The Digital Communications & Navigation Branch of NASA Glenn Research Center has the following responsibilities:
- Conducts research and technology development related to digital communications and navigation systems.
- Performs research in hardware and software development, analyses, and simulations to identify and create subsystem-level products for Agency space missions and aeronautics applications.
- The specific technologies include software-defined radios (SDR); low power, small form factor radios for extravehicular activity (EVA) missions; integrated audio concepts for spacesuits; signal processing; and reconfigurable microelectronic devices.
- Evaluates performance and conformance to open SDR architecture of space-based software defined radios; development of platform-independent, portable waveforms; evaluation of inertial measurement systems; orbital coverage and communication link analysis; and technology assessment.
Research efforts and technology development are conducted in-house and through contracts, grants and Space Act agreements with universities, commercial industry, and other government agencies.
Facilities include state-of-the-art software defined radio test bed laboratory (including SDR-3000 and SDR-4000 software defined radio platforms), simulation and model-based design tools, field programmable gate array (FPGA) design, proof-of-concept fabrication, and experimental testing (ground or flight).
