Darcy%20Bibb

1
Integration of a Small Telescope System for Space
Situational Awareness

• Darcy Bibb
• Oceanit
• Mentor Tony Bartnicki
• Advisor Curt Leonard
• Home Institution Maui Community College

2
Overview

• Oceanits HANDS
• Satellites
• Whats out there?
• Why track them?
• System integration
• Component assembly and configuration
• System modeling and calibration
• Polar alignment
• Mount model
• Autonomous tracking
• Systems future

3
HANDS(High Accuracy Network Determination System)

• Global network of low-cost, ground-based
  telescope systems
• Capable of autonomously tracking satellites
• Can provide accurate position data (metrics) of
  satellites
• All systems are remotely accessible

4
Why track satellites?

• With over 8,000 man-made objects in orbit around
  Earth, the need to track these objects is
  apparent
• An optical system can
• Track own countrys assets in space
• Keep track of where other countries satellites
  are situated
• Determine possible collisions
• Determine when and where objects will re-enter
  Earths atmosphere
• Detect new objects in space

5
System Integration

• Assembly of components into three basic
  assemblies
• Computer system
• Weather sensors
• Optical assembly
• Combined assemblies make up overall complete
  telescope system

6
Computer System

• Computer system integration
• Install and wire individual components into
  portable server rack
• Install and configure software on each server

Front
Back
7
Weather Sensors

• Weather system integration
• Mount and wire all weather sensors on a portable
  weather pole

8
Optical Assembly

• Optical assembly integration
• Install robotic telescope mount onto portable
  pier
• Mount and balance optical tube assembly onto
  telescope mount
• Mount and wire onto back of optical tube
  assembly
• CCD Camera
• Focuser
• Filter wheel

9
Complete System
10
System Modeling

• Polar alignment
• Polar alignment aligns the rotational axis of the
  telescope mount parallel to the rotational axis
  of the Earth
• Ensures accuracy of telescope movement and
  pointing
• TPoint model
• Uses mapped stars for additional calculations and
  corrections to improve mount alignment and
  external errors

11
Further Adjustments

• Bring images into focus
• Adjustments to telescope primary mirror broad
  adjustments
• Mechanical focuser between telescope and camera
  fine adjustments

Optical system out of focus
Faint stars still appear out of focus
Completely focused image
12
Autonomous Tracking

• Software on Linux server configured for scheduled
  tasking and to provide scripts to software on the
  Windows server
• Software on Windows server executed scripts for
  telescope movement, object tracking, and image
  capture
• System successfully started up autonomously and
  began tracking satellites and saving images

Ballistic tracking
Sidereal tracking
13
Future of the System

• With system capable of autonomous operation
• System will be moved into a test dome and set up
• Verify system will operate and run autonomously
• Complete system will run continuously for 21 days
  to test stability and operation
• Upon successful completion of stability testing
• System will be disassembled and packaged
• Deployed to final destination, and reassembled
  and set up on site
• System will run autonomously and return data to
  control center

14
Acknowledgements

• Oceanit
• Tony Bartnicki
• Curt Leonard
• Everyone at Oceanit, Maui
• Center for Adaptive Optics
• Scott Seagroves
• Lynne Raschke
• Hilary OBryan
• Akamai Workforce Initiative
• Lisa Hunter
• Lani LeBron

• Maui Community College
• Mark Hoffman
• Maui Economic Development Board
• Leslie Wilkins
• 2008 Maui Short Course
• Dave Harrington
• Ryan Montgomery
• Isar Mostafanezhad
• Mark Pitts
• Sarah Sonnet

The Akamai Internship Program is funded by the
Center for Adaptive Optics through its National
Science Foundation Science and Technology Center
grant (AST-987683) and by grants to the Akamai
Workforce Initiative from the National Science
Foundation and Air Force Office of Scientific
Research (both administered by the NSF,
AST-0710699) and from the University of Hawaii.