The GPS Burst Detector W-Sensor

Dennis McCrady, Paul Phipps

Abstract:	The NAVSTAR satellites have two missions: navigation and nuclear detonation detection. The main objective of this paper is to describe one of the key elements of the Nuclear Detonation Detection System (NDS), the Burst Detector W-Sensor (BDW) that was developed for the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, its mission on GPS Block IIR, and how it utilizes GPS timing signals to precisely locate nuclear detonations (NUDET). The paper also covers the interface to the Burst Deteptor Processor (BDP) which links the BDW to the ground si,ation where the BDW is controlled aud where data frob multip@ satellites ate processed to determine the location of the*NQJl$T. The Block IIR BDW is the culmination of a developmed program that has produced a state-of-the-art, space qualified digital receiver/processor that dissipates only 30 Watts, weighs 57 pounds, and has a 12”~14.2”~7.16” footprint. The paper highlights several of the key multilayer printed circuit cards without which the required power, weight, size, and radiation requirements could not have been met. In addition, key functions of the system software are covered. The paper is concluded with a discussion of the high speed digital signal processing and algorithm used to determine the time-f-arrival (TO A) of the electromagnetic pulse (EMP) from the NUDET.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 7th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1994) September 20 - 23, 1994 Salt Palace Convention Center Salt Lake City, UT
Pages:	245 - 250
Cite this article:	McCrady, Dennis, Phipps, Paul, "The GPS Burst Detector W-Sensor," Proceedings of the 7th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1994), Salt Lake City, UT, September 1994, pp. 245-250.
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