You will need a Goddard visitor's badge if you want to attend, please contact
me by Monday morning if you plan on coming.
Dan Schultz
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Monday, November 9, 2009 / 3:30 PM, Building 3 Auditorium
Gregory Boegner, Jr.
"Software Defined Radio for Space"
ABSTRACT -- Software Defined Radios (SDRs) are becoming commonplace for
terrestrial applications, from wireless routers, to first responders'
communications devices and military applications. This lecture will attempt to
familiarize the audience with various aspects of the SDR, how it can be used,
and GSFC's involvement.
The construction of a traditional transceiver will be compared to the
construction of the same device with SDR technology. This comparison will
point out the advantages and disadvantages of SDRs. The talk will discuss
current and future examples of SDRs, built for or by NASA, including the Low
Power Transceiver (LPT), Navigator GPS receiver, Electra, and the CoNNeCT
project. GSFC's involvement and capabilities will be highlighted. The talk
will distinguish between SDRs that are programmable during mission operations
and SDRs that are programmable only prior to launch. The applicability of
these two types of SDRs to current NASA operations will define the schedule,
cost, and risk-benefits of SDR technology versus traditional technology. The
perceived risk of flying a new technology as part of the critical spacecraft
communications system presents a challenge for the inclusion of SDRs into NASA
missions.
SPEAKER -- Gregory J. Boegner, Jr. is a Senior Electronics Engineer at the
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. He is the new Microwave and Communication
Systems Branch lead of the Communications, Standards, and Technology
Laboratory (CSTL). He brings over 20 years of experience in the design of
analog and digital systems in the fields of communications, embedded control,
and digital signal processing. His most recent work includes: the
implementation of a novel approach for fast acquisition and tracking of weak
GPS signals (patented), and the development and demonstration (to TRL-6) of a
method for inter-satellite ranging and communications. He conceptualized and
provided systems engineering for a bi-static radar experiment employing GPS
signals reflected from the Hubble Space Telescope on Hubble Servicing Mission
4. He was recognized as one of the "Fifty Leaders to Watch" in GPS World
magazine (May 2008). He is a guest lecturer at the University of Maryland
College Park on the topic of Radiometric Navigation. He has worked for the
National Security Agency, for ASRC Aerospace Corporation, and as an
independent consultant. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical
Engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia.
