ATI Ground Systems Design & Operation Course

Summary:

This course provides a practical introduction to all aspects of ground system design and operation. Starting with basic communications principles, an understanding is developed of ground system architectures and system design issues. The function of major ground system elements is explained, leading to a discussion of day-to-day operations. The course concludes with a discussion of current trends in Ground System design and operations.

This course is intended for engineers, technical managers, and scientists who are interested in acquiring a working understanding of ground systems as an introduction to the field or to help broaden their overall understanding of space mission systems and mission operations. It is also ideal for technical professionals who need to use, manage, operate, or purchase a ground system.

What You Will Learn:

• The fundamentals of ground system design, architecture and technology.
• Cost and performance tradeoffs in the spacecraft-to-ground communications link.
• Cost and performance tradeoffs in the design and implementation of a ground system.
• The capabilities and limitations of the various modulation types (FM, PSK, QPSK).
• The fundamentals of ranging and orbit determination for orbit maintenance.
• Basic day-to-day operations practices and procedures for typical ground systems.
• Current trends and recent experiences in cost and schedule constrained operations.

Course Outline:

1. The Link Budget —
2. Ground System Architecture and System Design —
3. Ground System Elements —
4. Figure of Merit (G/T) —
5. Modulation Basics —
6. Ranging and Tracking —
7. Ground System Networks and Standards —
8. Ground System Operations —
9. Trends in Ground System Design —