Title :
Accelerometer-assisted tracking and pointing for deep space optical communications
Author :
Lee, Shinhak ; Ortiz, Gerry G. ; Alexander, James W. ; Portillo, Angel ; Jeppesen, Christian
Author_Institution :
Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Technol., Pasadena, CA, USA
Abstract :
NASA/JPL has been developing acquisition, tracking and pointing (ATP) technologies for deep space tracking and pointing of an optical communication beam using linear accelerometers to enhance pointing. Linear accelerometers provide excellent accuracy in sensing the vehicle´s acceleration with the advantage of small size, low power, low cost, and a broad range of well developed products. We present the concept of accelerometer-assisted tracking, error analysis, and progress made on its implementation
Keywords :
accelerometers; digital control; optical links; pointing systems; space communication links; telecommunication control; accelerometer-assisted pointing; accelerometer-assisted tracking; deep space optical communications; deep space tracking; digital control; error analysis; free-space optical communication link; line of sight problem; linear accelerometers; low cost; low power; optical communication beam; small size; Accelerometers; Cameras; Moon; Optical fiber communication; Optical receivers; Optical sensors; Space technology; Space vehicles; Tracking; Vibration measurement;
Conference_Titel :
Aerospace Conference, 2001, IEEE Proceedings.
Conference_Location :
Big Sky, MT
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-6599-2
DOI :
10.1109/AERO.2001.931387
