Moriba Jah | The University of Texas at Austin (original) (raw)

Papers by Moriba Jah

" In space, no one can hear you scream, " as the tagline from the sci-fi film Aliens goes. But wh... more " In space, no one can hear you scream, " as the tagline from the sci-fi film Aliens goes. But what if there were a way of " hearing " in space, moving in-space video from the Silent Era to a more contemporary cinematic experience? How could this capability be applied to shape future spacecraft and mission designs? Such a capability can be effectively incorporated into a 3U CubeSat using a measurement technique called Remote Acoustic Sensing (RAS). " RASSat " uses advanced optical sensors to view and recover audio from distant objects that have weak optical modulations produced by local sound and vibration sources; the modulated light sources and the RAS sensor are passively coupled at the speed of light, yielding a variety of interesting sounds across the entire human auditory range. RAS field demonstrations and analyses have identified and characterized terrestrial sound sources observable from LEO, along with associated acousto-optic modulation mechanisms. RASSat sensitivity is such that both day and night strong, easily detectable terrestrial acousto-optic emitters abound, and applications to Space Situational Awareness and planetary exploration are also evident. This paper provides an overview of the RAS measurement technique and recent terrestrial demonstrations, and highlights key RASSat design features, performance capabilities and applications.

As the spacefaring community is well aware, the increasingly rapid proliferation of man-made obje... more As the spacefaring community is well aware, the increasingly rapid proliferation of man-made objects in space, whether active satellites or debris, threatens the safe and secure operation of spacecraft and requires that we change the way we conduct business in space. The introduction of appropriate protocols and procedures to regulate the use of space is predicated on the availability of quantifiable and timely information regarding the behavior of resident space objects (RSO): the basis of space domain awareness (SDA). Yet despite five decades of space operations, and a growing global dependence on the services provided by space-based platforms, the population of Earth orbiting space objects is still neither rigorously nor comprehensively quantified, and the behaviors of these objects, whether directed by human agency or governed by interaction with the space environment, are inadequately characterized. Key goals of advanced SDA are to develop a capability to predict RSO behavior, extending SDA beyond its present paradigm of catalog maintenance and forensic analysis, and to arrive at a comprehensive physical understanding of all of the inputs that affect the motion of RSOs. Solutions to these problems require multidisciplinary engagement that combines space surveillance data with other information, including space object databases and space environmental data, to help decision-making processes predict, detect, and quantify threatening and hazardous space domain activity. 1.0 INTRODUCTION This document presents an introductory overview of space surveillance, tracking, and information fusion for SDA. A relevant activity is the NATO Science and Technology Organization's Task Group (SCI-279-TG) is addressing the technical considerations for enabling a NATO-Centric Space Domain Common Operating Picture (COP). The impetus for this effort is the growing dependence by NATO and its member nations on space capabilities to achieve its mission responsibilities as well as the growing role that space, as an operational domain in its own right, is playing in matters concerning global security. NATO has recognized this important reality and increased the Alliance's collective attention on ensuring NATO operations maximize their leverage of space while ensuring the space capabilities provided by its member nations are preserved to the maximum extent possible. A critical element of ensuring the availability and efficacy of these space capabilities is the availability of a common operational perspective or picture of the space domain throughout the Alliance and its partners. The presumption is that NATO forces will be more efficient, protected and successful in their future missions if a common operational perspective can be achieved across all operational domains in which NATO must operate; air, land, sea, cyber AND space. The corollary is, without a common Alliance perspective of the space domain,

As the spacefaring community is well aware, the increasingly rapid proliferation of man-made obje... more As the spacefaring community is well aware, the increasingly rapid proliferation of man-made objects in space, whether active satellites or debris, threatens the safe and secure operation of spacecraft and requires that we change the way we conduct business in space. The introduction of appropriate protocols and procedures to regulate the use of space is predicated on the availability of quantifiable and timely information regarding the behavior of resident space objects (RSO): the basis of space domain awareness (SDA). Yet despite five decades of space operations, and a growing global dependence on the services provided by space-based platforms, the population of Earth orbiting space objects is still neither rigorously nor comprehensively quantified, and the behaviors of these objects, whether directed by human agency or governed by interaction with the space environment, are inadequately characterized. In response to these challenges, the University of Arizona (UA) has recently established the Space Object Behavioral Sciences (SOBS) Division of its Defense and Security Research Institute (DSRI) with a mandate to carry out research, education, and operational support to spacecraft operators. The SOBS Division builds on UA's heritage as a world leader in space science. By way of examples, UA, with a total research portfolio exceeding 600Mperyear,operatesmorethan20astronomicaltelescopesontwocontinents,leadsNASA′s600M per year, operates more than 20 astronomical telescopes on two continents, leads NASA's 600Mperyear,operatesmorethan20astronomicaltelescopesontwocontinents,leadsNASA′s800M OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission, and has been deeply engaged in every US mission to Mars without exception. Key goals of the SOBS Division are to develop a capability to predict RSO behavior, extending SDA beyond its present paradigm of catalog maintenance and forensic analysis, and to arrive at a comprehensive physical understanding of non-gravitational forces that affect the motions of RSOs. Without seeking to provide a universal solution to global SDA needs, SOBS nonetheless concentrates resources to advance the state-of-the-art in astrodynamic research toward those ends. Solutions to these problems require multidisciplinary engagement that combines space surveillance data with other information, including space object databases and space environmental data, to help decision-making processes predict, detect, and quantify threatening and hazardous space domain activity. To that end, the division engages and integrates talent and resources from across the UA, including the Colleges of Science, Engineering, Optical Sciences, and Agriculture & Life Sciences. As activity ramps up over approximately the next three years, the SOBS Division will directly support the creation of timely knowledge of the space environment by drawing on a worldwide network of sensors processed through existing UA cyberinfrastructure. In addition, the SOBS Division will also provide a real-world training ground for current and future workers in the field through certificate programs and postgraduate degrees.

Journal of Guidance Control and Dynamics, Nov 1, 2010

ABSTRACT This study investigates dynamic modeling and orbit estimation of geosynchronous satellit... more ABSTRACT This study investigates dynamic modeling and orbit estimation of geosynchronous satellites using traditional and specialized orbit representations Exact nonlinear variational equations for generally perturbed synchronous elements are developed via Poisson brackets A hybrid element set is also introduced to avoid numerical sensitivities Numerical propagation studies evaluate the precision and accuracy of inertial Cartesian, Keplerian, synchronous, and hybrid element dynamic models The suitability of approximating the synchronous element equations of motion for small eccentricity and inclination values is assessed Results show that the hybrid and exact synchronous models are consistent for large and small time steps and are of comparable accuracy to the inertial Cartesian model The hybrid element model is further validated via an estimation analysis that processes multiple nights of experimental optical data of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite 8 The results show that the hybrid elements are suitable for geosynchronous dynamic modeling and estimation

2012 15th International Conference on Information Fusion, 2012

ABSTRACT In this paper, we consider the evaluation of information divergence and information gain... more ABSTRACT In this paper, we consider the evaluation of information divergence and information gain as they apply to a hybrid random variable (i.e. a random variable which has both discrete and continuous elements) for multi-target tracking problems. In particular, we develop a closed-form solution for the Cauchy-Schwarz information divergence under the assumption that the continuous element of the random variable may be represented by a Gaussian mixture distribution and present the associated relationships for evaluating the Cauchy-Schwarz information gain. The developed information gain relationships are applied to a 0-1 target tracking problem common to space object tracking to determine the sensitivities to the information gain due to probability of detection, prior probability of object existence, and measurement noise.

IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems, 2014

Space Operations: Innovations, Inventions, and Discoveries, 2015

Astrometric and photometric data fusion for the purposes of simultaneous position, velocity, atti... more Astrometric and photometric data fusion for the purposes of simultaneous position, velocity, attitude, and angular rate estimation has been demonstrated in the past. This state estimation is extended to include the various surface parameters associated with the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF). Additionally, a physically consistent BRDF and radiation pressure model is utilized thus enabling an accurate physical link between the observed photometric brightness and the attitudinal dynamics and ultimately the orbital dynamics. An example scenario is then presented where the model is an uncontrolled High Area to Mass Ratio (HAMR) object in geosynchronous Earth orbit and the position, velocity, attitude, angular rates, and surface parameters are estimated simultaneously.

Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics, 2015

AIAA SPACE 2007 Conference & Exposition, 2007

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) launched on 12 August 2005 from Space Launch Complex 41 at ... more The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) launched on 12 August 2005 from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. After seven months of cruise, MRO reached Mars and successfully performed the Mars Orbit Insertion (MOI) maneuver. Only two Trajectory ...

Advances in Estimation, Navigation, and Spacecraft Control, 2015

AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference, 2010

SpaceOps 2008 Conference, 2008

AIAA/AAS Astrodynamics Specialist Conference and Exhibit, 2004

AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference, 2009

As the spacefaring community is well aware, the increasingly rapid proliferation of man-made obje... more As the spacefaring community is well aware, the increasingly rapid proliferation of man-made objects in space, whether active satellites or debris, threatens the safe and secure operation of spacecraft and requires that we change the way we conduct business in space. The introduction of appropriate protocols and procedures to regulate the use of space is predicated on the availability of quantifiable and timely information regarding the behavior of resident space objects (RSO): the basis of space domain awareness (SDA). Yet despite five decades of space operations, and a growing global dependence on the services provided by space-based platforms, the population of Earth orbiting space objects is still neither rigorously nor comprehensively quantified, and the behaviors of these objects, whether directed by human agency or governed by interaction with the space environment, are inadequately characterized. In response to these challenges, the University of Arizona (UA) has recently established the Space Object Behavioral Sciences (SOBS) Division of its Defense and Security Research Institute (DSRI) with a mandate to carry out research, education, and operational support to spacecraft operators. The SOBS Division builds on UA's heritage as a world leader in space science. By way of examples, UA, with a total research portfolio exceeding 600Mperyear,operatesmorethan20astronomicaltelescopesontwocontinents,leadsNASA′s600M per year, operates more than 20 astronomical telescopes on two continents, leads NASA's 600Mperyear,operatesmorethan20astronomicaltelescopesontwocontinents,leadsNASA′s800M OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission, and has been deeply engaged in every US mission to Mars without exception. Key goals of the SOBS Division are to develop a capability to predict RSO behavior, extending SDA beyond its present paradigm of catalog maintenance and forensic analysis, and to arrive at a comprehensive physical understanding of non-gravitational forces that affect the motions of RSOs. Without seeking to provide a universal solution to global SDA needs, SOBS nonetheless concentrates resources to advance the state-of-the-art in astrodynamic research toward those ends. Solutions to these problems require multidisciplinary engagement that combines space surveillance data with other information, including space object databases and space environmental data, to help decision-making processes predict, detect, and quantify threatening and hazardous space domain activity. To that end, the division engages and integrates talent and resources from across the UA, including the Colleges of Science, Engineering, Optical Sciences, and Agriculture & Life Sciences. As activity ramps up over approximately the next three years, the SOBS Division will directly support the creation of timely knowledge of the space environment by drawing on a worldwide network of sensors processed through existing UA cyberinfrastructure. In addition, the SOBS Division will also provide a real-world training ground for current and future workers in the field through certificate programs and postgraduate degrees.