Data Acquisition in Noisy Environments

The ability to capture and record the low-level signals in the noisy environments typical of manned and unmanned space exploration missions will prove an invaluable tool in the monitoring of spacecraft health and the operation of spacecraft instrumentation. The technology now exists to create a miniaturized, low-power integrated data acquisition system capable of capturing these signals and making them available to spacecraft operators through on-board control and communications resources. Using our extensive experience and expertise in miniaturized embedded data acquisition systems, Tanner Research propose to develop a new class of data acquisition devices capable of capturing and recording spacecraft health and status information throughout the spacecraft's mission. The system will be capable of acquiring information at various rates and qualities, based on direct user input (controls) and system status. Prototype hardware will be delivered at the end of Phase I and a evaluation versions of production-quality prototypes will provided at the end of the follow-on Phase II.