Agenda Item: 2.e ADA Operations and Roadmap

1. Agenda Item: 2.eADA Operations and Roadmap by: Mark Harris, NASA/SCNS Tel.: +1-757-824-2192 Mail: Mark.A.Harris@nasa.gov

2. ADA Status • Antenna • No current mechanical or electrical issues • Yearly preventive maintenance begins Mid-November 2013; includes gear inspections, grease samples and general maintenance. Several blocks of downtime will be required. • Antenna Control Assembly (ACA)/Monitor Control Software • Changes since last FTF • Installed software change 47239 Rev B on backup Antenna Control Assembly for testing purposes on 09-Apr-2013. • This update will close a security vulnerability and consolidate the temporary changes that were made as part of the Vendor’s remote access for the “noisy” track investigation (modified the ACA software that sets the track receiver AM output bandwidth and other changes). Autotrack mode improved as a result of this change. • Open Work • A full security scan is required prior to applying change to primary ACA.

3. ADA Status • Station Control • Station Control Computers (SCC) scheduled for Monitor & Control (HWCNTRL) version 7.0.7 upgrade planned for mid July 2013. This change will address the high elevation “program track” issue and allow configurable solar avoidance parameter. The SCC will also be upgraded to Windows 7 at that time. • Status Server • Added capability to report S-band AOS and LOS. • Initial status server upgrade and cutover complete on 21-May-2013. The reports are now sent directly instead of through WOTIS. We are renaming the file on the EUMETSAT server, per request, to solve the short report issue. This also includes an improvement in delivery time. Backup server upgrade underway. •  Example file names. • 142 13:54:42 - Pass Report /data/reports/MEB_MG1_15063819535871_Postpass.txt sent as .pmeb_13142131959.rep and renamed to pmeb_13142131959.rep • 142 13:54:51 - Dump Report /data/reports/MEB_MG1_15063819535871_Dump.txt sent as .dmeb_13142131959.rep and renamed to dmeb_13142131959.rep

4. ADA Status • Pre Processor Systems • Recent changes/anomalies • Enabled TCP/IP debug on PPS#2 only on 07-Jan-2013 (multiple connection effort) • Timer settings changed on 25-Feb-2013 for both PPS units (multiple connection effort) • VCDU Age Limit timer = 40 minutes • No Activity Flush timer  = 2 minutes • Reset After LOS timer  = 40 minutes • Installed 2.5 RC3 on PPS#2 only 03-Mar-2013 to increase TCP timeout . This version caused a system crash and was not fully implemented (multiple connection effort). • Installed 2.5 RC4 on PPS#2 only 28-May-2013 to correct the crashes experienced on 2.5 RC3.  This version has the serial status stream fix plus logging to assist the multi-connection investigation efforts. • EUMETSAT taking data from PPS#2 starting on 28-May-2013.

5. ADA Status • Pre Processor Systems (cont) • Open Work • PPS “Multiple Connections” Anomaly • Dramatic increase in reconnections beginning July 2011. Normally the number of connections varies between 1 and 15 per transfer; in December 2011 they went up to over 50 (possibly due to Belrose router problem). • Characterization testing took place in February 2012. • Additional characterization testing repeat in September 2012. • Latest round of discussions held in April 2013. • Coordinating with Raytheon in order to perform a synchronized data capture at McMurdo and Darmstadt.

6. ADA Status • Pre Processor Systems • Open Work • PPS “Spurious Frame” Anomaly • Recognized the first instance of what is called the “spurious frame” anomaly in February of 2013 while supporting both Metop-A and Metop-B. • The spurious data is the result of a Reed Solomon (RS) corrected frame that is sometimes identified with the Metop-B spacecraft ID and sometimes not. The former gets forwarded to the DEW while the latter does not. • Comparing the PPS serial data stream from nominal and anomalous supports, we see some similarities for all of the occurrences since the start of Metop-B support. There is a RS correctable frame with the last of the fill data for each of the most recent dumps when the spurious frame was reported.  It appears that the corrected frame is a VCID 3 or 34.  We are working with EUMETSAT to define data characteristics and perhaps capture the raw data for analysis. • There were 5 occurrences of the spurious frame in the Metop-B data for the month of May.

7. ADA Status • Reed Solomon Errors • Low Elevation Errors • Suspect interference from both Black Island and McMurdo resupply cargo and fuel ships . • RS errors increased significantly in Jan/Feb of 2012 and 2013. • Various Cortex frame synchronization strategies have not improved performance. • Installation of attenuators in the X1 and X2 paths did not improve performance. • Suspect signal compression somewhere in the X-band path due to BI interference. • Test procedure to systematically document compression points is desired. • High Elevation Errors • Occurs in program track due to antenna movement (safety) restrictions while utilizing M&C position commands. • A M&C change has been developed but will require program track testing after the software upgrade. • Switched to autotrack on 09-Jan-2012 and have not seen these types of errors except in the case of extremely high elevation supports.

8. ADA Status • USAP Network Performance • Communications for both planned and unplanned outages have been much smoother since reiterating the importance of advanced planning and timely reporting. Overall network performance has remained stable. • USAP Power Performance • Power has remained stable during this reporting period. • Replaced the MG1 antenna contactors in November 2012.