2009 IDEX

• Abstract.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
• Introduction
to IT.
IN
SPACE RESERCH • Hubble
control
systems

• Internet on
mars.

• Satellite
Tracking

• Controlling
spacecraft

• Ready for
the
countdown.

• Knowledge
gained in a
construct
 INDEX

• Abstract

• Introducti8on to IT

• Hubble control systems

• Internet on Mars

• Satellite tracking

• Controlling Space craft

• Ready to countdown

• Knowledge gained in a constructive

or destructive manner

• Conclusion
(References)
 Abstract

Because of the Industrial revolution

many technologies have been introduced. one of them is the
Information Technology (IT). IT is used in most of the sectors since
then. Space research is another sector in which the usage of IT is in
wider range. The past, present, future of the space research always
depends on IT. That’s what this presentation explains to you.

INTRODUCTION
The term “information technology” (IT)
became widespread in the 1970s to describe—
according to the most recent definition of the
Information Technology Association of America
—“the study, design, development,
implementation, support or management of
computer based information systems,
particularly software application and computer
hardware.” The formative period of
contemporary IT dates back to the mid-
twentieth century, when developments in
information theory, information science, and
informatics laid the foundations of successive
progress. However, the conceptual framework
in which these developments took place
predates this period. For example, the first
efforts to build up information science into a
specific body of knowledge can be found in the
work of different figures—such as Charles
Babbage (1792 -- 1871), George Boole (1815 --
1864), or Paul Otlet (1868 -- 1944)—all of them
working in the nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries. Some seminal ideas—such as the
vision of the world in binary terms that can be
modeled, or coded, within a logical algebraic
framework—can be traced back to Gottfried
Wilhelm Leibniz. Nonetheless, in this field,
too, the present-day definition entered into
general academic use only during or after
World War II.
IT and Computing
From the technological point of view, the
history of IT is intimately linked with the
history of mechanical (later electronic)
computing. The development of mechanical
computing was, in itself, a product of the
Industrial Revolution, with its ever-increasing
needs of data processing. Charles Babbage was
the first to conceive—in the 1830s—the idea
both of a “difference engine” and of an
“analytical engine,” the latter being a
programmable machine that could perform
multiple mathematical functions. In Babbage's
footsteps, in 1890, Herman Hollerith (later a
founder of IBM) developed a mechanical
system for processing U.S. census data.
However, until World War II, the computing
industry was dominated by business equipment
firms developing machines to handle specific
information-processing needs, as opposed to
generating or manipulating general
information. Even Vannevar Bush's
“differential analyzer” (1931)—the first
machine that could perform a whole series of
engineering and science problems based on
differential equations, instead of handling a
single problem—was still an analog machine,
modeling natural processes rather than
manipulating numbers themselves.
The first fully programmable electromechanic
computer (Hathaway Aiken's Mark I) was
developed in 1944, upon request of the U.S.
Navy. Mark I, engineered by IBM, was the
product of a convergence of interests between
academic researchers (who set the theoretical
framework of the system) and the practical
skills developed—in the field of mechanical
computation—by the business machine
industry. The economic support of the U.S.
military (which viewed computing as a means
to support its efforts in World War II, then in
the Cold War) further stimulated this
convergence. Progress soon followed. Also in
1944, John Mauchly and John P. Eckert, at the
University of Pennsylvania, developed the first
electronic computer (ENIAC), and in the
following years, together with John Von
Neumann, defined the base architecture of
computers: stored-programs, binary logic of
programs and computation, basic input and
output units, a control unit, and an arithmetic
unit.

Hubble Control Systems
The computing involved in Hubble, the
well-known space telescope.
The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is
named after the trailblazing astronomer
Edwin P. Hubble (1889-1953), the
Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a
large, space-based observatory which
has revolutionized astronomy by
providing
unprecedented deep
and clear views of
the Universe,
ranging from our
own solar system to
extremely remote
fledgling galaxies
forming not long after the Big Bang 13.7
billion years ago.
The HST uses an elaborate spacecraft-
management system to keep it afloat and
working. In this respect, it is no different
from other spacecraft. The main elements
of the system are the Computer Support
System Module and the Advanced
Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS)
series. The Computer Support System
Module contains devices and systems
needed to operate the Hubble telescope.
This serves as the master control for
communications, navigation, power
management, etc. The TDRS series
accepts Hubble’s information for relay to
the
ground controllers at the Space
Telescope Operations Control Center
(STOCC) in Greenbelt, Maryland, US.
Similarly, the TDRS also provides high
bandwidth communication support to the
International Space Station (ISS) and
some other satellites up there.
7000 variables of real-time information
from the Hubble telescope are
transmitted to the geo-synchronous
Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System
(TDRSS), from which they are down
linked to the ground station at White
Sands, New Mexico, and then relayed to
the Goddard Space Flight Center in
Maryland using what is known as the
Control Center System (CCS).
Further data analysis is done using the
Space Telescope Science Data Analysis
System (STSDAS).
The CCS front-end uses
Java applets that let
engineers control and
monitor Hubble from the
earth. The CCS user
interface has two parts:
the first is control, where
the telescope can be commanded to
select new targets; and the second is
data visualization, where the user can
view telemetry and engineering data
either archived or being streamed down
in real time from the spacecraft.
The CCS applets establish a direct
network connection to a NASA host,
where a middleware server connects to
the existing server system. This allows
anyone with access privileges on the
Internet to view the engineering data that
is being continuously transmitted by the
spacecraft, and even to obtain a
personalized, configurable view of this
data.
The server-side code is written in C++.
from Hubble is transferred to the Front
End Processor (FEP) via Nascom (NASA
Communications Network). FEP provides
a communication interface between the
vehicle and ground control and captures
all the down linked data. It then forwards
it to the attached All Points Archive,
which interacts with the Web server to
produce a Web-browser output for a
client machine, and through the
middleware C++ server to process the
Applet GUIs.

The CCS is used to handle The Internet on Mars:

communication between Hubble and the
ground stations for spacecraft The Internet is slated to
commanding and health and safety go over and above this
analysis. The architecture for this is a world, the first target
typical secure network. being Mars, to be
followed by Jupiter and
The data sent from its moon, Europa.
the telescope is
analyzed using the This idea of taking the
STSDAS, which is Internet to the space comes from the
a powerful set of need for a low cost and high reliability
tools that support inter-planetary network. It is not that there
software used to was no communication earlier. When
calibrate and countries started sending probes into the
analyze data. A companion package, space, each used a unique set of
TABLES, is a set of tools for creating and protocols to communicate with the earth.
manipulating tabular data, reading and This was done using the Deep Space
writing Flexible Image Transport System Network (DSN) developed by NASA.
(FITS). The widest used data format used
for astronomical images and tables, and Since these probes communicated with
creating customized graphics. STSDAS the same ground stations, the need for a
and TABLES are layered on the Image common protocol increased with time.
Reduction and Analysis Facility (IRAF) Taking the Internet to space is the
software from the National Optical offshoot of this need for standardization.
Astronomy Observatories. STSDAS and The Interplanetary Network (IPN), a part
TABLES run in tandem with IRAF. of Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), is
managing this program.
The Space Telescope Engineering Data
Store (STEDS) is intended to serve as a But, how will this be implemented? One
common data source for all the telemetry can plan how the Internet will work on the
data for all the Hubble subsystems. Its earth because of its fixed size and the
design uses a typical fixed positions on which the data has to
middleware-enabled travel. Now, for the implementation on the
three-tier model, and planets, separate Internets on the planets
it is platform- will be connected through individual
independent, as it has dedicated gateways. The individual
to be accessed over networks can follow their own protocols,
the Internet. The but these protocols will end at the
telemetry data stream
gateway. By keeping the Internets of all
the planets separate, engineers will not
have to make long service calls.
Besides, they will not have to send a
database of 20-million dotcom names to
Mars periodically!?
when the planets are on the opposite
sides of the Sun. Besides the natural
factors of distance, we cannot overlook
the potential of the hacker community,
which is quite strong on our planet. Once
this kind of technology is functional, its
security will be a big issue.

These gateways will work on a bundle-

based protocol, which will reside over the
transport layer to carry data from one
gateway to another. This gateway may
not be on the surface of a planetary body;
it can be a spacecraft in orbit, too. At the
moment a bundle protocol will be needed
because the data will need to travel huge
distances, and sending small packets of
data may not be feasible. Instead, this
data will be collected and sent in a
bundle, as a big burst of data, to the next
gateway.

Regarding Mars, JPL plans to put many The below picture shows the GPS on the
Microsats around it and a bigger MarsSat moon.
acting as a gateway to the earth.
Managing the individual planet Internets
is not a big problem as it can be
managed in more or less the same
manner as the earth’s network. It is
developing the Interplanetary Backbone
Network (IBN), however, which requires
the biggest effort. The use of a
standards-based technology in space will
mean that the commercial vendors can
be used to provide the equipment, which
will drastically decrease the equipment
and manpower cost needed in space
communication.

Sounds too good to be true? Well, there Satellite Tracking:

are thorns to content with, too. At the
moment the communication links from the Today there are more than 5,000
space to the earth are very cumbersome satellites in outer space. These are
with three satellite clusters placed around kept track of by telemetry, tracking
the world. The biggest problem is the and control systems.
bandwidth. The other biggest hindrance
is the astronomical distance between the October 4, 1957,
two planets. This can result in long Sputnik, the first
delays, for example, a round trip artificial earth
transmission from earth to Mars may satellite, was
exceed 40 mins. Even if the distance is launched by the
managed, there can be instances when USSR, and thus
the communication is not possible at all began the space
age. Now, 45 years after, there are more
than 5,000 satellites in outer space, and
tracking and controlling them is big work.
Thousands of observatories, computers,
communication systems and human
beings work round the clock, around the
earth, to keep their satellites in proper
condition and on the right path.
Telemetry, tracking and control are three
major functions that make this happen.
Satellite telemetry is measuring the
conditions in the atmosphere and oceans
from outer space using artificial satellites,
and monitoring the performance and
condition of rockets, spacecraft and
satellites that send information about
their own performance, flight path and
other data to earth. With this, the earth
stations keep track of the spacecraft’s
condition in outer space and are able to
control it from the ground. This
processing has to be done in real time
using real-time systems (systems that
guarantee the execution of a job in the
specified time period with no delays).
This means developing high performance
and robust systems that will work in
extreme conditions and constraints of
space, weight and power in satellites.
Earth stations, too, demand a high
degree of expertise and planning while
developing such systems.
A basic telemetry system consists of a
measuring instrument, transmitter and
receiving station. The measuring
instruments are sensors (transducers)
that measure the amount of a physical
attribute and transform the measurement
to an engineering unit value. This is
multiplexed as a single data stream,
formatted and then transmitted using
radio or microwave signals. Hence,
measurements can be made at remote or
inaccessible spots, and the data collected
is transmitted to the receiving equipment
for monitoring, display, recording and
analysis.
On the ground, the receiving station
receives the signals transmitted by the
satellite, which are then sent for
processing. The ground system makes
sense of the enormous amount of data
received and presents it in a user-friendly
manner to the operators. They use a
variety of display objects like strip charts,
bar charts, vertical meters, cross plots
and analysis programs like Excel or high-
level analysis languages (Matlab) to
evaluate archived data, extract results
and generate reports. A satellite’s
conditions also monitored in real time so
that decisions regarding its operation and
path can be taken instantaneously in
case of a problem. The display systems
run on both UNIX (GUI using MOTIF and
X-Windows) and PC platforms. The
communication systems for interfacing
with ground stations network and the
real-time systems for real-time
processing of satellite data generally use
UNIX. The communication system uses
TCP/IP protocol for data transfer between
computers on the ground station
networks. The data is stored on disks or
tapes as files, but other alternatives are
relational database systems like MS
Access and Oracle. Scheduling systems
generate operation schedules and
allocate network resources for satellites
supported by the ground station.
In India the ISRO telemetry, tracking and
command network (ISTRAC) does these.
It provides mission support to satellites
and launches vehicle missions, and has a
network of ground stations across the
country and abroad that provide valuable
inputs for controlling India satellites.
Controlling Spacecraft
Computing for Space Shuttle and Path
Finder
300 major electronic
black boxes, 300 miles
of electrical wiring,
120,400 wire
segments, 6,491
connectors, wiring and
connectors weigh
approximately 7,000 pounds, wiring alone
weighing approximately 4,600 pounds.
Seems daunting? In fact, they are all a
part of the Space Shuttle’s avionics
systems, the lifeline of the shuttle way
back in 1988. Other data processing
systems consist of five general-purpose
computers (GPC), mass storage, a time-
shared computer data bus network for
communication between the computers
As of 1991, all five GPCs were IBM AP-
101S computers. Before that they were
the IBM AP-101Bs. The older GPCs had
non-volatile memory, but with the AP-
101S the shuttle computers moved to
volatile memory with battery back up.
Each of the GPCs consists of a central
processor unit and an input/output
processor. The first four systems
comprise the PASS (Primary Avionics
Software System). It may seem surprising
that NASA uses ancient computers, but
they do so because of a very good
reason: these computers have been
thoroughly tested. Such reliability is
extremely necessary when dealing in
mission-critical operations.
The fifth GPC is loaded with different
software created by a different company
but performing the same functions and
operations. This software is the Backup
Flight System (BFS). The BFS monitors
the other GPCs to keep track of the
current state of the vehicle. If required,
the BFS can take over control of the
vehicle upon the press of a button. The
BFS also performs the systems
management functions during ascent and
entry. BFS software is always loaded into
the fifth before flight, but any of the five
GPCs could be made the BFS GPC if
necessary. NASA is developing a Shuttle
Upgrade project to install a Vehicle
Health Monitor (VHM) system. The VHM
system will be used to detect,
troubleshoot and resolve hardware
problems during and after flight. To
match the hardware, the software is also
written and verified meticulously.
The Shuttle control software has some
420,000 lines of code. The software is
subject to countless hours of verification
and testing. Yet, there are flaws. There
are still bugs in the code, but when
compared to other software, they are very
less .The two companies involved in the
shuttle software creation were IBM
Federal systems and Lockheed Martin.
The shuttle’s
original CRT- based displays were
replaced with LCD, saving weight,
power consumption and fuel
When information and voice is sent to the
Shuttle, it is scrambled for security, so
there is a computer onboard to decrypt
this data so that the astronauts can read
it or hear the voice from Mission Control
in Houston, Texas. Once the data is
decrypted, there are other computers
onboard that control the attitude, velocity,
temperature, and toilet/bathroom system,
just to name a few. A computer called the
Ground Communication Logic Controller
(GCIL) receives this data and then routes
it to the appropriate computer system to
perform one of these functions. Houston,
Texas controls most of the computers
onboard from the ground itself because
the crew has experiments and science
data to collect and sometimes cannot be
responsible for all functions.
Ready for the Countdown
A satellite launcher like the PSLV has
thousands of subsystems that have to function
properly for a launch to be successful.
These rocket systems
are monitored by
embedded systems.
As countdown to lift off
approaches, all of
these have to be
monitored and
decisions on whether to continue with the
launch or to abort need to be taken in
real time.
For this, real time, embedded systems
find extensive use in pre-launch checkout
systems. In the case of launch agencies
like ISRO, they independently create the
checkout software required to run on
launcher systems and rockets, or expand
on the work of collaborating agencies. In
the case of launch agencies, like Ariane,
the checkout systems could be
developed by third-party contractors.
For example, the checkout systems for
the Atlas V rocket were done by L-3
communications.
The amount of information picked up by
these systems is too much and too
complex to be comprehended in their
alphanumeric form, or by one person. So,
the data is distributed over a network to
many controllers, who view the
information graphically (this is the launch
control center you get to see on TV and
in newspaper photographs). Changes in
parameters would be indicated in a
change of patterns or colors and other
such graphical alerts or even audible
alerts.
Knowledge gained from
space research can be put
to constructive or
destructive use?
Space research is a wonderful area. You
are at the cutting-edge of knowledge.
And, you
can use
the
knowledge
you garner
for the
benefit of
all
mankind.
Or, to sow
the seeds
of massive destruction.
Take the case of satellite imaging.
Today’s best satellites can give a
resolution of less than half a meter. Many
satellites out there can do under a meter.
On the one side, you can do things like
natural resources and the precise
mapping of forests. You can also monitor
traffic on motorways and do better traffic
planning. The same cameras can also
distinguish between fighter planes parked
wing-tip to wig-tip, or make out whether a
train moving to the border is loaded with
missiles or with food grain.
The GPS system that can help us
ascertain our location and navigate us to
our destination has its origins in a
satellite-based system created to help
missiles navigate to their target with
unerring accuracy.
The satellite cover above us that provide
us with our television signals can be
extended to provide a platform for
weapons of mass or concentrated
destruction to be based in outer space.
Truly, what we can do in space is limited
only by our imagination. And the dividing
line between constructive and destructive
uses is very, very thin, indeed.
Conclusion:
So we could say that the
space research runs with the Information
technology which plays a major role. And
also we should use technology for
constructive purpose.
References:
• The documentary reference is the
site “pc-quest.com” and from NASA.
• The Pictures shown are from
NASA’s picture gallery and from
Google images.
THE
END