yeah the delay isn't classified, it's physics... 2 seconds is about right considering you lose about 440ms from the aircraft to the satellite and down to the ground station and another 40-60ms on the terrestrial ride back to NV from one of the relay sites plus another 10-20ms for processing delays. then the same delays on the forward link for commands to the aircraft. all said, round trip, that's a little over a second of unavoidable delay, not to mention pilot reaction time etc...
Having dealt with both the USAF Predator/Reaper program office and the Army Warrior program office, this is a VERY bad idea.
I really hate to say it being former Army, but the Army UAV folks have not a bit of a clue when it comes to operating these aircraft in a big-picture environment. Leave the flying to the air force. they're actually better at it.
Incorrect sir. Globalhawk is remote controlled as well. Like the Predator/Reaper, the only thing autonomous about these is the return to home feature when the BLOS (Beyond Line Of Sight) communications link is interrupted and cannot be re-established within a predetermined length of time.
The main reason for the lack of autonomy is that both the Predator/Reaper and the Globalhawk platforms stream ISR data back to the rear in real time. There is currently no mechanism for onboard storage on either platform and for good reason. The main reason for this is that ISR data has a fairly short shelf-life. the other main reason is that in the event that one of these aircraft is shot down, there is really nothing sensitive to recover or have to destroy.
Are these things just remotely controlled or fully autonomous?
remotely controlled. the only thing autonomous about these is the return to home feature when the BLOS (Beyond Line Of Sight) communications link is interrupted and cannot be re-established within a predetermined length of time.
Even if we're not alone, the probability of two or more civilizations coming "of age" at the same time and actually crossing paths is highly minuscule.
I think it was Carl Sagan's eggshell theory or something like that
now that's funny since the etymology of the English word "arse" is actually German from the word Arsch. This, of course came from the Hittite version "Arrash".
Ah yes the good Queens German.... Hagelführer
Attaching it to the ISS makes more sense than building another vehicle on-orbit to attach it to. They could rename the ISS the International Space Ship and send it to various vacation spots around the solar system.
or... the added oceanic pressure would effectively muffle the eruption and a ton of lava would seep out while tsunamis laid waste to all of the coasts surrounding the epicenter
plus you have to consider the water pressure from the ocean above any would-be ocean floor supervolcanos. One would think that the increased pressure would cause the typical eruption cycle time to increase dramatically. The down side is... IF sub-oceanic supervolcanoes exist, and one were to erupt, with all of the added pressure involved in the mix it would be an eruption of epic proportions.
Just my $0.02
there is only one modem manufacturer that even touts being able to do a 20% filter rolloff. That manufacturer does not however, support these kind of data rates as of yet and satellite operators will only allow it if you twist their nipples real hard.
30% is about as good as you're going to get and the standard is still 35%
and as far as more aggressive FEC techniques in C-Band, not gonna happen with the current generation of spacecraft on orbit. the transponders are relatively low power ( 40Watts per transponder) and what you gain in less atmospheric losses at C-Band you lose in lack of gain from the low frequency band.
Not to mention that follow-on spacecraft won't be much more powerful in C-band because then the satellites would run the risk of interfering with terrestrial microwave networks.
Typically bulk Ku-band bandwidth over North America goes for $3000-4500 per Mhz per month. That being said, assuming you're leasing a full 36MHz transponder, the bandwidth cost alone per month is $108,000 per month best case.
Using the example of 8PSK 2/3 DVB service, which by the way comes out to approx 53Mbps in a 36MHz transponder, you would need approx 1080 users in order to break even on the bandwidth alone.
One thing i'm noticing is that you guys aren't factoring in modem filter rolloff so your numbers are a bit optimistic on the bandwidth.
Data Rate / Modulation Factor / FEC coding * (1 + Filter Rolloff) = Actual Allocated Satellite BW in MHz.
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yeah the delay isn't classified, it's physics... 2 seconds is about right considering you lose about 440ms from the aircraft to the satellite and down to the ground station and another 40-60ms on the terrestrial ride back to NV from one of the relay sites plus another 10-20ms for processing delays. then the same delays on the forward link for commands to the aircraft. all said, round trip, that's a little over a second of unavoidable delay, not to mention pilot reaction time etc...
Having dealt with both the USAF Predator/Reaper program office and the Army Warrior program office, this is a VERY bad idea. I really hate to say it being former Army, but the Army UAV folks have not a bit of a clue when it comes to operating these aircraft in a big-picture environment. Leave the flying to the air force. they're actually better at it.
they already have it and it's been in operation for about a year now.
COD4 gave my cousin flashbacks.... we're already there
Incorrect sir. Globalhawk is remote controlled as well. Like the Predator/Reaper, the only thing autonomous about these is the return to home feature when the BLOS (Beyond Line Of Sight) communications link is interrupted and cannot be re-established within a predetermined length of time. The main reason for the lack of autonomy is that both the Predator/Reaper and the Globalhawk platforms stream ISR data back to the rear in real time. There is currently no mechanism for onboard storage on either platform and for good reason. The main reason for this is that ISR data has a fairly short shelf-life. the other main reason is that in the event that one of these aircraft is shot down, there is really nothing sensitive to recover or have to destroy.
Are these things just remotely controlled or fully autonomous?
remotely controlled. the only thing autonomous about these is the return to home feature when the BLOS (Beyond Line Of Sight) communications link is interrupted and cannot be re-established within a predetermined length of time.
Even if we're not alone, the probability of two or more civilizations coming "of age" at the same time and actually crossing paths is highly minuscule. I think it was Carl Sagan's eggshell theory or something like that
unfortunately... that's the minority of folks on the program blood attracts leeches.....
depends on who you ask...
now that's funny since the etymology of the English word "arse" is actually German from the word Arsch. This, of course came from the Hittite version "Arrash". Ah yes the good Queens German.... Hagelführer
Attaching it to the ISS makes more sense than building another vehicle on-orbit to attach it to. They could rename the ISS the International Space Ship and send it to various vacation spots around the solar system.
or... the added oceanic pressure would effectively muffle the eruption and a ton of lava would seep out while tsunamis laid waste to all of the coasts surrounding the epicenter
plus you have to consider the water pressure from the ocean above any would-be ocean floor supervolcanos. One would think that the increased pressure would cause the typical eruption cycle time to increase dramatically. The down side is... IF sub-oceanic supervolcanoes exist, and one were to erupt, with all of the added pressure involved in the mix it would be an eruption of epic proportions. Just my $0.02
there is only one modem manufacturer that even touts being able to do a 20% filter rolloff. That manufacturer does not however, support these kind of data rates as of yet and satellite operators will only allow it if you twist their nipples real hard. 30% is about as good as you're going to get and the standard is still 35% and as far as more aggressive FEC techniques in C-Band, not gonna happen with the current generation of spacecraft on orbit. the transponders are relatively low power ( 40Watts per transponder) and what you gain in less atmospheric losses at C-Band you lose in lack of gain from the low frequency band. Not to mention that follow-on spacecraft won't be much more powerful in C-band because then the satellites would run the risk of interfering with terrestrial microwave networks.
Typically bulk Ku-band bandwidth over North America goes for $3000-4500 per Mhz per month. That being said, assuming you're leasing a full 36MHz transponder, the bandwidth cost alone per month is $108,000 per month best case. Using the example of 8PSK 2/3 DVB service, which by the way comes out to approx 53Mbps in a 36MHz transponder, you would need approx 1080 users in order to break even on the bandwidth alone. One thing i'm noticing is that you guys aren't factoring in modem filter rolloff so your numbers are a bit optimistic on the bandwidth. Data Rate / Modulation Factor / FEC coding * (1 + Filter Rolloff) = Actual Allocated Satellite BW in MHz.