International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 28-31, 1996 / Town and Country Hotel and Convention Center, San Diego, California / The Army development and test community must demonstrate the functionality and reliability of gun-launched projectiles and munitions systems, especially newer smart munitions. The best method to satisfy this requirement is to combine existing optical and tracking systems data with internal data measured with on-board instrumentation (i.e. spin, pitch, and yaw measurements for standard items and terminal sensor, signal processor, and guidance/navigation system monitoring for smart munitions). Acquisition of internal data is usually limited by available space, harsh launch environments, and high associated costs. A technology development and demonstration effort is underway to provide a new generation of products for use in this high-g arena. This paper describes the goals, objectives, and progress of the Hardened Subminiature Telemetry and Sensor System (HSTSS) program.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 25-28, 1999 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / This paper briefly reports on concepts for hardening (physically toughening) crystal reference oscillators for the highly integrated program known as HSTSS. Within the HSTSS program is the L & S band transmitter development contract. The harshest requirements for this contract are surviving and functioning, to within 20 ppm of its center frequency, 30 ms after sustaining a shock pulse of 100,000 (g) for 0.5 ms on any axis. Additional requirements call for the transmitter to be no larger than 0.2 in3, and to operate within a 20 ppm frequency stability throughout the temperature range of -400 to +850 centigrade and during centrifugal spins of up to 300 Hz or 25,000 (g). Fundamentally the question is, is it feasible for any telemetry system to be capable of withstanding such harsh conditions and, to be practical on all DoD Test Ranges, still adhere to the stability tolerance guidelines set forth by the Range Commanders Council on Telemetry Standards - IRIG 106-96? Under "normal" conditions, stability requirements for "Range" transmitters are easily satisfied through the use of off-the-shelf crystal reference oscillators which provide the reference frequencies required within a transmitter’s phase lock loop circuitry. Unfortunately, the oscillator is also the most vulnerable part of a transmitter to the conditions listed and is the key to this problem. The oscillator’s weak points are in its resonator’s fragile quartz structure (the blank) and support mechanism. The challenge is to invent and adapt this area to these newer harsher conditions and to do it in the smallest space ever required.