AE-250: Ground Systems Engineering

Lab-1: Viewing Telemetry and Commanding

Grade: ____/100

Purpose: The purpose of this lab is to allow the students to familiarize themselves with

receiving CCSDS telemetry and transmitting CCSDS commands to a simulated

spacecraft using real world flight software from a NASA Earth observation spacecraft in

a virtual environment. Students will also use the Cesium visualization tool to display

spacecraft attitude and position on the Earth. The Hammers Company develops Galaxy

Telemetry and Command (T&C) system and the virtual satellite environment. This lab is

meant to be simple and provide a learning experience to the students of

AE-150.

Software used for this Lab:

1. Galaxy Telemetry and Command (T&C) System

2. VirtualSat

3. Cesium

Commands used for this Lab:

1. FSW: acrespondnoop

2. FSW: acgotoearthacq

3. VSAT: vsat.pause

4. VSAT: vsat.go

5. VSAT: vsat.noop

6. VSAT. Vsat.afap

STOL procedures used for this Lab:

1. Startup_hs

2. Startup_vsat

3. Shutdown_hs

4. Shutdown_vsat

Lab Procedure:

1. View a presentation of the VirtualSat system by Marcel Mabson of the

Hammers Company

2. View telemetry on the T&C

3. Send Commands to the virtual satellite

4. Enable spacecraft plots and change spacecraft mode to nadir pointing.Lab Requirements:

1. Write a single page paper on the various elements of the VirtualSat system.

This section is worth (91pts)

a. Describe difference between HammersSat and VirtualSat

b. Describe the purpose of telemetry pages

c. Describe how the simulation reacted to your NOOP command

d. Describe how you think the simulation software will help you in your

journey through the AE program at CTU

2. When the Simulation is paused, note down the following:

a. UTC time:

b. X, Y, Z position and velocity

i. Position:

ii. Velocity

c. This section is worth (3pts)

3. Take a snap of the ephemeris page

a. This section is worth (3pts)

4. Send a NOOP command to the simulator

a. This section is worth (3pts)