Wyle Information Systems provides ground segment support functions to several satellite-based missions at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center through the Space and Earth Sciences Data Analysis (SESDA) II contract. For the Fermi Gamma-ray telescope, staff maintains data pipelines and databases to support serving of Fermi data to the scientific community. On the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE), the staff provides expert mission planning to support RXTE's fluid and complex observation programs. Wyle staff also provided support in coordinating observations among more than ten instruments on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) mission.
SESDA II staff also supports the NASA/Japanese Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and the future Global Precipitation Mission (GPM). Specific work includes development of calibration analysis and software for space borne radar. Wyle staff developed a new version of the TRMM Precipitation Radar algorithm which measures radar surface reflectivity and uses the surface measurement to compute an estimate of the attenuation of the radar signal. Significant improvements included new estimation techniques and more data in the output product to facilitate future research.
For the Ground Truthing Project, a method of verifying the scientific validity of satellite images and clarifying irregularities in the image data, Wyle provided and supported a wideband satellite link and wideband terrestrial networks. These networks were used to connect the science processing operations and resources in the field with NASA Information Power Grid (IPG) supercomputers and mass storage devices at Ames Research Center and Glenn Research Center (GRC). Our efforts on this program were recognized with a “Turning Goals Into Reality” (TGIR) award.
Wyle Information Systems provided systems requirements analyses, design, coding, configuration management, testing, integration, validation, and verification of applications, for NASA scientific and satellite systems. Wyle personnel supported scientific mission planning and execution by participating in the flight checkout of emerging air-to-ground and satellite communications systems.
The team conducted laboratory tests and field (airborne and mobile) experiments for NASA via satellite and terrestrial wireless communications for the creation of a Mobile Router. The device enabled various unidirectional and bidirectional aeronautical applications that perform the functions of communication, navigation, and surveillance. Wyle received the NorTech Innovation award for collaborative efforts related to this project.
To improve the accuracy of precipitation estimation and clear contamination of Doppler radar products, Wyle is integrating radar data with surface observations, satellite observations, and numerical model output, and developing a real-time editing algorithm that will automatically detect and remove false echoes from high-resolution national radar mosaic products.
Wyle Information Systems is developing animations of real-time satellite images, precipitation analyses, and atmospheric circulations on spatial scales ranging from regional to global and temporal scales and from diurnal to interannual. Diagnostic studies of the links between weather extremes and climate variables such as El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Arctic Oscillation (AO), Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) and Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) are being conducted, as are studies on trend and variability analysis of ozone and other climate variables.
Wyle’s system integration experience encompasses LAN/WAN technology, variable length subnet mask schemes, encryption devices, satellite transmissions, and other related systems. Wyle engineers are knowledgeable in the tools and technologies required to integrate network management services, provide end-user support and training, and adhere to Air Force security requirements. They were also responsible for designing, developing, testing and activating “Office in the Sky” capabilities for select Very Important Person / Special Air Mission (VIP/SAM) aircraft – a fully operational, highly complex system furnishing a high speed, wideband satellite link to C-32, C-40B, and VC-25 aircraft. This new capability gave airborne executives in-flight access to Classified/ Unclassified web, Home station E-Mail, File Sharing, Secure Video Teleconferencing, and Direct Broadband TV.