Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771
ENGINEERING COLLOQUIUM
Monday, November 9, 2009 / 3:30 PM, Building 3 Auditorium
Gregory Boegner, Jr.
"Software Defined Radio for Space"
ABSTRACT -- Software Defined Radios (SDRs) are becoming commonplace for terrestrial applications, from wireless routers, to first responders' communications devices and military applications. This lecture will attempt to familiarize the audience with various aspects of the SDR, how it can be used, and GSFC's involvement.
The construction of a traditional transceiver will be compared to the construction of the same device with SDR technology. This comparison will point out the advantages and disadvantages of SDRs. The talk will discuss current and future examples of SDRs, built for or by NASA, including the Low Power Transceiver (LPT), Navigator GPS receiver, Electra, and the CoNNeCT project. GSFC's involvement and capabilities will be highlighted. The talk will distinguish between SDRs that are programmable during mission operations and SDRs that are programmable only prior to launch. The applicability of these two types of SDRs to current NASA operations will define the schedule, cost, and risk-benefits of SDR technology versus traditional technology. The perceived risk of flying a new technology as part of the critical spacecraft communications system presents a challenge for the inclusion of SDRs into NASA missions.
SPEAKER -- Gregory J. Boegner, Jr. is a Senior Electronics Engineer at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. He is the new Microwave and Communication Systems Branch lead of the Communications, Standards, and Technology Laboratory (CSTL). He brings over 20 years of experience in the design of analog and digital systems in the fields of communications, embedded control, and digital signal processing. His most recent work includes: the implementation of a novel approach for fast acquisition and tracking of weak GPS signals (patented), and the development and demonstration (to TRL-6) of a method for inter-satellite ranging and communications. He conceptualized and provided systems engineering for a bi-static radar experiment employing GPS signals reflected from the Hubble Space Telescope on Hubble Servicing Mission 4. He was recognized as one of the "Fifty Leaders to Watch" in GPS World magazine (May 2008). He is a guest lecturer at the University of Maryland College Park on the topic of Radiometric Navigation. He has worked for the National Security Agency, for ASRC Aerospace Corporation, and as an independent consultant. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia.