Advanced 1394 Serial Bus Development
Improve the utilization of IEEE 1394 for subsystem
communications on spacecraft. IEEE 1394 is well suited for this purpose because
its protocols are robust and rigorously defined, throughput is large but power
consumption is modest, and redundant configurations are feasible when needed
to support long duration missions.
Task A - Interconnect Alternatives
Survivability Analysis:
The project will assess the survivability of several interconnect topologies.
Spacecraft system designers can use these results to balance redundancy and
cost against mission requirements.
Task B - Multiple Bus Connections:
Algorithms to permit multiple IEEE 1394 buses within a spacecraft to communicate
will be developed. Using several buses on the spacecraft increases available
bandwidth, provides increased isolation between subsystems, and eases development.
Task C - Advanced Bus Interface
Design:
Finally, a prototype bus interface will be built that integrates these results
into a single chip.
Advanced Power Systems Architecture
There has been a significant investment in the development
of ultra-low power (ULP) electronics by both the commercial and government sectors.
Government investment has been focused on the combination of ULP with radiation
hardening specifically needed for spacecraft applications, an area with limited
commercial potential. This rad-tolerant ULP technology will be realized in one
to three years. Spacecraft design could be significantly effected by ULP electronics,
but no studies to date have been performed to assess this impact and identify
issues involved. This project will begin to answer the question - “What
major changes in spacecraft design could ULP technology enable in the next five
years?”
Task A - Assess the impact of ULP electronics
Task B - System Application Characteristics of ULP
Spacecraft Quantum Computing
NASA has recognized the revolutionary potential of
quantum computers and other forms of quantum information processing. Quantum
computers are expected to be able to solve numerical problems that would not
be feasible on conventional computers, and have been identified as a important
long-term research area by NASA. Roughly speaking, a quantum computer can perform
a large number of calculations simultaneously on a single processor using nonclassical
logic operations.
The goal of achieving a quantum computer in space is a very
long-range goal. The immediate goal of this project over the next 24 months
is to demonstrate an efficient XOR quantum logic gate based on an optical approach
that APL has been pursuing for several years. APL and JPL will collaborate on
a more detailed theoretical analysis of the basic physical mechanism and on
ways to improve the performance of the quantum logic gates. JPL expertise in
quantum logic circuits could be used to design simple circuits for eventual
implementation and testing using APL hardware. Some of these same techniques
may also be useful in producing the necessary input states for a high-precision
quantum gyroscope that JPL is investigating.
Task A - Theoretical analysis of quantum logic gates
Task B - Experimental tests
Task C - Quantum circuits
Task D - Quantum gyroscopes
Advanced Architectures for Chemical Propulsion
Spacecraft are shrinking; propulsion system components
must shrink along with electronics. This project will develop key technologies
for propulsion subsystems for small satellites. A miniaturized pressure transducer
with an order of magnitude lower mass and power consumption will be developed.
A miniaturized, lightweight thruster assembly using a low cost chemical machining
manufacturing process will also be demonstrated.
A pressure transducer with integrated signal processing
electronics will be demonstrated. The flow through sensor will be contained
in a low mass inline housing. Local conditioning electronics based on APL's
mixed signal, low power, Analog to Digital Converter (i.e. TRIO chip) technology
will digitize sensor output. The electronics will be compatible with a distributed
engineering data collection methodology so that mission specific pressure transducer
configuration does not effect main spacecraft electronics design.
Chemical machining will be used to build an integrated valve
and thruster assembly for a cold gas propulsion system. The assembly can be
easily integrated with a pressure tank and is well suited to very small satellite
applications. The assembly can also be mounted directly to a printed circuit
board containing support electronics and is well suited to distributed control.
As with the pressure transducer, that architecture removes mission dependencies
from main spacecraft electronics design and encourages reuse and hence cost.
Task A - Miniature In-Line Addressable Pressure Transducer
Task B - Miniature Cold Gas Propulsion Components
|
