Plasma Wave Interferometry using GPS Positioning and Timing on a Formation of Three Sub-Orbital Payloads

Steven P. Powell, Eric M. Klatt and Paul M. Kintner

Abstract:	GPS receivers have been flown on a formation of three sub-orbital payloads in order to implement a plasma wave interferometer by making electric field measurements at known locations in space and time. Three receivers were developed for the NASA SIERRA sounding rocket mission to provide positioning data and time synchronization for the three payloads that reached an apogee of 735 km over Alaska on January 14, 2002. The three payloads were launched by a common launch vehicle, and included an Argon gas attitude control system and a spring separation system. These two systems were used to maneuver the payloads into a triangular formation with separation distances that reached 1.3 km by the end of the 15 minute long flight. The GPS receivers provided absolute positioning with an accuracy of approximately 4 meters, and timing to approximately 100 nS. The GPS receivers have enabled the data from the three independent plasma wave science experiments on each payload to be combined into a single large plasma wave interferometer, with an effective baseline of 1.3 km. GPS-derived timing signals were used to phase-lock telemetry system clocks and all data sampling on each payload. This phase-locking, when coupled with the GPS position data, permits cross spectral analysis of fast-moving wave phenomena in a time-space regime that has not been previously resolved.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 15th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 2002) September 24 - 27, 2002 Oregon Convention Center Portland, OR
Pages:	145 - 154
Cite this article:	Powell, Steven P., Klatt, Eric M., Kintner, Paul M., "Plasma Wave Interferometry using GPS Positioning and Timing on a Formation of Three Sub-Orbital Payloads," Proceedings of the 15th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 2002), Portland, OR, September 2002, pp. 145-154.
Full Paper:	ION Members/Non-Members: 1 Download Credit Sign In