Tradat microcomputer based trajectory system
Abstract
Tradat V is a lightweight, relatively inexpensive trajectory data system which was designed to be used with a portable autotrack antenna system. The combined Tradat V/Tracker system provides trajectory data for vehicles such as sounding rockets or balloons which are launched at remote launch sites where there are no fixed site radar sets. The tracker provides telemetry reception and the azimuth and elevation angles to the vehicle and the Tradat V system provides the following: slant range to better than - or - .05 KM RMS, using a PCM ranging system in conjunction with the vehicle telemetry system; a serial PCM trajectory data code (for tape recording) containing: (a) Time, (b) Status indicators, (c) Raw azimuth, elevation, and slant range data; and a microcomputer printout containing: (a) Time, (b) Status indicators, (c) Computed ellipsoidal Earth coordinate data (Mean sea level altitude, ground range, distance North, and distance East or mean sea level altitude, vehicle latitude, and vehicle longitude), (d) Azimuth, elevation, and slant range referenced to one of three selectable data origin sites. This report contains an electrical and physical description of the Tradat V system, set-up and operation procedures, description of an optional command through ranging system, a microcomputer software description and equation derivation section, discussion of Tradat V mission results.
- Publication:
-
NASA STI/Recon Technical Report N
- Pub Date:
- November 1979
- Bibcode:
- 1979STIN...8026584F
- Keywords:
-
- Airborne/Spaceborne Computers;
- Data Processing Equipment;
- Microcomputers;
- Missile Trajectories;
- Tracking Networks;
- Balloon Sounding;
- Circuits;
- Flow Charts;
- Frequency Modulation;
- Pulse Code Modulation;
- Radar Antennas;
- Telemetry;
- Communications and Radar