ACQUISITION, CONTROL, AND TELEMETRY SYSTEM (ACTS)

The Balloon Electronics Control System (BECS) currently used by the Phillips Laboratory is based on custom electronics. Although the BECS performs the necessary balloon control functions reliably, it is not easily reconfigured when system requirements change. These modifications can affect both the cost and schedule of an experiment. In addition, it offers only limited support for onboard experiments. ATA envisions a more effective solution based on recent advances in electronics, coupled with a modular software approach. We, in collaboration with the Physical Science Laboratory (PSL), propose to create a programmable and scalable Acquisition, Control, and Telemetry System (ACTS) by designing and implementing a modular hardware/software architecture that uses the VME bus standard. Consequently, the ACTS will take advantage of commercially available electronics, and provide such features as multiple telemetry streams, automatic software configuation, and experiment processing support. ATA has been at the forefront of many successful system integration tasks performed for the Air Force over the past 18 years. In addition, PSL has been involved with high altitude balloon experiments and telemetry systems for many years. Together, our understanding of system integration and balloon systems will ensure that the ACTS meets the needs of current and future balloon projects.