VRS-RM Ch-1 or 2 from the PC soundcard via Internet • The Soft TNC transforms this AF into data • The HERMES saves the AF as a sound file for accessing and processing it later • The remote VGS user can see the MINOTAUR antenna array online tracking the satellite with 2 IP cams 61st International Astronautical Congress, Prague, CZ

  8. ALPHA: ODR Experiment • LNA Off, Omni Directional Reception experiment • Received TLM from RS-30, CO-58 and AO-51 with acceptable SNR • Evidence to receive signals from very faint satellites 61st International Astronautical Congress, Prague, CZ

  9. ALPHA: Voices From Space • The Japanese CO-66 CubeSat: onboard Digipeater • Digitalk voice and SSTV image over an FM carrier • The Voice of a school teacher along with a choir of children voices may Inspire students to send their voices into space. • The Project KRONOS works on the same philosophy using LASER to transmit human voice into deep space 61st International Astronautical Congress, Prague, CZ

  10. GAMMA: Voice Transceiving • Satellites Locked for Security, and power • Unlocking: Pre-defined codes (e.g. 67 Hz sub-audible) tone to transmit by the VGS • HDX comm. with a manned / unmanned sat in orbit (e.g. AR-ISS, AO 51etc). • User => receives and transmits AF to / from the satellite / spacecraft through a PC soundcard via Internet using Skype • Link established => VGS User transmits his/her voice via mic. and checking (√) Tx button on HRD-Sat Track • As the comm. is HDX, un-checking starts Rx to receive the response • The high round-trip-time (> 250ms). The TRACEROUTE indicates bottleneck. 61st International Astronautical Congress, Prague, CZ

  11. DELTA: NOAA APT • Weather Satellite data receiving using VRS-RM and WXTOIMG • The VGS User: Receives the AF input from NOAA APT over HERMES and decodes it to translate into image • APT data is transmitted continuously as an analog signal using AM with a 2.4 kHz sub-carrier on 137 MHz FM carrier. • Project Agora Paper (IAC-10.B5.5.12) and Project website http://sites.google.com/site/projagora/instructions/image-translation 61st International Astronautical Congress, Prague, CZ

  12. 61st International Astronautical Congress, Prague, CZ

  13. Future Tasks • HERMES continues development • Enough users will require some scheduling tasks • Will need to be Implemented on the user end (Application Layer) • User patterns to assign time slots (large Operational Loads, Critical Tasks, etc) as the requirements for the satellites evolve • The solution to Mode Gamma problem has been worked out as a tunnel interface (API) with tracking capability contrary to Project KRONOS. • HERMES Expansion worldwide 61st International Astronautical Congress, Prague, CZ

  14. Conclusions • A useful tool for educating students in the development of a small satellite program, due to missions dependence on the post-launch space operations • A motivational platform by providing a method for students to have access to space communications otherwise they would not. • Use of VGS in a collaborative effort for a synchronous round-the-world experiments using HERMES to have hands-on-experience and to share the earned knowledge: new paradigm for advancement of science and technology. • The VGS vindicates that it could be a key to acquire most of the data / voice related knowledge in space science / engineering in the higher educational research • Not limited to Higher Education: A class of Ecuadorian 2nd Graders download and analyze NOAA weather image data • By performing most of the operational modes, we have verified HERMES as a potential GS for RAX, TUGsat1, and LiNSAT 61st International Astronautical Congress, Prague, CZ

  15. Thank You

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