nasa’s aeronautics test program hugh l. dryden ...the dryden aeronautical test range (datr) is...

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

www.nasa.gov

Hugh L. Dryden Aeronautical Test Range (DATR)

NASA’s Aeronautics Test Program

Facility Benefits

• PrecisionRADARprovidestimespacepositioninginformation(TSPI)onresearchvehicles,InternationalSpaceStation(ISS),andothertargets,includingsatellites.

• Fixedandmobiletelemetryantennasreceivereal-timetelemetrydataandvideoandhavethecapabilitytotransmituplinkcommandstoresearchvehicles.

• Theprocesseddataisdisplayedattheengineeringstationsinthemissioncontrolcenterandarchivedinapost-flightstoragearea.

• AudiocommunicationnetworkssupportaeronauticsresearchandspaceoperationsintheDATR,coveringabroadfrequencyspectrumfortransmittingandreceivingvoicecommunicationsandflightterminationsignalsforunmannedaerialvehicles.•Videomonitoringprovidesreal-timeand recordeddataforthecontrolandsafetyof flighttestmissions.

The Dryden Aeronautical Test Range (DATR) is part of the Aeronautics Test

Program (ATP), which ensures that wind tunnels, air-breathing propulsion test

facilities, and flight operations services at the National Aeronautics and Space

Administration (NASA) are available to government, corporations, and institutions.

NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center’s Dryden Aeronautical Test Range (DATR)

supports aerospace flight research and technology integration, space exploration

concepts, airborne remote sensing, and a wide variety of science missions.

The DATR supplies a comprehensive set of resources for the control and monitoring

of flight activities, real-time acquisition and reduction of research data, and effective

communication of information to flight and ground crews.

M–1870–17Feb 2014

NASA’s Aeronautics Test Program www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/atp

Contact Information

www.aeronautics.nasa.gov/atp Darryl Burkes

DATR Project Manager Armstrong Flight Research Center

661–276–2517E-mail: darryl.a.burkes@nasa.gov

Facility ApplicationsTheDATRsupportsaerospaceflightresearchandtechnologyintegration,space exploration concepts, airborne remote sensing and sciencemissions,aswellastheISSoperations.

CharacteristicsDATR Mission Control Centers • 26testengineeringstationsinMCC1and19inMCC2including:

−Communications(radioandintercom)panels−Videomonitors,−Weatherdata−IRIG-Btiming−Specializedgraphicsdisplays.

• Rangeandmissioncontrol,testoperations,rangesafetyandtestdirectorconsolesprovidecriticalanalysisanddisplaycapabilities.

The DATR mobile systems • Availableforrapiddeploymenttoaspecifiedlocationonshortnotice.

Thesesystemsprovide:− Radio-frequencycommunication− Videoandtelemetry-trackingsupport− Telemetrytrackingfortestmissionsoutsidelocalairspaceboundaries

− Uplinkcommandstoresearchvehicles

Data Acquisition and ProcessingDataisacquiredandmergedfrommultiplesourcesinvariousformatstoasingle,time-correlated,compositestreamforprocessing,distribution,real-timedisplay,andstoragearchival.Segmentsofpost-missiondataare immediately available on portable media. Post-flight RADAR datacan also be provided if reverted. The mobile operations system canprocessanddisplaydataonsite,or reformatdataand transmit it toacustomer’sfacility.

TelemetryDATRtelemetrytrackingsystemsconsistof:• Multiplefixedantennasandavailablemobilesystems

− DownlinkedtelemetryandvideosignalsinC-,L-,andS-bands.− UplinkedcommandsineitherL-orS-bands.− Tracktargetsfromhorizontohorizon.− Certifiedforfullon-orbitcapability.Downlinkedtelemetrymaybereceivedineitheranalogordigitalformat.

Communications• ExtensiveRangeIntercommunicationsystem(DICESSystem)

consistingof:− Overahundred24channelcommunicationspanels− interconnectswithCommercialtelephonesystems− LinkstoMilitaryground-communicationnetworks.− LinkstomultipleotherNASACenters.− Extensiveground-basedfiberoptics.− InterfacewiththeRFcommunicationssystem

• RadioFrequency(RF)Communicationsincluding:

− Morethan30ultra-high-frequency(UHF)Transceivers

- 3UHFHighGainOmniAntennas- 3UHFParabolicDishDirectional

Antennas− Morethan10very-high-frequency(VHF)Transceivers

- 4VHFhighgainAntennas− 2HighFrequency(HF)TransceiversystemswithHighGainLogantenna

− 2Broadband(100–1000MHz,AM&FM)Transceivers

• InternationalSpaceStations(ISS)EmergencyCommunicationssystemcomprisedof:

− 2ISSVHFFMTransceivers− 2SoyuzVHFFMTransceivers− 6VHFDirectionalAntennas

Flight Termination Systems• 4UHFIRIG/EFTSflightterminationsystems

− 4FTShighgainOmniantennas− 4FTSHighGainDirectionalAntennas

Radar• Twohigh-accuracy,C-bandinstrumentation

radars.• Tracktargetsouttoadistanceof3,000

nauticalmileswithaccuraciesto0.0006degreesinangleand30feetinrange.

Video• Numerousfixedandmobilecamerasystems

forflightmonitoring,safetyandmissioncontrol.

• Long-range,broadcast-quality,high-definitionopticalsystemprovidingdayandnight(includinginfrared)coverage.

• Coverageoftheflightline,rampareas,andrunways.

• Mobilevideovans− Capabilitytorelaylive-actionimageryviamicrowavelinks.

− CapabilitytorelayliveactionimageryviagroundvideovanC-BandTMuplink.

− DownlinkedvideofromresearchvehiclesorchaseaircraftcanbereceivedinC-,L-,orS-bandfrequencies.

− VideorecordingisprovidedonSuperVHS,BetaSuperiorPerformance,DVD,andotherhigh-definitionmedia.