Small Explorer Project (SMEX) Telemetry Processing Systems

Abstract

The Small Explorer (SMEX) Program at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) is the first set of Goddard missions to employ Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) recommended standards(1)(2) for telemetry data transmission. These international standards form the basis for much of NASA's future telemetry data system development. The GSFC's Data Systems Technology Division (DSTD) has been heavily involved with the development of systems for both flight and ground system application of these standards since 1985 (3). The result of this effort is the development of an approach which provides basic subsystem and system solutions which meet these standards. Based on this approach, a number of generic telemetry processing systems have been adapted to meet applications for the SMEX Program. Some of these applications include: the initial capture, processing, and distribution of CCSDS data for the integration and testing of the SMEX spacecraft before launch; the ground station data acquisition, processing, and transmission; local science data distribution; and other applications involving ground system testing and verification. The purpose of this paper is to describe a number of these applications and to show how generic system elements were configured and adapted to meet all of the requirements for these applications.