SIMsim: An End-to-End Simulation of The Space Interferometer Mission

Details SIMsim: An End-to-End Simulation of The Space Interferometer Mission SIMsim: An End-to-End Simulation of The Space Interferometer Mission

2003-12-02

arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0312049v1

Proc.SPIE Int.Soc.Opt.Eng. 4852 (2003) 131-142

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

12 pages, 10 figures; in SPIE conference, Interferometry in Space, Waikoloa, HI, 26-28 August, 2002

Scientific paper

10.1117/12.460918

We present the basic elements and first results of an end-to-end simulation package whose purpose is to test the validity of the Space Interferometer Mission design. The fundamental simulation time step is one millisecond, with substructure at 1/8 ms, and the total duration of the simulation is five years. The end product of a given "wide-angle" astrometry run is an estimated grid star catalog over the entire sky with an accuracy of about 4 micro-arcseconds. SIMsim is divided into five separate modules that communicate via data pipes. The first generates the 'truth' data on the spacecraft structure and laser metrology. The second module generates uncorrupted fringes for the three SIM interferometers, based on the current spacecraft orientation, target stars' positions, etc. The third module reads out the CCD white light fringe data at specified times, corrupting that and the metrology data with appropriate errors. The data stream out of this module represents the basic data stream on the simulated spacecraft. The fourth module performs fringe-fitting tasks on this data, recovering the total path delay, and the fifth and final module inverts the entire metrology/delay dataset to ultimately determine the instantaneous path delay on a fiducial baseline fixed in space. (Pathlength feed forward is used every few milliseconds to re-position the interferometer to keep the fringes in the delay window.) The average of all such delays over an integration time (typically 30 s) is reported as one of several hundred thousand measured stellar delays over the five-year period, which are then inverted to produce the simulated catalog. Future plans include taking into account more sources of error from the SIM error budget and including narrow angle observations in the observing plan.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

SIMsim: An End-to-End Simulation of The Space Interferometer Mission does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with SIMsim: An End-to-End Simulation of The Space Interferometer Mission, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and SIMsim: An End-to-End Simulation of The Space Interferometer Mission will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-687493