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Perl Tools for Automating Satellite Ground Systems
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | McLean, David Haar, T. R. Ter Mcdonald, James |
| Copyright Year | 2000 |
| Abstract | The freeware scripting language Perl offers many opportunities for automating satellite ground systems for new satellites as well as older, in situ systems. This paper describes a toolkit that has evolved from of the experiences gained by using Perl to automate the ground system for the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) and for automating some of the elements in the Earth Observing System Data and Operations System (EDOS) ground system at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). CGRO is an older ground system that was forced to automate because of fund cuts. Three 8 hour shifts were cut back to one 8 hour shift, 7 days per week. EDOS supports a new mission called Terra, launched December 1999 that requires distribution and tracking of mission-critical reports throughout the world. Both of these ground systems use Perl scripts to process data and display it on the Internet as well as scripts to coordinate many of the other systems that make these ground systems work as a coherent whole. Another task called Automated Multimodal Trend Analysis System (AMTAS) is looking at technology for isolation and recovery of spacecraft problems. This effort has led to prototypes that seek to evaluate various tools and technology that meet at least some of the AMTAS goals. The tools, experiences, and lessons learned by implementing these systems are described here. Compton Gamma Ray Observatory Ground System Automation CGRO was launched on April 5 1991 aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis. Its principal mission is to study the gamma ray sources throughout the universe. After the primary mission was accomplished the spacecraft was reboosted into a higher orbit to extend its mission life by at least another 10 years. However, funding cuts required the ground system staff be cut from three 8hour shifts to one 8-hour shift so ground system automation was an absolute requirement. Many of the Perl DataTools scripts have evolved from the experience of looking for automation tools [1] and automating the CGRO ground system, now known as ROBOTT (Reduced Operations By Optimizing Tasks and Technologies) [2]. ROBO'FI" uses Perl scripts that coordinate the sequences of activities required to support real-time Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) activities for CGRO, called pass activities, as well as pre and post pass activities. Schedule automation is very important to CGRO because all of its data must be downlinked in real-time and therefore it requires all the TDRSS contact time that is possible. These pre pass activities start by executing Perl scripts that generate a first cut TDRSS schedule for CGRO. Then, once a day, scripts download the confirmed TDRSS schedule from the Command Management System. Next, a script pulls time and pass parameter information from the confirmed TDRSS schedule and creates a CRON table to launch a day's worth of pass activities at the appropriate times. The CRON table must be set up with start times adjusted by 2 minutes before the actual TDRSS contact so the API in Perl moduJe DateCalc.pm was used to make these adjustments. When the CRON scripts are launched, they start software that monitors and controls https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20000073241 2019-12-29T07:43:30+00:00Z |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20000073241.pdf |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://isc.gsfc.nasa.gov/Papers/DOC/Perl-McLean-Final.PDF |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
