CIS-5710 (Spacecraft Software) Home Page

This is the home page for CIS-5710 course notes for the Spring 2021 semester. Here you will find class handouts, slides used during the lectures, homework assignments, and links to other references of interest.

The course syllabus gives an overview of the course and its content, lists course resources, and describes the grading policy and related issues.

Topics

2017-01-19: Carl: Started discussing orbital mechanics: Kepler's laws, velocity of an orbiting spacecraft, gravitational potential energy.
2017-01-24. Peter: Continued discussing of cFE/cFS.
2017-01-26. Carl: Continued discussing orbital mechanics: orbital elements and demonstrated STK.
2017-01-31. Peter: Had a discussion about the Mars Code paper. Gave an overview of the CCSDS Space Packet specification. Described the layout of cFE/CFS applications, discussed the sample application, and pointed out supporting cFE/CFS documentation.
2017-02-02. Carl: Continued demonstrating STK. Showed the Lunar IceCube science orbit around the moon. Showed other orbital types.
2017-02-07. Peter: Had a discussion about the Under-Ice Exploration paper. Discussed the CCSDS Space Packet specification in more detail. Outlined how we might implement a general purpose Space Packet package for CubedOS.
2017-02-09. Carl: Continued demonstrating STK.
2017-02-14. Peter: Had a short discussion about the Venus computer chip article. Reviewed the Space_Packets package in CubedOS. Talked about CCSDS time code formats.
2017-02-16. Carl: More demonstrations of STK: satellite constellations and chains.
2017-02-28. Peter: Discussed reviews of the rejected Ada Europe 2017 paper. Presented the XML schemas (in RelaxNG, compact syntax) used for the command and telemetry dictionaries in AMPCS.
2017-03-02. Carl: Derivation of the Rocket Equation (sample).
2017-03-07. Peter: More discussion about AMPCS command dictionaries. Discussed the design of a publish/subscribe server for CubedOS.
2017-03-09. Carl: Discussed SLS and other launch vehicles.
2017-03-14. Peter: More discussion of AMPCS command dictionaries. Discussed implementation ideas for the publish/subscribe server for CubedOS.
2017-03-16. Carl: Discussed radio communications and link budgets.
2017-03-21. Peter: Discussed SPARK paper related to multitasking and looked at a few related issues in the IceCube code base. Introduced XTCE.
2017-03-23. Carl: Discussed thermal management issues in spacecraft.
2017-03-28. Peter: Described the formal homework assignment and demonstrated some basic MATLAB & Simulink operations.
2017-03-30. Carl: Discussed various rocket engine designs.
2017-04-11. Peter: Introduced DTN.
2017-04-13. Carl: Discussed angular momentum and attitude control issues related to the spiral thrusting method we'll be working on in connection with the IceCube project.
2017-04-18. Peter: More discussion of DTN. Demonstrated the basics of setting up ION and talked a little about demonstrating DTN between Linux systems as a possible assignment.
2017-04-20. Carl:
2017-04-25. Peter: Introduced the Data Distribution Service. Talked about some issues related to writing flight software for autonomous control.
2017-04-27. Peter: Fanciful discussion about some of the problems associated with interstellar travel.
2017-05-02. Peter: Discussion of the Titan Aerobot paper.
2017-05-04. Carl:

Homework

The formal homework assignment describes what you need to submit for this course.

Read the Mars Code article.
Read Toward Extraplanetary Under Ice Exploration.
Read the paper on autonomous flight control for Titan exploration. This paper is fairly old (2005). Can you find a technical description of the Mars Helicopter that is part of the Mars 2020 mission? Note that Mars 2020 launched in July 2020 and will land on Mars on February 18, 2021.
Read the blog post on rewriting drone firmware in SPARK.
Install CFS and explore the sample programs (if any!).
Read the Mars Helicopter paper.
Read this article about priority inversion in the Mars Pathfinder mission There is also this associated article.
2017-01-26: Install STK. Send machine information to Carl to get a license. Start learning MATLAB's scripting language.
2017-02-02: Try constructing an STK scenario or two that exercises the features described in the lecture.
2017-02-07: Read the CCSDS Space Packet Protocol specification.
2017-02-09: Continue experimenting with STK.
2017-02-14: Read the CCSDS Time Code Formats specification.
2017-02-16: Continue experimenting with STK.
2017-02-28: Review the RelaxNG tutorial.
2017-03-14: Consider actually implementing the publish/subscribe server for CubedOS. Read paper #1 and paper #2 for next Tuesday.
2017-03-16: Review the link budget example.
2017-03-28: Start working on the formal homework assignment.
2017-04-18: Set up ION-DTN on a Linux system.

Links

The following are links to relevant resources for this class.

7 Minutes of Terror. A YouTube video produced by NASA describing the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) landing sequence.
Mars Code is a paper by Gerard J. Holzmann describing some of the software development methods used by NASA when writing the MSL flight software.
Toward Extraplanetary Under Ice Exploration is a paper about an autonomous underwater vehicle to search for hydrothermal vents under the arctic ice. Some of the issues discussed will also apply to, for example, a mission to explore the ocean under Europa's ice. BibTeX entry.
Autonomous Flight Control for a Titan Exploration Aerobot by Elfes et al.
First Flight on Another Planet. A YouTube video produced by NASA describing the Mars Helicopter that is part of the Mars 2020 mission.
Core Flight System is an application framework for flight software created by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
An article on the AdaCore blog about rewriting drone firmware in SPARK.
AdaPilot is an open source project for creating remote control aircraft flight software in SPARK.
Flight Control System for NASA's Mars Helicopter by Grip et al.

A short tutorial on Keplerian elements. Here is the last TLE from the Vermont Lunar CubeSat:

    1 39407U 13064AD  15325.24148774  .05332726  71609-5  97768-3 0  9996
    2 39407  40.4465 172.9823 0019250 281.8405  78.1914 16.30649359110711

Space Packet Protocol. This CCSDS standard defines Space Packets and how they are constructed and handled. These packets are then sent over some underlying network.
Cesium, a "JavaScript library for world-class 3D globes and maps."
The definition of B-plane.
Designing trajectories with STK's Astrogator and a Hohmann transfer exercise using Astrogator (Astrogator VDF illustrating the transfer).
An article about building a processor that can withstand Venus.
The Pluto-New Horizons RTG and Power System Early Mission Performance is a paper describing the New Horizons power system.
Time Code Formats. This CCSDS standard defines the way time can be formatted in, for example, Space Packets.
Using Chains and Constellations in STK.
Space-Track is a site that monitors objects in orbit around the Earth.
TC Space Data Link Protocol. This CCSDS standard defines a link layer protocol for sending commands to spacecraft.
A tutorial on RelaxNG compact syntax. This is used to describe the XML language of AMPCS dictionaries.
Planet Labs.
Link budget example.
High-Integrity Multitasking in SPARK: Static Detection of Data Races and Locking Cycles.
Developing an ROV Software Control Architecture: A Formal Specification Approach.
XML Telemetric & Command Exchange (XTCE) and a tutorial from the SDTF. The Space Domain Task Force (SDTF) is part of the Object Management Group (OMG). JPL's analysis of the applicability of XTCE
Some resources on spacecraft thermal balance and control: Spacecraft Thermal Control Handbook (first chapter; David G. Gilmore, editor), Spacecraft Thermal Control Systems (slides by John E. Keesee), and Thermal Balance Lecture.
RFC-5325. Licklider Transmission Protocol - Motivation. This RFC describes the background for LTP.
RFC-5326. Licklider Transmission Protocol - Specification. This RFC describes the specification of LTP.
RFC-5050. Bundle Protocol Specification. This RFC describes the specificaiton of BP.
CCSDS-734.1-B-1. The CCDSD Licklider Transmission Protocol. This document is the CCSDS version of LTP.
CCSDS-734.2-B-1. The CCDSD Bundle Protocol. This document is the CCSDS version of BP.
Orbital Energy spreadsheet prepared by Carl Brandon.
ION-DTN is an open source implementation of the DTN protocol stack (in C).
Data Distribution Service (DDS) is a publish/subscribe standard produced by the Object Management Group that may be incorporated into CFS in the future.
The Warp Drive: Hyper-Fast Travel Within General Relativity by Miguel Alcubierre.
Centauri Dreams. A blog for the interstellar community.
Planetary Resources is a company that is seriously looking into mining asteroids.
A primer on orbital mechanics on the Rocket and Space Technology website.