International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 25-28, 1999 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / Coupling a distortion-free telemetry signal from an encanistered missile by using a pickup antenna inside the canister can be difficult, because the RF energy leaving the missile antenna travels through the canister and is reflected and absorbed in a complex manner before being received by the pickup antenna. In this paper the distortion incurred by a PCM/FM signal is described and used to predict the resulting distortion on the video after demodulation. Effects on bit error rate are presented as a function of delay distortion and bit rate. A demonstrated method of receiving a relatively undistorted telemetry signal using a pickup antenna is described.

Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / NPSAT1 will be launched as a secondary payload on the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) Atlas V. The Atlas V will provide a medium lift capability in the EELV class of launch vehicles. NPSAT1 will be mated to the Atlas V using the EELV Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA). The design and operations of NPSAT1 will require that the space vehicle pose no hazards to ground support equipment, personnel, the launch vehicle, or other payloads. Potential hazards include structural failure, inadvertent deployment of antennas or other mechanisms, inadvertent radio frequency emissions, and other hazards. The scope of this thesis is to assess the safety risks associated with NPSAT1 for all activities occurring at the launch site through orbit insertion. This includes ground testing at the integration site, as well as in-flight operations prior to and shortly after separation from the launch vehicle. All hazards associated with NPSAT1 are to be enumerated and assessed for criticality. Hazard mitigation is to be presented preferably through subsystem design, but may also be performed through operations. / Captain, United States Army