Analysis of satellite telemetry data

Satellites transmit data streams to the ground that consist of data values, called mnemonics, that are used to determine the health and location of the satellite. These data streams can contain between 700 and 12000 or more mnemonics. These mnemonics must be analyzed to ensure that the satellite is healthy, to assist in resolving any anomalies, and to determine if there are any trends that would indicate a possible future problem. Satellite engineers need assistance to assimilate and act on these large volumes of data. The USAF Phillips Laboratory Space System Technologies Division (PL/VTS) has developed a telemetry analysis system called the Visual Interface for Satellite Telemetry Analysis (VISTA) that captures and displays satellite telemetry data in real time and provides tools for analyzing stored data. An important aspect of VISTA is the analysis of stored telemetry data. The satellite engineer needs quick, accurate access to the stored satellite data in numerous forms, such as plots, reports; curve fitting, and Fourier analysis graphs. The challenge was to develop a telemetry analysis system that was flexible, fast, accurate, and able to provide the multiple views of the data required by the satellite engineers. This paper provides an overview of VISTA, and then discusses how the telemetry analysis tool (TAT) was developed, how the system functions, timing information, and future work.