Darcy Bibb Oceanit Mentor: Tony Bartnicki Advisor: Curt Leonard Home Institution: Maui Community College Integration of a Small Telescope System for Space Situational Awareness

Overview Oceanit’s HANDS Satellites –What’s out there? –Why track them? System integration –Component assembly and configuration System modeling and calibration –Polar alignment –Mount model Autonomous tracking System’s future

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

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 country’s assets in space Keep track of where other countries’ satellites are situated Determine possible collisions Determine when and where objects will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere Detect new objects in space

System Integration Assembly of components into three basic assemblies: –Computer system –Weather sensors –Optical assembly Combined assemblies make up overall complete telescope system

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

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

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

Complete System

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

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

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

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

Acknowledgements Oceanit –Tony Bartnicki –Curt Leonard –Everyone at Oceanit, Maui Center for Adaptive Optics –Scott Seagroves –Lynne Raschke –Hilary O’Bryan Akamai Workforce Initiative –Lisa Hunter –Lani LeBron The Akamai Internship Program is funded by the Center for Adaptive Optics through its National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center grant (#AST ) 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 ) and from the University of Hawaii. 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