Reusable Software Components for Monitoring and Control of Telemetry Processing Systems

Abstract

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has developed a set of functional telemetry processing components based upon Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI) and Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC). These components provide a framework for the assembly of telemetry data ground systems for space projects such as the Earth Observing System (EOS) and the Small Explorer (SMEX) mission series. Implementation of the ground systems for such projects using a common set of functional components has obvious cost benefits in both systems development and maintenance. Given the existence of these components, the next logical step is to utilize a similar approach and create a set of reusable software components for the implementation of telemetry data system monitoring and control functions. This paper describes a generalized set of software components, called the Telemetry Processing Control Environment (TPCE), which has been developed to fulfil this need. This combination of hardware and software components enables the rapid development of flexible, cost-effective telemetry processing systems capable of meeting the performance requirements facing NASA in the coming decade.