Communication Satellite and Navigation From Space Training

• Aerospace Structures: Design, Analysis, and Test Training
• Attitude Determination & Control Training
• Advanced Topics in Launch Vehicle Design Training
• Communications Payload Design and Satellite System Architecture Training

A PRACTICAL INTRODUCTION TO ORBITAL MECHANICS

• The Mystery of the Wandering Stars
• The Heliocentric Theory of Copernicus
• Galileo’s Critical Insights
• Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion
• Isaac Newton’s Clever Generalizations
• Conic Sections
• Ballistic Trajectories
• Velocity Increments
• Methods of Obtaining Weightlessness

UNDERSTANDING THE SPECIAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROPERTIES OF SPACE

• Exploiting the Three Beneficial Properties of Space
• Atmospheric Density
• Typical Orbit Decay Rates
• The Earth’s Gravitational Field
• Gravity Gradient Stabilization
• The South Atlantic Anomaly
• Magnetic Momentum Dumping
• Meteoroids in Space
• The Synthetic Meteorite Experiment
• The Growing Hazard of Man-Made Space Debris

CHOOSING THE MOST EFFECTIVE SATELLITE ORBITS

• Isaac Newton’s Vis Viva Equation
• Reaching Escape Velocity
• Orbital Energy and Angular Momentum
• Gravitational Parameters
• Finding the Best Place to Escape from an Elliptical Orbit
• The Magic Bouncing Balls
• Understanding the Hidden Mysteries of Orbital Mechanics
• The High Cost of Launching a Satellite Into Orbit
• Gravity Wells
• Solving Kepler’s Equation
• Nature’s Forces of Perturbations
• Nodal Regression and Apsidal Rotation

LAUNCHING SATELLITES INTO THE PROPER DESTINATION ORBITS

• Rocket Propulsion Fundamentals
• Liquid and Solid Rockets
• Cooling a Rocket’s Nozzles
• Specific Impulse
• The Rocket Equation
• The High Cost of Boosting Unburned Propellants
• Communication Satellite and Navigation From Space Training
• Adding Lightness
• Multistage Rocket Design
• Staging Techniques
• A Typical Orbital Mechanics Smart Card

SECOND DAY

EXECUTING EFFICIENT POWERED FLIGHT MANEUVERS

• The Classical Hohmann Transfer Maneuver
• Low-Thrust Transfer to the Geosynchronous Arc
• Multi-Impulse Maneuvers
• Pure Plane Change Maneuvers
• Finding the Optimal Plane-Change Split
• The Bi-Elliptic Transfer
• Relative Motion Plots
• Walking Orbit Maneuvers
• Rendezvous in Space
• Geosynchronous Servicing Missions
• Deorbiting Hazardous Space Debris

COMMERCIAL COMMUNICATION SATELLITES

• Arthur Clarke’s “Wire World” Article
• Passive Communication Satellites
• The Echo Balloon
• Project Big Shot
• Project West Ford
• Modulation Techniques
• Active Communication Satellites
• Geosynchronous Comsats
• Today’s Emerging Population Explosion Along the Geosynchronous Arc
• Supersynchronous Transfer Maneuvers
• A Tragic Fate of Superbird 6
• Orbital Overcrowding
• America’s Earliest Orbital Antenna Farm
• The Russian Globus
• Building and Testing a Personal Communication System

SERVING TODAY’S MOBILE COMMUNICATION USERS

• Constellation Selection Trades
• Evaluating the Orbital Environment
• Factors That Influence the Cost and Complexity of the Constellations
• The Advantages and Disadvantages of the Various Flight Regimes
• Low Altitude Telegraph-Style Constellations
• Low Altitude Voice-Messaging Systems
• The Beneficial Properties Found at Geosync
• Geosynchronous Coverage Characteristics
• The Beneficial Properties of Medium-Altitude Constellations
• TRW’s Swarm of Odyssey Satellites
• ELLIPSO’s Elliptical Orbit Constellation
• Orbital Location Comparisons
• Crystal Ball Predictions for Century 21

THIRD DAY

SELECTING THE PROPER CONSTELLATION ARCHITECTURE

• What is a Constellation?
• Constellation Comparisons
• What is the Largest Constellation Ever Launched Into Space?
• What is the Smallest Constellation That Can Cover the Earth?
• John Walker’s “Rosetta’ Constellations
• John Drain’s Elliptical Orbit Constellation
• Useful Constellations That Cover a Portion of the Earth
• Constructing Repeating Ground-Trace Orbits
• The “Space Eggs” Computer Simulation Program
• Selecting the Most Effective Satellite Constellations
• Polar “Birdcage” Constellations
• The Iridium Satellites
• Sun-Synchronous Orbits
• Full-Sun Sun Synchronous Orbits
• Early Space-Age Constellations
• Communication Satellite and Navigation From Space Training
• Evaluating the Coverage Characteristics of a Typical 3-Plane 24-Satellite Constellation

SPACE-BASED RADIO NAVIGATION

• Active and Passive Radionavigation
• Achieving Global Coverage with Ground-Based Navigation Stations
• The Transit Navigation System
• Gravity Gradient Stabilization
• Disturbance-Compensation Systems
• Dual-Frequency Ionospheric Corrections
• Selecting the Proper Mask Angle to Minimize Tropospheric
• Signal Distortions
• The GPS and Its Precise Timing Pulses
• The Historical Evolution of Precision Timing Measurements
• Understanding the Fundamental Principles of Cesium and Rubidium Atomic Clocks
• Putting the GPS in Your Cellphone
• Miniaturizing Space-Qualified Atomic Clocks
• Solving for the User’s Position
• Solving for the User’s Velocity
• Websites and Other Useful Sources of Information

THE NAVSTAR GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM

• The Sabreliner Business Jet’s Flight to the Paris Air Show
• Signal Structure and Pseudorandom Codes
• Phase Shift Key Modulation
• Spread Spectrum Processing Techniques
• Dual-Frequency Ionospheric Corrections
• Mathematical Modeling of the Tropospheric Delays
• Real-Time Corrections for Einstein’s Theory of Relativity
• Relativistic Corrections Due to Orbital Eccentricity
• Inverting the Navigation Solution
• The 50-Bit-Per-Second Data Stream
• Module-2 Data Encryption
• Control Segment Operations
• Six Giant Steps Toward GPS Modernization
• Geographic Information Systems

TODAY’S POPULAR GPS RECEIVERS

• Special Properties of the GPS Waveform
• Signal Processing Techniques
• A Special One-Page Annotated Block Diagram
• Designing Efficient GPS Antennas
• The Ball Aerospace Ceramic Microstrip Antennas
• Phased-Array Null-Steering Antennas
• Harmonic Interference from Local Broadcast Stations
• Commercially Available Jammers
• Code-Tracking and Carrier-Tracking Loops
• Hand-Held Receivers
• Classroom Demonstration of the Garmin Nuvi with Its Full-Color 3D Displays
• Chipset Technology
• Miniaturized Chipsets Capable of handling the Receiver’s Front-End Operations and Its Digital Processing Functions
• Communication Satellite and Navigation From Space Training
• Equipment Lists for Static Surveying

FOURTH DAY

INTEGRATED NAVIGATION SYSTEMS

• Intertial Navigation Technology
• Galileo’s Clever Pendulum Experiments
• Max Schuller’s Physical Insights
• Gimbaled and Strapdown Inertial Navigation Systems
• Ring Laser Gyros
• The Relativistic Origins of the Sagnac Effect
• Fiber-Optic Gyros
• GPS Simulators
• Modern MIMS Technology in the World of Navigation
• Closed-Loops and Open-Loop Implementations
• Building Effective Solid-State Accelerometers
• Kalman Filtering Techniques
• Popular State-Variable Selections
• Surveying and Geodesy: Measurements and Concepts

DIFFERENTIAL NAVIGATION AND PSEUDO SATELLITES

• Solutions with and without Differential Navigation
• The Data Exchange Protocols Recommended by Special Committee 104
• Determining the Necessary Pseudorange Corrections
• Side-Tone Data Distribution
• Differential Corrections Broadcast by Today’s Geosynchronous Satellites
• Wide-Area Differential Navigation
• Yuma Arizona’s Inverted Test Range
• Some Special Problems Associated with the Ground-Based Atomic Clocks
• Finding the Proper Locations for the Pseudosatellites
• Performance Comparisons: Differential Navigation and Pseudosatellites
• Geosynchronous Overlay Satellites
• Fledging Overlay Constellations from Russia, China, India, and the Europeans
• Omnistar’s Precise Surveying Techniques

CARRIER-AIDED SOLUTIONS

• Interferometry Concepts
• Altitude Determination Using the GPS Satellite Signals
• Code-Free Position-Fixing Techniques
• Surveying Hardware from Trimble Navigation
• Resolving the Solutions Ambiguities
• The Magic Powers of Subtraction
• Spaceborne Position-Fixing for the Topex Oceanographic Satellite
• Motorola’s Surprisingly Accurate Monarch Receiver
• Altitude Errors Associated with the Topex Solutions
• Timing Corrections Related to Einstein’s Theory of Relativity
• Simple Derivations of Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity
• Relativistic Corrections Induced by the Satellite’s Orbital Eccentricity

SPACE-AGE SURVEYING TECHNIQUES

• The GPS-Inspired Revolution in Terrestrial Surveying Benchmark Position-Fixing Techniques GPS Positioning Compared With Classical Optical Surveying Measuring the Earth’s Geopotential Surface The Science of Geodesy Test Results from the Turtmann Test Range Monitoring the Motion of the Wandering Poles On-Orbit Positioning Signals A Typical 6-Channel GPS Receiver Modern GPS Surveying and Field Test Procedures

THE GPS SATELLITES

• Studying a Typical GPS Satellite of Modern Design
• The Eight Major Vehicle Subsystems
• Subsystem Connectivity
• The Block IIF Performance Requirements
• On-Orbit Test Results
• Designing and Building a $10 Million Thermal Vacuum Chamber
• The Anechoic Chamber
• Launch Sequences and Candidate Boosters
• Executing Simple and Effective Stationkeeping Maneuvers
• Nodal Regressions Induced by the Earth’s Equatorial Bulge
• The Keplerian Orbital Elements Broadcast by the GPS Satellites
• Closed-Form Equations Defining Each Satellite’s Earth-Fixed Position Coordinates and Velocity Components
• Viewing Geometry and Earth Shadowing Characteristics
• Crystal Ball Predictions

Communication Satellite and Navigation From Space Training Course Wrap-Up