GPS Receiver Testing on the Supersonic Naval Ordnance Research Track (SNORT)

Abstract

There is an interest in using Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers to find: Time Space Position Information (TSPI), miss distances between a missile and target, and using the data real time as an independent tracking aid for range safety. Ashtech, Inc. has several standalone GPS receivers they believe can work at high g levels. This paper investigates how the Ashtech GPS receivers work under high g loading in one axis. The telemetry system used to collect data from the receivers and the reconstruction of the data will also be discussed. The test was done at SNORT (Supersonic Naval Ordnance Research Track) located at NAWS, China Lake, CA. The g level obtained was about +23 g’s with a deceleration of -15 g’s. The velocity reached was about Mach 2.0. A summary of the errors is included.