[time-nuts] Spacecraft Timekeeping

Kevin Watson time-nuts at enuuf.com
Wed Mar 9 17:39:17 UTC 2011


Magnus,

>Drop the receiver and antenna out of the equation and
>just provide a timing signal on launch pad...

I need to keep computers time synchronized from launch through at least 
arrival on orbit so that time-tagged network messages can be played back 
with some degree of fidelity. For this, I need the time source on the 
rocket. Using a GPSDO in holdover mode seems like a good solution.

-Kevin


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Magnus Danielson" <magnus at rubidium.dyndns.org>
To: <time-nuts at febo.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 08, 2011 11:05 PM
Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Spacecraft Timekeeping


> On 03/09/2011 06:08 AM, Kevin Watson wrote:
>> Hi All. Thanks for responding. There are quite a few GPS receivers that
>> will work outside of the usual commercial-grade GPS limitations, but I'm
>> not too sure I need such a receiver. As my application is to just
>> accuratly time-tag messages for a data recorder, my thinking is to allow
>> a ruggedized GPSDO to stabilize on the pad before launch, and then just
>> before launch force the GPSDO into holdover mode and act as the PTP
>> grandmaster for the onboard computers until we reach orbit. Once on
>> orbit I have other means to synchronize the PTP grandmaster.
>
> Why carry the dead weight of something unusable in orbit.
>
> Drop the receiver and antenna out of the equation and just provide a 
> timing signal on launch pad...
>
> Cheers,
> Magnus
>
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