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Continuing Kepler's Quest Assessing Air Force Space Command's Astrodynamics Standards (2012) / Chapter Skim
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3 Systems Issues
Pages 44-54

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From page 44...
... Because of the difficulty of making changes to the large SPADOC system on the mainframe computer, a separate astrodynamics support workstation was deployed as an operational prototype to allow enhancements to the standardized algorithms and to maintain a high-accuracy special perturbations-based catalog. The astrodynamics support workstation was developed on the off-line system called CAVENet (Command, Analysis, Verification and Ephemeris Network)
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From page 45...
... The suite of standardized algorithms and software for the catalog maintenance aspect of space situational awareness has been maintained by A9, the Analysis Directorate of AFSPC. A9 has been the conduit for providing and maintain ing the standardized astrodynamics algorithms to the external user community.
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From page 46...
... • New types of data. A principal purpose of space situational awareness is to monitor, and warn of, close approaches to operational satellites as mandated by the 2010 National Space Policy and recently accepted by U.S.
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From page 47...
... Finding: The increased accuracy requirements that space situational awareness and conjunction assess ment demand would be facilitated by the inclusion of new types of data. In particular, the consideration of orbital object metadata, new sensor data types, and owner/operator ephemerides in the JSpOC's analyses offer the promise of higher levels of accuracy and insight.
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From page 48...
... Interoperability also addresses how well external users are able to take advantage of expanded services offered by the JSpOC, what form and formats for data products are most useful to users, and what process and system interfaces are established for the exchange of data and information. 8 Denise Kaya, A9AC, Air Force Space Command, "Astrodynamics Interoperability," presentation to the Committee for the Assessment of the U.S.
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From page 49...
... The ephemeris SPK file, or a similar file system, could serve as an interface for releas ing JSpOC catalog orbit data to external users, as an input format for JSpOC ingesting orbit data from satellite operators and owners, or as a mechanism for holding catalog orbit data. Finding: Distributing different data products (e.g., ephemerides rather than epoch state vectors or two line element sets)
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From page 50...
... Taking advantage of satellite-specific data, such as maneuver and attitude information, from satellite owners to improve ephemeris accuracy and to increase the precision of conjunction assessment. As other countries and international commercial unions begin to develop their own space situational aware ness tracking networks, substantial improvements to the current U.S.
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From page 51...
... In fact, the 2010 National Space Policy specifically supports international cooperation on matters pertaining to space situational awareness, as the following two quotes illustrate. Departments and agencies, in coordination with the Secretary of State, shall … promote the adoption of policies internationally that facilitate full, open, and timely access to government environmental data.
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From page 52...
... AUTOMATION AFSPC standardized astrodynamics algorithms were developed originally to enable a space situational aware ness capability using military space surveillance systems within North American Aerospace Defense Command at the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station just outside Colorado Springs, Colorado. Initially, the customer base consisted mostly of Department of Defense users and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
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From page 53...
... Recommendation: The Air Force should automate routine processes to the extent possible to mini mize manual intervention, decrease operational workload, and reduce possibilities for error. PERSONNEL Although the committee found that the JSpOC's responsibilities have increased, both purely from the perspec tive of space defense of the United States as well as increasing international cooperation (particularly as mandated by the latest National Space Policy13)
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From page 54...
... Recommendation: The Air Force should review personnel recruiting, retention, promotion, and training policies and practices so that Department of Defense military, civilian, and contractor staffing levels and expertise are budgeted for and maintained in space situational awareness mission critical functions including the Joint Space Operations Center.
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Key Terms

  • space situational
  • force space
  • situational awareness
  • space operations
  • external users

  • spk file
  • national space
  • astrodynamics support
  • conjunction assessment
  • support workstation

  • orbit data
  • space policy
  • tracking data
  • data products
  • orbit propagation

  • satellite catalog
  • conjunction summary
  • standardized software
  • operations center
  • summary messages

  • space object
  • joint space
  • space command
  • space surveillance
  • standardized astrodynamics

  • orbit determination
  • orbit propagator
  • data types
  • force models
  • standardized algorithms


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