Systems Engineering - ATI

APPLIED TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE 

Training Rocket Scientists 

Since 1984 

Volume 104 

Valid through April 2011 

Space & Satellite 

Radar, Missiles & Defense 

Systems Engineering & Project Management 

Engineering & Communications

Applied Technology Institute 

349 Berkshire Drive 

Riva, Maryland 21140-1433 

Tel 410-956-8805 • Fax 410-956-5785 

Toll Free 1-888-501-2100 

www.ATIcourses.com 

Technical and Training Professionals, 

Now is the time to think about bringing an ATI course to your site! If 

there are 8 or more people who are interested in a course, you save money if 

we bring the course to you. If you have 15 or more students, you save over 

50% compared to a public course. 

This catalog includes upcoming open enrollment dates for many 

courses. We can teach any of them at your location. Our website, 

www.ATIcourses.com, lists over 50 additional courses that we offer. 

For 24 years, the Applied Technology Institute (ATI) has earned the 

TRUST of training departments nationwide. We have presented “on-site” 

training at all major DoD facilities and NASA centers, and for a large number 

of their contractors. 

Since 1984, we have emphasized the big picture systems engineering 

perspective in: 

- Defense Topics 

- Engineering & Data Analysis 

- Sonar & Acoustic Engineering 

- Space & Satellite Systems 

- Systems Engineering 

with instructors who love to teach! We are constantly adding new topics to 

our list of courses - please call if you have a scientific or engineering training 

requirement that is not listed. 

We would love to send you a quote for an 

onsite course! For “on-site” presentations, we 

can tailor the course, combine course topics 

for audience relevance, and develop new or 

specialized courses to meet your objectives. 

Regards, 

P.S. 

We can help you arrange “on-site” 

courses with your training department. Give 

us a call. 

2 – Vol. 104 Register online at www.ATIcourses.com or call ATI at 888.501.2100 or 410.956.8805

Defense, Missiles, & Radar 

Advanced Developments in Radar Technology NEW! 

Mar 1-3, 2011 • Beltsville, Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 

Combat Systems Engineering NEW! 

Nov 16-18, 2010 • Chantilly, Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 

Electronic Protection and Electronic Attack 

Oct 12-14, 2010 • Rome, New York . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 

Nov 16-18, 2010 • Washington DC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 

EW / ELINT Receivers 

Oct 5-7, 2010 • Rome, New York . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 

Nov 9-11, 2010 • Washington DC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 

Electronic Warfare Overview 

Dec 14-15, 2010 • Beltsville, Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 

Feb 22-23, 2011 • Laurel, Maryland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 

Fundamentals of Link 16 / JTIDS / MIDS 

Jan 24-25, 2011 • Washington DC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 

Fundamentals of Radar Technology 

Feb 15-17, 2011 • Beltsville, Maryland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 

Fundamentals of Rockets & Missiles 

Oct 12-14, 2010 • Las Vegas, Nevada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 

Feb 1-3, 2011 • Beltsville, Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 

Mar 8-10, 2011 • Beltsville, Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 

Multi-Target Tracking and Multi-Sensor Data Fusion 

Feb 1-3, 2011 • Beltsville, Maryland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 

Radar Systems Design & Engineering 

Mar 1-4, 2011 • Beltsville, Maryland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 

Rocket Propulsion 101 

Feb 14-16, 2011 • Albuquerque, New Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 

Mar 15-17, 2011 • Beltsville, Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 

Synthetic Aperture Radar - Fundamentals 

Oct 25-26, 2010 • Beltsville, Maryland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 

Feb 8-9, 2011 • Albuquerque, New Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 

Synthetic Aperture Radar - Advanced 


Feb 10-11, 2011 • Albuquerque, New Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 

Unmanned Aircraft Systems & Applications NEW! 

Nov 9, 2010 • Beltsville, Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 

Mar 1, 2011 • Beltsville, Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 

Systems Engineering & Project Management 

Applied Systems Engineering 

Oct 18-21, 2010 • Albuquerque, New Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 

Architecting with DODAF NEW! 

Nov 4-5, 2010 • Beltsville, Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 

CSEP Exam Preparation NEW! 

Nov 12-13, 2010 • Orlando, Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 

Dec 9-10, 2010 • Los Angeles, California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 

Feb 11-12, 2011 • Orlando, Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 

Mar 30-31, 2011 • Minneapolis, Minnesota. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 

Fundamentals of Systems Engineering 

Feb 15-16, 2011 • Beltsville, Maryland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 

Mar 28-29, 2011 • Minneapolis, Minnesota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 

Principles of Test & Evaluation 

Feb 17-18, 2011 • Beltsville, Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 

Mar 15-16, 2011 • Norfolk, Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 

Risk & Opportunities Management NEW! 


Systems Engineering - Requirements NEW! 

Jan 11-13, 2011 • Beltsville, Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 


Systems of Systems 

Dec 6-8, 2010 • Los Angeles, California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 

Apr 19-21, 2011 • Beltsville, Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 

Technical CONOPS & Concepts Master's Course NEW! 

Dec 7-9, 2010 • Chesapeake, Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 

Test Design & Analysis 


Total Systems Engineering Development 

Jan 31-Feb 3, 2011 • Chantilly, Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 


Engineering & Communications 

Antenna & Array Fundamentals NEW! 

Nov 16-18, 2010 • Beltsville, Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 

Mar 1-3, 2011 • Beltsville, Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 

Fundamentals of Statistics with Excel Examples NEW! 


Grounding and Shielding for EMC 

Nov 9-11, 2010 • Beltsville, Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 


Apr 26-28, 2011 • Beltsville, Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 

Table of Contents 

Instrumentation for Test & Measurement NEW! 

Jan 26-28, 2011 • Beltsville, Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 

Introduction to EMI/EMC 


Military Standard 810G Testing NEW! 

Nov 1-4, 2010 • Orlando, Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 

Optical Communications Systems NEW! 

Jan 17-18, 2011 • San Diego, California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 

Signal & Image Processing & Analysis NEW! 

Dec 14-16, 2010 • Beltsville, Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 

Strapdown Inertial Navigation Systems NEW! 

Nov 1-4, 2010 • Albuquerque, New Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 

Jan 17-20, 2011 • Cape Canaveral, Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 

Feb 28-Mar 3, 2011 • Beltsville, Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 

Wavelets: A Conceptual, Practical Approach 

Feb 22-24, 2011 • San Diego, California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 

Wireless & Spread Spectrum Design 

Mar 22-24, 2011 • Beltsville, Maryland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 

Space & Satellite Systems Courses 

Advanced Satellite Communications Systems 

Jan 25-27, 2011 • Cocoa Beach, Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 

Attitude Determination & Control 

Feb 28-Mar 3, 2011 • Chantilly, Virginia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 

Communications Payload Design - Satellite System Architecture NEW! 


Apr 5-7, 2011 • Albuquerque, New Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 

Design and Analysis of Bolted Joints 

Dec 7-9, 2010 • Beltsville, Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 

Earth Station Design 

Nov 9-12, 2010 • Beltsville, Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 

Fundamentals of Orbital & Launch Mechanics NEW! 

Jan 10-13, 2011 • Cape Canaveral, Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 


GPS Technology 

Oct 25-28, 2010 • Albuquerque, New Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 


Apr 11-14, 2011 • Cape Canaveral, Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 

Hyperspectral & Multi-spectral Imaging 


IP Networking Over Satellite 


Remote Sensing Information Extraction 


Satellite Communicatons - An Essential Introduction 

Dec 14-16, 2010 • Beltsville, Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 

Jan 31- Feb 2, 2011 • Laurel, Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 

Mar 8-10, 2011 • Beltsville, Maryland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 

Satellite Communication Systems Engineering 


Mar 15-17, 2011 • Boulder, Colorado. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 

Satellite Design & Technology 

Oct 25-28, 2010 • Beltsville, Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 

Apr 25-28, 2011 • Beltsville, Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 

Satellite Laser Communications NEW! 

Feb 8-10, 2011 • Beltsville, Maryland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 

Satellite RF Communications & Onboard Processing 

Apr 12-14, 2011 • Beltsville, Maryland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 

Space-Based Laser Systems 


Space-Based Radar 

Mar 7-11, 2011 • Beltsville, Maryland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 

Space Environment - Implications on Spacecraft Design 


Space Mission Analysis & Design NEW! 


Space Mission Structures 

Nov 8-11, 2010 • Littleton, Colorado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 

Spacecraft Quality Assurance, Integration & Testing 


Spacecraft Systems Integration & Testing 


Jan 17-20, 2011 • Albuquerque, New Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 

Spacecraft Thermal Control 


Structural Test Design & Interpretation NEW! 

Oct 26-28, 2010 • Littleton, Colorado. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 

Topics for On-site Courses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 

Popular “On-site” Topics & Ways to Register. . . . . . . . . . 64 

Register online at www.ATIcourses.com or call ATI at 888.501.2100 or 410.956.8805 Vol. 104 – 3

Advanced Developments in Radar Technology 

March 1-3, 2011 

Beltsville, Maryland 

$1590 (8:30am - 4:00pm) 

"Register 3 or More & Receive $100 00 each 

Off The Course Tuition." 

Summary 

This three-day course provides students who already 

have a basic understanding of radar a valuable extension 

into the newer capabilities being continuously pursued in 

our fast-moving field. While the course begins with a quick 

review of fundamentals - this to establish a common base 

for the instruction to follow - it is best suited for the student 

who has taken one of the several basic radar courses 

available. 

In each topic, the method of instruction is first to 

establish firmly the underlying principle and only then are 

the current achievements and challenges addressed. 

Treated are such topics as pulse compression in which 

matched filter theory, resolution and broadband pulse 

modulation are briefly reviewed, and then the latest code 

optimality searches and hybrid coding and code-variable 

pulse bursts are explored. Similarly, radar polarimetry is 

reviewed in principle, then the application to image 

processing (as in Synthetic Aperture Radar work) is 

covered. Doppler processing and its application to SAR 

imaging itself, then 3D SAR, the moving target problem 

and other target signature work are also treated this way. 

Space-Time Adaptive Processing (STAP) is introduced; 

the resurgent interest in bistatic radar is discussed. 

The most ample current literature (conferences and 

journals) is used in this course, directing the student to 

valuable material for further study. Instruction follows the 

student notebook provided. 

Instructor 

Bob Hill received his BS degree from Iowa State 

University and the MS from the University 

of Maryland, both in electrical 

engineering. After spending a year in 

microwave work with an electronics firm in 

Virginia, he was then a ground electronics 

officer in the U.S. Air Force and began his 

civil service career with the U.S. Navy . He 

managed the development of the phased array radar of 

the Navy’s AEGIS system through its introduction to the 

fleet. Later in his career he directed the development, 

acquisition and support of all surveillance radars of the 

surface navy. 

Mr. Hill is a Fellow of the IEEE, an IEEE “distinguished 

lecturer”, a member of its Radar Systems Panel and 

previously a member of its Aerospace and Electronic 

Systems Society Board of Governors for many years. He 

established and chaired through 1990 the IEEE’s series of 

international radar conferences and remains on the 

organizing committee of these, and works with the several 

other nations cooperating in that series. He has published 

numerous conference papers, magazine articles and 

chapters of books, and is the author of the radar, 

monopulse radar, airborne radar and synthetic aperture 

radar articles in the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science 

and Technology and contributor for radar-related entries of 

their technical dictionary. 

NEW! 

Course Outline 

1. Introduction and Background. 

• The nature of radar and the physics involved. 

• Concepts and tools required, briefly reviewed. 

• Directions taken in radar development and the 

technological advances permitting them. 

• Further concepts and tools, more elaborate. 

2. Advanced Signal Processing. 

• Review of developments in pulse compression (matched 

filter theory, modulation techniques, the search for 

optimality) and in Doppler processing (principles, 

"coherent" radar, vector processing, digital techniques); 

establishing resolution in time (range) and in frequency 

(Doppler). 

• Recent considerations in hybrid coding, shaping the 

ambiguity function. 

• Target inference. Use of high range and high Doppler 

resolution: example and experimental results. 

3. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). 

• Fundamentals reviewed, 2-D and 3-D SAR, example 

image. 

• Developments in image enhancement. The dangerous 

point-scatterer assumption. Autofocusing methods in 

SAR, ISAR imaging. The ground moving target problem. 

• Polarimetry and its application in SAR. Review of 

polarimetry theory. Polarimetric filtering: the whitening 

filter, the matched filter. Polarimetric-dependent phase 

unwrapping in 3D IFSAR. 

• Image interpretation: target recognition processes 

reviewed. 

4. A "Radar Revolution" - the Phased Array. 

• The all-important antenna. General antenna theory, 

quickly reviewed. Sidelobe concerns, suppression 

techniques. Ultra-low sidelobe design. 

• The phased array. Electronic scanning, methods, typical 

componentry. Behavior with scanning, the impedance 

problem and matching methods. The problem of 

bandwidth; time-delay steering. Adaptive patterns, 

adaptivity theory and practice. Digital beam forming. The 

"active" array. 

• Phased array radar, system considerations. 

5. Advanced Data Processing. 

• Detection in clutter, threshold control schemes, CFAR. 

• Background analysis: clutter statistics, parameter 

estimation, clutter as a compound process. 

• Association, contacts to tracks. 

• Track estimation, filtering, adaptivity, multiple hypothesis 

testing. 

• Integration: multi-radar, multi-sensor data fusion, in both 

detection and tracking, greater use of supplemental 

data, augmenting the radar processing. 

6. Other Topics. 

• Bistatics, the resurgent interest. Review of the basics of 

bistatic radar, challenges, early experiences. New 

opportunities: space; terrestrial. Achievements 

reported. 

• Space-Time Adaptive Processing (STAP), airborne 

radar emphasis. 

• Ultra-wideband short pulse radar, various claims (wellfounded 

and not); an example UWB SAR system for 

good purpose. 

• Concluding discussion, course review. 


Combat Systems Engineering 

November 16-18, 2010 

Chantilly, Virginia 

$1590 (8:30am - 4:30pm) 

NEW! 



Summary 

The increasing level of combat system integration and 

communications requirements, coupled with shrinking 

defense budgets and shorter product life cycles, offers 

many challenges and opportunities in the design and 

acquisition of new combat systems. This three-day course 

teaches the systems engineering discipline that has built 

some of the modern military’s greatest combat and 

communications systems, using state-of-the-art systems 

engineering techniques. It details the decomposition and 

mapping of war-fighting requirements into combat system 

functional designs. A step-by-step description of the 

combat system design process is presented emphasizing 

the trades made necessary because of growing 

performance, operational, cost, constraints and ever 

increasing system complexities. 

Topics include the fire control loop and its closure by 

the combat system, human-system interfaces, command 

and communication systems architectures, autonomous 

and net-centric operation, induced information exchange 

requirements, role of communications systems, and multimission 

capabilities. 

Engineers, scientists, program managers, and 

graduate students will find the lessons learned in this 

course valuable for architecting, integration, and modeling 

of combat system. Emphasis is given to sound system 

engineering principles realized through the application of 

strict processes and controls, thereby avoiding common 

mistakes. Each attendee will receive a complete set of 

detailed notes for the class. 

Instructor 

Robert Fry worked from 1979 to 2007 at The Johns 

Hopkins University Applied Physics 

Laboratory where he was a member of the 

Principal Professional Staff. He is now 

working at System Engineering Group 

(SEG) where he is Corporate Senior Staff 

and also serves as the company-wide 

technical advisor. Throughout his career he 

has been involved in the development of 

new combat weapon system concepts, development of 

system requirements, and balancing allocations within the 

fire control loop between sensing and weapon kinematic 

capabilities. He has worked on many aspects of the 

AEGIS combat system including AAW, BMD, AN/SPY-1, 

and multi-mission requirements development. Missile 

system development experience includes SM-2, SM-3, 

SM-6, Patriot, THAAD, HARPOON, AMRAAM, 

TOMAHAWK, and other missile systems. 

What You Will Learn 

• The trade-offs and issues for modern combat 

system design. 

• How automation and technology will impact future 

combat system design. 

• Understanding requirements for joint warfare, netcentric 

warfare, and open architectures. 

• Communications system and architectures. 

• Lessons learned from AEGIS development. 


1. Combat System Overview. Combat system 

characteristics. Functional description for the 

combat system in terms of the sensor and weapons 

control, communications, and command and 

control. Antiair Warfare. Antisurface Warfare. 

Antisubmarine Warfare. Typical scenarios. 

2. Sensors/Weapons. Review of the variety of 

multi-warfare sensor and weapon suites that are 

employed by combat systems. The fire control loop 

is described and engineering examples and 

tradeoffs are illustrated. 

3. Configurations, Equipment, & Computer 

Programs. Various combinations of system 

configurations, equipments, and computer 

programs that constitute existing combat systems. 

4. Command & Control. The ship battle 

organization, operator stations, and humanmachine 

interfaces and displays. Use of automation 

and improvements in operator displays and 

expanded display requirements. Command support 

requirements, systems, and experiments. 

Improvements in operator displays and expanded 

display requirements. 

5. Communications. Current and future 

communications systems employed with combat 

systems and their relationship to combat system 

functions and interoperability. Lessons learned in 

Joint and Coalition operations. Communications in 

the Gulf War. Future systems JTIDS, Copernicus 

and imagery. 

6. Combat System Development. An overview 

of the combat system engineering process, 

operational environment trends that affect system 

design, limitations of current systems, and proposed 

future combat system architectures. System tradeoffs. 

7. Network Centric Warfare and the Future. 

Exponential gains in combat system performance 

as achievable through networking of information 

and coordination of weaponry. 

8. AEGIS Systems Development - A Case 

Study. Historical development of AEGIS. The major 

problems and their solution. Systems engineering 

techniques, controls, and challenges. Approaches 

for continuing improvements such as open 

architecture. Applications of principles to your 

system assignment. Changing Navy missions, 

threat trends, shifts in the defense budget, and 

technology growth. Lessons learned during Desert 

Storm. Requirements to support joint warfare and 

expeditionary forces. 


Electronic Protection and Electronic Attack 

October 12-14, 2010 

Rome, New York 

November 16-18, 2010 

Washington DC 

$1895 (8:30am - 4:00pm) 



Summary 

This three-day course addresses the key 

elements of electronic attack (EA) and electronic 

protection (EP). This includes EA/ECM principles, 

philosophies, and strategies; basic radar systems 

and waveforms; the radar range equation and how 

to manipulate it to derive basic noise and deception 

jamming equations; electronic attack techniques 

and waveform generation; electronic protection 

techniques; threat system analyses; applications to 

communication and infra-red countermeasures 

concepts; and testing and evaluation methods and 

limitations 

Instructor 

Brian Moore has over 25 years experience in 

systems engineering in EW, ES / ESM, and ELINT, 

including electronic attack and radar systems. He 

has a BSEE from Michigan Technological University 

and an MSEE from Syracuse University. Mr. Moore 

has performed system engineering and analysis to 

integrate new EW technology and techniques with 

existing systems and platforms throughout his 

career. In addition, Mr. Moore provides technical 

inputs to the government for ELINT R&D and 

provides consulting for EW system architecture and 

processing, specific emitter identification and 

tracking, intentional modulation on pulse, signal 

detection and feature extraction, and wideband / LPI 

processing. Mr. Moore has performed various 

EW/ESM systems engineering, analysis, 

development, integration, and test efforts (INEWS, 

F-22, A-12, B-2, special projects). Mr. Moore is 

currently the Senior Vice President and Technical 

Director for a major research company. 


• ES, EW, and ELINT receiver architectures and 

techniques. 

• Radar range equation, sensitivity, detection, Pd and 

Pfa. 

• Direction finding and location. 

• Electronic attack techniques. 

• Fundamental ECM principles. 

• Basic jamming equations and J/S. 

• Interactions between electronic attack and 

electronic protection. 

From this course you will obtain knowledge and 

understanding of the fundamentals and principals 

of electronic attack and electronic protection 


1. Basic Principals. 

• Electronic Warfare Definitions and Terminology. 

• EA Basic Concepts. 

• Electronic Support. A key element of EA. 

• Radar Basics.Need to understand what to Jam! 

• EA and RADAR Evolution and the changing Threat 

Scenario. 

• Modern Radar Trends. 

• Pulse Environment / Pulse Density. 

• Modern Radars, Weapons, the Signal Environment & 

Integrated Weapon Systems. 

• Target Acquisition and Guidance Techniques / Technologies. 

• Antenna, Receiver Parameters, Architectures, and 

Detection. 

• Handout and Assign Exercises. 

2. EA Tactics. 

• Denial EA (Noise). 

• Deception EA (False Targets). 

3. EA Types. 

• Noise (Mask) Jammers. 

• Repeater / Deception Jammers. 

4. Basic Noise Jamming Strategies. 

5. Basic Noise Jamming Equations. 

• Noise Techniques. 

• Search Radar Jamming Process. 

• Noise EA Analysis Examples. 

6. Deception / Repeater Jamming. 

• Concept and definitions. 

• Uses of Deception Jammers. 

• Types of Jammers. 

7. Basic J/S Equations. 

8. Functional Architectures, Techniques and Waveform 

Details. 

• RGPO. 

• VGPO. 

• Inverse Gain and SSW. 

• Doppler Noise. 

• Polarization Techniques. 

9. DRFMs. 

10. Off-Board Techniques. 

• Chaff, Towed and Active Free Flight Decoys. 

• Formation Jamming. 

• Terrain Bounce. 

11. Electronic Protection Topics 

12. J/S Requirements / Combined Techniques. 

13. Measures of EA Effectiveness. 

14. Threat Weapon System Analysis. 

15. Deception of Integrated Threat Weapon System. 

16. Communications EA. 

17. Infrared Systems, Countermeasures (IRCM) - 

Flares/Decoys. 

18. Future Trends: EA / EP/ Radar / Digital Receivers. 


EW / ELINT Receivers 

with Digital Signal Processing Techniques 

October 5-7, 2010 

Rome, New York 

November 9-11, 2010 

Washington DC 

$1895 (8:30am - 4:03pm) 



Summary 

This three-day course addresses digital signal processing 

theory, methods, techniques and algorithms with practical 

applications to ELINT. Digitizing, filtering, demodulation, 

spectral analysis, correlation, parameter measurement, 

effects of noise and interference, display techniques and 

additional areas are included. Directed primarily to 

ELINT/EW engineers and scientists responsible for ELINT 

digital signal processing system software and hardware 

design, installation, operation and evaluation, it is also 

appropriate for those having management or technical 

responsibility . 

Instructor 

Brian Moore has over 25 years experience in systems 

engineering in EW, ES / ESM, and ELINT, including electronic 

attack and radar systems. He has a BSEE from Michigan 

Technological University and an MSEE from Syracuse 

University. Mr. Moore has performed system engineering and 

analysis to integrate new EW technology and techniques with 

existing systems and platforms throughout his career. In 

addition, Mr. Moore provides technical inputs to the 

government for ELINT R&D and provides consulting for EW 

system architecture and processing, specific emitter 

identification and tracking, feature extraction, intentional 

modulation on pulse, signal detection, and wideband / LPI 

processing. Mr. Moore has performed various EW/ESM 

systems engineering, analysis, development, integration, and 

test efforts (INEWS, F-22, A-12, B-2, special projects). Mr. 

Moore is currently the Senior Vice President and Technical 

Director for a major research company. 


From this course you will obtain the knowledge and 

understanding of digital signal processing concepts and 

theories for digital receivers and their applications to 

EW/ELINT/ES systems while balancing theory with practice. 

• EW/ELINT receiver techniques and technologies. 

• Digital Signal Processing Techniques. 

• Application of DSP techniques to digital receiver 

development. 

• Key digital receiver functions and components. 

• Fundamental performance analysis and error estimating 

techniques. 


Module 1: 

• Electronic Warfare Overview - ELINT / ESM (ES). 

• Signals and the Electromagnetic Environment. 

• Antenna and Receiver Parameters. 

• Sensitivity, Dynamic Range, TOI, Noise Figure, Inst. BW. 

• Detection Fundamentals - Pd, Pfa, SNR, Effective BW. 

• Receiver Architectures. 

• Crystal Video, IFM, Channelized. 

• Superheterodyne (Narrowband / Wideband). 

• Compressive (Microscan) and Acousto–Optic (Bragg Cell). 

• Receiver Architecture Advantages / Disadvantages. 

• Architectures for Direction Finding. 

• DF and Location Techniques. 

• Amp. Comparison/TDOA/Interferometer. 

• Trends: Wideband, Multi-Function, Digital. 

Module 2: 

• Introduction - Digital Processing. 

• Basic DSP Operations, Sampling Theory, Quantization. 

• Nyquist (Low-pass, Band-pass). Aliasing, Fourier, Z- 

Transform. 

• Hilbert Transforms and the Analytic Signal. 

• Quadrature Demodulation. 

• Direct Digital Down-conversion (fs/4 and m*fs/4 IF Sampling). 

• Digital Receiver “Components”. 

• Signal Conditioning. 

• (Pre-ADC) and Anti-Aliasing. 

• Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADC). 

• Demodulators, CORDICs. 

• Differentiators. 

• Interpolators, Decimators, Equalizers. 

• Detection and Measurement Blocks. 

• Filters (IIR and FIR). 

• Multi-Rate Filters and DSP. 

• Clocks, Timing, Synchronization, Formatters & Embedded 

Processors. 

• Channelized Architectures: Poly-Phase and others. 

• Digital Receiver Advantages and Technology Trends. 

• Digital Receiver Architecture Examples. 

Module 3: 

• Measurement Basics - Error Definitions, Metrics, Averaging. 

• Statistics and Confidence Levels for System Assessment. 

• Error Sources & Statistical Distributions of Interest to System 

Designers. 

• Parameter Errors due to Noise. 

• Thermal, Phase & Quantization Noise impacts on key 

parameters. 

• Noise Modeling and SNR Estimation. 

• Parameter Errors for Correlated Samples. 

• Simultaneous Signal Interference. 

• A/D Performance, Parameters and Error Sources. 

• Freq, Phase, Amp Errors due to Quantization – strict derivation. 

• Combining Errors, Error Sources, Error Propagation and Sample 

Error Budget. 

• Performance Assessment Methods. 

• Receiver Equalization and Characterization. 



Summary 

This two-day course presents the depth and breadth 

of modern Electronic Warfare, covering Ground, Sea, 

Air and Space applications, with simple, easy-to-grasp 

intuitive principles. Complex mathematics will be 

eliminated, while the tradeoffs and complexities of 

current and advanced EW and ELINT systems will be 

explored. The fundamental principles will be 

established first and then the many varied applications 

will be discussed. The attendee will leave this course 

with an understanding of both the principles and the 

practical applications of current and evolving electronic 

warfare technology. This course is designed as an 

introduction for managers and engineers who need an 

understanding of the basics. It will provide you with the 

ability to understand and communicate with others 

working in the field. A detailed set of notes used in the 

class will be provided. 

Instructor 

Duncan F. O’Mara received a B.S from Cornell 

University. He earned a M.S. in Mechanical 

Engineering from the Naval 

Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA. 

In the Navy, he was commissioned as a 

Reserve Officer in Surface Warfare at 

the Officer Candidate School in 

Newport, RI. Upon retirement, he 

worked as a Principal Operations 

Research Analyst with the United States Army at 

Aberdeen Proving Grounds on a Secretary of Defense 

Joint Test & Evaluation logistics project that introduced 

best practices and best processes to the Department 

of Defense (DoD) combatant commanders world wide, 

especially the Pacific Command. While his wife was 

stationed in Italy he was a Visiting Professor in 

mathematics for U. of Maryland’s University Campus 

Europe. He is now the IWS Chair at the USNA’s 

Weapons & Systems Engineering Dept, where he 

teaches courses in basic weapons systems and linear 

controls engineering, as well as acting as an advisor 

for multi-disciplinary senior engineering design 

projects, and as Academic Advisor to a company of 

freshman and Systems Engineering majors. 

December 14-15, 2010 


February 22-23, 2011 

Laurel, Maryland 

$990 (8:30am - 4:00pm) 




1. Introduction to Electronic Combat. Radar- 

ESM-ECM-ECCM-LPI-Stealth (EC-ES-EA-EP). 

Overview of the Threat. Radar Technology Evolution. 

EW Technology Evolution. Radar Range Equation. 

RCS Reduction. Counter-Low Observable (CLO). 

2. Vulnerability of Radar Modes. Air Search 

Radar. Fire Control Radar. Ground Search Radar. 

Pulse Doppler, MTI, DPCA. Pulse Compression. 

Range Track. Angle Track. SAR, TF/TA. 

3. Vulnerability/Susceptibility of Weapon 

Systems. Semi Active Missiles. Command Guided 

Missiles. Active Missiles. TVM. Surface-to-air, air-to-air, 

air-to-surface. 

4. ESM (ES). ESM/ELINT/RWR. Typical ESM 

Systems. Probability of Intercept. ESM Range 

Equation. ESM Sensitivity. ESM Receivers. DOA/AOA 

Measurement. MUSIC / ESPRIT. Passive Ranging. 

5. ECM Techniques (EA). Principals of Electronic 

Attack (EA). Noise Jamming vs. Deception. Repeater 

vs. Transponder. Sidelobe Jamming vs. Mainlobe 

Jamming. Synthetic Clutter. VGPO and RGPO. TB and 

Cross Pol. Chaff and Active Expendables. Decoys. 

Bistatic Jamming. Power Management, DRFM, high 

ERP. 

6. ECCM (EP). EP Techniques Overview. Offensive 

vs Defensive ECCM. Leading Edge Tracker. HOJ/AOJ. 

Adaptive Sidelobe Canceling. STAP. Example Radar- 

ES-EA-EP Engagement. 

7. EW Systems. Airborne Self Protect Jammer. 

Airborne Tactical Jamming System. Shipboard Self- 

Defense System. 

8. EW Design Illustration. Walk-thru Design of a 

Typical ESM/ECM System from an RFP. 

9. EW Technology. EW Technology Evolution. 

Transmitters. Antennas. Receiver / Processing. 

Advanced EW. 



(U.S. Air Force photo by Tom Reynolds) 


1. Introduction to Link 16. 

2. Link 16 / JTIDS / MIDS Documentation 

3. Link 16 Enhancements 

4. System Characteristics 

5. Time Division Multiple Access 

6. Network Participation Groups 

7. J-Series Messages 

8. JTIDS / MIDS Pulse Development 

9. Time Slot Components 

10. Message Packing and Pulses 

11. JTIDS / MIDS Nets and Networks 

12. Access Modes 

13. JTIDS / MIDS Terminal Synchronization 

14. JTIDS / MIDS Network Time 

15. Network Roles 

16. JTIDS / MIDS Terminal Navigation 

17. JTIDS / MIDS Relays 

18. Communications Security 

19. JTIDS / MIDS Pulse Deconfliction 

20. JTIDS / MIDS Terminal Restrictions 

21. Time Slot Duty Factor 

22. JTIDS / MIDS Terminals 


• The course is designed to enable the student to be 

able to speak confidently and with authority about all 

of the subject matter on the right. 

The course is suitable for: 

• Operators 

• Engineers 

• Consultants 

• Sales staff 

• Software Developers 

• Business Development Managers 

• Project / Program Managers 

January 24-25, 2011 

Washington DC 

January 27-28, 2011 

Albuquerque, New Mexico 

April 4-5, 2011 

Washington DC 

April 7-8, 2011 


$1500 (8:00am - 4:00pm) 



Summary 

The Fundamentals of Link 16 / JTIDS / MIDS is a 

comprehensive two-day course designed to give the 

student a thorough understanding of every aspect of 

Link 16 both technical and tactical. The course is 

designed to support both military and industry and 

does not require any previous experience or exposure 

to the subject matter. The course comes with one-year 

follow-on support, which entitles the student to contact 

the instructor with course related questions for one 

year after course completion. 

Instructors 

Patrick Pierson is president of a training, 

consulting, and software development company with 

offices in the U.S. and U.K. Patrick has more than 23 

years of operational experience, and is internationally 

recognized as a Tactical Data Link subject matter 

expert. Patrick has designed more than 30 Tactical 

Data Link training courses and personally trains 

hundreds of students around the globe every year. 

Steve Upton, a retired USAF Joint Interface Control 

Officer (JICO) and former JICO Instructor, is the 

Director of U.S. Training Operations for NCS, the 

world’s leading provider of Tactical Data Link Training 

(TDL). Steve has more than 25 years of operational 

experience, and is a recognized Link 16 / JTIDS / MIDS 

subject matter expert. Steve’s vast operational 

experience includes over 5500 hours of flying time on 

AWACS and JSTARS and scenario developer for 

dozens of Joint and Coalition exercises at the USAF 

Distributed Mission Operation Center (DMOC). 


Fundamentals of Radar Technology 

February 15-17, 2011 


$1590 (8:30am - 4:00pm) 



Summary 

A three-day course covering the basics of radar, 

taught in a manner for true understanding of the 

fundamentals, even for the complete newcomer. 

Covered are electromagnetic waves, frequency bands, 

the natural phenomena of scattering and propagation, 

radar performance calculations and other tools used in 

radar work, and a “walk through” of the four principal 

subsystems – the transmitter, the antenna, the receiver 

and signal processor, and the control and interface 

apparatus – covering in each the underlying principle 

and componentry. A few simple exercises reinforce the 

student’s understanding. Both surface-based and 

airborne radars are addressed. 

Instructor 

Bob Hill received his BS degree from Iowa State 

University and the MS from the University 

of Maryland, both in electrical 

engineering. After spending a year in 

microwave work with an electronics firm 

in Virginia, he was then a ground 

electronics officer in the U.S. Air Force 

and began his civil service career with the 

U.S. Navy . He managed the development of the phased 

array radar of the Navy’s AEGIS system through its 

introduction to the fleet. Later in his career he directed 

the development, acquisition and support of all 

surveillance radars of the surface navy. 

Mr. Hill is a Fellow of the IEEE, an IEEE “distinguished 

lecturer”, a member of its Radar Systems Panel and 

previously a member of its Aerospace and Electronic 

Systems Society Board of Governors for many years. He 

established and chaired through 1990 the IEEE’s series 

of international radar conferences and remains on the 

organizing committee of these, and works with the 

several other nations cooperating in that series. He has 

published numerous conference papers, magazine 

articles and chapters of books, and is the author of the 

radar, monopulse radar, airborne radar and synthetic 

aperture radar articles in the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia 

of Science and Technology and contributor for radarrelated 

entries of their technical dictionary. 


First Morning – Introduction 

The basic nature of radar and its applications, military 

and civil Radiative physics (an exercise); the radar 

range equation; the statistical nature of detection 

Electromagnetic waves, constituent fields and vector 

representation Radar “timing”, general nature, block 

diagrams, typical characteristics, 

First Afternoon – Natural Phenomena: 

Scattering and Propagation. Scattering: Rayleigh point 

scattering; target fluctuation models; the nature of 

clutter. Propagation: Earth surface multipath; 

atmospheric refraction and “ducting”; atmospheric 

attenuation. Other tools: the decibel, etc. (a dB 

exercise). 

Second Morning – Workshop 

An example radar and performance calculations, with 

variations. 

Second Afternoon – Introduction to the 

Subsystems. 

Overview: the role, general nature and challenges of 

each. The Transmitter, basics of power conversion: 

power supplies, modulators, rf devices (tubes, solid 

state). The Antenna: basic principle; microwave optics 

and pattern formation, weighting, sidelobe concerns, 

sum and difference patterns; introduction to phased 

arrays. 

Third Morning – Subsytems Continued: 

The Receiver and Signal Processor. 

Receiver: preamplification, conversion, heterodyne 

operation “image” frequencies and double conversion. 

Signal processing: pulse compression. Signal 

processing: Doppler-sensitive processing Airborne 

radar – the absolute necessity of Doppler processing. 

Third Afternoon – Subsystems: Control and 

Interface Apparatus. 

Automatic detection and constant-false-alarm-rate 

(CFAR) techniques of threshold control. Automatic 

tracking: exponential track filters. Multi-radar fusion, 

briefly Course review, discussion, current topics and 

community activity. 

The course is taught from the student notebook 

supplied, based heavily on the open literature and 

with adequate references to the most popular of 

the many textbooks now available. The student’s 

own note-taking and participation in the exercises 

will enhance understanding as well. 


Fundamentals of Rockets and Missiles 

October 12-14, 2010 

Las Vegas, Nevada 

February 1-3, 2011 


March 8-10, 2011 


$1590 (8:30am - 4:00pm) 



Summary 

This course provides an overview of rockets and missiles 

for government and industry officials with limited technical 

experience in rockets and missiles. The course provides a 

practical foundation of knowledge in rocket and missile issues 

and technologies. The seminar is designed for engineers, 

technical personnel, military specialist, decision makers and 

managers of current and future projects needing a more 

complete understanding of the complex issues of rocket and 

missile technology The seminar provides a solid foundation in 

the issues that must be decided in the use, operation and 

development of rocket systems of the future. You will learn a 

wide spectrum of problems, solutions and choices in the 

technology of rockets and missile used for military and civil 

purposes. 

Attendees will receive a complete set of printed notes. 

These notes will be an excellent future reference for current 

trends in the state-of-the-art in rocket and missile technology 

and decision making. 

Instructor 

Edward L. Keith is a multi-discipline Launch Vehicle System 

Engineer, specializing in integration of launch 

vehicle technology, design, modeling and 

business strategies. He is currently an 

independent consultant, writer and teacher of 

rocket system tec hnology. He is experienced 

in launch vehicle operations, design, testing, 

business analysis, risk reduction, modeling, 

safety and reliability. He also has 13-years of government 

experience including five years working launch operations at 

Vandenberg AFB. Mr. Keith has written over 20 technical 

papers on various aspects of low cost space transportation 

over the last two decades. 

Who Should Attend 

• Aerospace Industry Managers. 

• Government Regulators, Administrators and 

sponsors of rocket or missile projects. 

• Engineers of all disciplines supporting rocket and 

missile projects. 

• Contractors or investors involved in missile 

development. 

• Military Professionals. 


• Fundamentals of rocket and missile systems. 

• The spectrum of rocket uses and technologies. 

• Differences in technology between foreign and 

domestic rocket systems. 

• Fundamentals and uses of solid and liquid rocket 

systems. 

• Differences between systems built as weapons and 

those built for commerce. 


1. Introduction to Rockets and Missiles. The Classifications 

of guided, and unguided, missile systems is introduced. The 

practical uses of rocket systems as weapons of war, commerce 

and the peaceful exploration of space are examined. 

2. Rocket Propulsion made Simple. How rocket motors and 

engines operate to achieve thrust. Including Nozzle Theory, are 

explained. The use of the rocket equation and related Mass 

Properties metrics are introduced. The flight environments and 

conditions of rocket vehicles are presented. Staging theory for 

rockets and missiles are explained. Non-traditional propulsion is 

addressed. 

3. Introduction to Liquid Propellant Performance, Utility 

and Applications. Propellant performance issues of specific 

impulse, Bulk density and mixture ratio decisions are examined. 

Storable propellants for use in space are described. Other 

propellant Properties, like cryogenic properties, stability, toxicity, 

compatibility are explored. Mono-Propellants and single 

propellant systems are introduced. 

4. Introducing Solid Rocket Motor Technology. The 

advantages and disadvantages of solid rocket motors are 

examined. Solid rocket motor materials, propellant grains and 

construction are described. Applications for solid rocket motors as 

weapons and as cost-effective space transportation systems are 

explored. Hybrid Rocket Systems are explored. 

5. Liquid Rocket System Technology. Rocket Engines, from 

pressure fed to the three main pump-fed cycles, are examined. 

Engine cooling methods are explored. Other rocket engine and 

stage elements are described. Control of Liquid Rocket stage 

steering is presented. Propellant Tanks, Pressurization systems 

and Cryogenic propellant Management are explained. 

6. Foreign vs. American Rocket Technology and Design. 

How the former Soviet aerospace system diverged from the 

American systems, where the Russians came out ahead, and 

what we can learn from the differences. Contrasts between the 

Russian and American Design philosophy are observed to provide 

lessons for future design. Foreign competition from the end of the 

Cold War to the foreseeable future is explored. 

7. Rockets in Spacecraft Propulsion. The difference 

between launch vehicle booster systems, and that found on 

spacecraft, satellites and transfer stages, is examined The use of 

storable and hypergolic propellants in space vehicles is explained. 

Operation of rocket systems in micro-gravity is studied. 

8. Rockets Launch Sites and Operations. Launch Locations 

in the USA and Russia are examined for the reason the locations 

have been chosen. The considerations taken in the selection of 

launch sites are explored. The operations of launch sites in a more 

efficient manner, is examined for future systems. 

9. Rockets as Commercial Ventures. Launch Vehicles as 

American commercial ventures are examined, including the 

motivation for commercialization. The Commercial Launch Vehicle 

market is explored. 

10. Useful Orbits and Trajectories Made Simple. The 

student is introduced to simplified and abbreviated orbital 

mechanics. Orbital changes using Delta-V to alter an orbit, and 

the use of transfer orbits, are explored. Special orbits like 

geostationary, sun synchronous and Molnya are presented. 

Ballistic Missile trajectories and re-entry penetration is examined. 

11. Reliability and Safety of Rocket Systems. Introduction 

to the issues of safety and reliability of rocket and missile systems 

is presented. The hazards of rocket operations, and mitigation of 

the problems, are explored. The theories and realistic practices of 

understanding failures within rocket systems, and strategies to 

improve reliability, is discussed. 

12. Expendable Launch Vehicle Theory, Performance and 

Uses. The theory of Expendable Launch Vehicle (ELV) 

dominance over alternative Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLV) is 

explored. The controversy over simplification of liquid systems as 

a cost effective strategy is addressed. 

13. Reusable Launch Vehicle Theory and Performance. 

The student is provided with an appreciation and understanding of 

why Reusable Launch Vehicles have had difficulty replacing 

expendable launch vehicles. Classification of reusable launch 

vehicle stages is introduced. The extra elements required to bring 

stages safely back to the starting line is explored. Strategies to 

make better RLV systems are presented. 

14. The Direction of Technology. A final open discussion 

regarding the direction of rocket technology, science, usage and 

regulations of rockets and missiles is conducted to close out the 

class study. 


Multi-Target Tracking and Multi-Sensor Data Fusion 



$1590 (8:30am - 4:00pm) 



Instructor 

Revised With 

Newly Added 

Topics 

Summary 

The objective of this course is to introduce 

engineers, scientists, managers and military 

operations personnel to the fields of target 

tracking and data fusion, and to the key 

technologies which are available today for 

application to this field. The course is designed 

to be rigorous where appropriate, while 

remaining accessible to students without a 

specific scientific background in this field. The 

course will start from the fundamentals and 

move to more advanced concepts. This course 

will identify and characterize the principle 

components of typical tracking systems. A 

variety of techniques for addressing different 

aspects of the data fusion problem will be 

described. Real world examples will be used 

to emphasize the applicability of some of the 

algorithms. Specific illustrative examples will 

be used to show the tradeoffs and systems 

issues between the application of different 

techniques. 

Stan Silberman is a member of the Senior 

Technical Staff at the Johns Hopkins Univeristy 

Applied Physics Laboratory. He has over 30 

years of experience in tracking, sensor fusion, 

and radar systems analysis and design for the 

Navy,Marine Corps, Air Force, and FAA. 

Recent work has included the integration of a 

new radar into an existing multisensor system 

and in the integration, using a multiple 

hypothesis approach, of shipboard radar and 

ESM sensors. Previous experience has 

included analysis and design of multiradar 

fusion systems, integration of shipboard 

sensors including radar, IR and ESM, 

integration of radar, IFF, and time-difference-ofarrival 

sensors with GPS data sources. 


1. Introduction. 

2. The Kalman Filter. 

3. Other Linear Filters. 

4. Non-Linear Filters. 

5. Angle-Only Tracking. 

6. Maneuvering Targets: Adaptive Techniques. 

7. Maneuvering Targets: Multiple Model 

Approaches. 

8. Single Target Correlation & Association. 

9. Track Initiation, Confirmation & Deletion. 

10. Using Measured Range Rate (Doppler). 

11. Multitarget Correlation & Association. 

12. Probabilistic Data Association. 

13. Multiple Hypothesis Approaches. 

14. Coordinate Conversions. 

15. Multiple Sensors. 

16. Data Fusion Architectures. 

17. Fusion of Data From Multiple Radars. 

18. Fusion of Data From Multiple Angle-Only 

Sensors. 

19. Fusion of Data From Radar and Angle-Only 

Sensor. 

20. Sensor Alignment. 

21. Fusion of Target Type and Attribute Data. 

22. Performance Metrics. 


• State Estimation Techniques – Kalman Filter, 

constant-gain filters. 

• Non-linear filtering – When is it needed Extended 

Kalman Filter. 

• Techniques for angle-only tracking. 

• Tracking algorithms, their advantages and 

limitations, including: 

- Nearest Neighbor 

- Probabilistic Data Association 

- Multiple Hypothesis Tracking 

- Interactive Multiple Model (IMM) 

• How to handle maneuvering targets. 

• Track initiation – recursive and batch approaches. 

• Architectures for sensor fusion. 

• Sensor alignment – Why do we need it and how do 

we do it 

• Attribute Fusion, including Bayesian methods, 

Dempster-Shafer, Fuzzy Logic. 


Radar Systems Design & Engineering 

Radar Performance Calculations 

March 1-4, 2011 


$1795 (8:30am - 4:00pm) 



Summary 

This four-day course covers the fundamental principles 

of radar functionality, architecture, and performance. 

Diverse issues such as transmitter stability, antenna 

pattern, clutter, jamming, propagation, target cross 

section, dynamic range, receiver noise, receiver 

architecture, waveforms, processing, and target detection, 

are treated in detail within the unifying context of the radar 

range equation, and examined within the contexts of 

surface and airborne radar platforms. The fundamentals of 

radar multi-target tracking principles are covered, and 

detailed examples of surface and airborne radars are 

presented. This course is designed for engineers and 

engineering managers who wish to understand how 

surface and airborne radar systems work, and to 

familiarize themselves with pertinent design issues and 

with the current technological frontiers. 

Instructors 

Dr. Menachem Levitas is the Chief Scientist of 

Technology Service Corporation (TSC) / 

Washington. He has thirty-eight years of 

experience, thirty of which include radar 

systems analysis and design for the Navy, 

Air Force, Marine Corps, and FAA. He 

holds the degree of Ph.D. in physics from 

the University of Virginia, and a B.S. 

degree from the University of Portland. 

Stan Silberman is a member of the Senior Technical 

Staff of Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics 

Laboratory. He has over thirtyyears of experience in radar 

systems analysis and design for the Navy, Air Force, and 

FAA. His areas of specialization include automatic 

detection and tracking systems, sensor data fusion, 

simulation, and system evaluation. 


• What are radar subsystems. 

• How to calculate radar performance. 

• Key functions, issues, and requirements. 

• How different requirements make radars different. 

• Operating in different modes & environments. 

• Issues unique to multifunction, phased array, radars. 

• How airborne radars differ from surface radars. 

• Today's requirements, technologies & designs. 


1. Radar Range Equation. Radar ranging principles, 

frequencies, architecture, measurements, displays, and 

parameters. Radar range equation; radar waveforms; 

antenna patterns types, and parameters. 

2. Noise in Receiving Systems and Detection 

Principles. Noise sources; statistical properties; noise in a 

receiving chain; noise figure and noise temperature; false 

alarm and detection probability; pulse integration; target 

models; detection of steady and fluctuating targets. 

3. Propagation of Radio Waves in the Troposphere. 

Propagation of Radio Waves in the Troposphere. The pattern 

propagation factor; interference (multipath) and diffraction; 

refraction; standard and anomalous refractivity; littoral 

propagation; propagation modeling; low altitude propagation; 

atmospheric attenuation. 

4. CW Radar, Doppler, and Receiver Architecture. 

Basic properties; CW and high PRF relationships; the Doppler 

principle; dynamic range, stability; isolation requirements; 

homodynes and superheterodyne receivers; in-phase and 

quadrature; signal spectrum; matched filtering; CW ranging; 

and measurement accuracy. 

5. Radar Clutter and Clutter Filtering Principles. 

Surface and volumetric clutter; reflectivity; stochastic 

properties; sea, land, rain, chaff, birds, and urban clutter; 

Pulse Doppler and MTI; transmitter stability; blind speeds and 

ranges,; Staggered PRFs; filter weighting; performance 

measures. 

6. Airborne Radar. Platform motion; iso-ranges and iso- 

Dopplers; mainbeam and sidelobe clutter; the three PRF 

regimes; ambiguities; real beam Doppler sharpening; 

synthetic aperture ground mapping modes; GMTI. 

7. High Range Resolution Principles: Pulse 

Compression. The Time-bandwidth product; the pulse 

compression process; discrete and continuous pulse 

compression codes; performance measures; mismatched 

filtering. 

8. High Range Resolution Principles: Synthetic 

Wideband. Motivation; alternative techniques; cross-band 

calibration. 

9. Electronically Scanned Radar Systems. Beam 

formation; beam steering techniques; grating lobes; phase 

shifters; multiple beams; array bandwidth; true time delays; 

ultralow sidelobes and array errors; beam scheduling. 

10. Active Phased Array Radar Systems. Active vs. 

passive arrays; architectural and technological properties; the 

T/R module; dynamic range; average power; stability; 

pertinent issues; cost; frequency dependence. 

11. Auto-Calibration and Auto-Compensation 

Techniques in Active Phased. Arrays. Motivation; calibration 

approaches; description of the mutual coupling approach; an 

auto-compensation approach. 

12. Sidelobe Blanking. Motivation; principle; implementation 

issues. 

13. Adaptive Cancellation. The adaptive space 

cancellation principle; broad pattern cancellers; high gain 

cancellers; tap delay lines; the effects of clutter; number of 

jammers, jammer geometries, and bandwidths on canceller 

performance; channel matching requirements; sample matrix 

inverse method. 

14. Multiple Target Tracking. Definition of Basic terms. 

Track Initiation, State Estimation & Filtering, Adaptive and 

Multiple Model Processing, Data Correlation & Association, 

Tracker Performance Evaluation. 


Rocket Propulsion 101 

Rocket Fundamentals & Up-to-Date Information 

February 14-16, 2011 


March 15-17, 2011 


$1590 (8:30am - 4:00pm) 



Summary 

This three-day course is based on the popular text 

Rocket Propulsion Elements by Sutton and Biblarz. 

The course provides practical knowledge in rocket 

propulsion engineering and design technology issues. 

It is designed for those needing a more complete 

understanding of the complex issues. 

The objective is to give the engineer or manager the 

tools needed to understand the available choices in 

rocket propulsion and/or to manage technical experts 

with greater in-depth knowledge of rocket systems. 

Attendees will receive a copy of the book Rocket 

Propulsion Elements, a disk with practical rocket 

equations in Excel, and a set of printed notes covering 

advanced additional material. 

Instructor 

Edward L. Keith is a multi-discipline Launch Vehicle 

System Engineer, specializing in 

integration of launch vehicle technology, 

design, modeling and business 

strategies. He is an independent 

consultant, writer and teacher of rocket 

system technology, experienced in 

launch vehicle operations, design, 

testing, business analysis, risk reduction, modeling, 

safety and reliability. Mr. Keith’s experience includes 

reusable & expendable launch vehicles as well as solid 

& liquid rocket systems. 


• Engineers of all disciplines supporting rocket design 

projects. 

• Aerospace Industry Managers. 

• Government Regulators, Administrators and sponsors of 

rocket or missile projects. 

• Contractors or investors involved in rocket propulsion 

development projects. 


1. Classification of Rocket Propulsion. Introduction to 

the types and classification of rocket propulsion, including 

chemical, solid, liquid, hybrid, electric, nuclear and solarthermal 

systems. 

2. Fundaments and Definitions. Introduction to mass 

ratios, momentum thrust, pressure balances in rocket 

engines, specific impulse, energy efficiencies and 

performance values. 

3. Nozzle Theory. Understanding the acceleration of 

gasses in a nozzle to exchange chemical thermal energy into 

kinetic energy, pressure and momentum thrust, 

thermodynamic relationships, area ratios, and the ratio of 

specific heats. Issues of subsonic, sonic and supersonic 

nozzles. Equations for coefficient of thrust, and the effects of 

under and over expanded nozzles. Examination of cone&bell 

nozzles, and evaluation of nozzle losses. 

4. Performance. Evaluation of performance of rocket 

stages & vehicles. Introduction to coefficient of drag, 

aerodynamic losses, steering losses and gravity losses. 

Examination of spaceflight and orbital velocity, elliptical orbits, 

transfer orbits, staging theory. Discussion of launch vehicles 

and flight stability. 

5. Propellant Performance and Density Implications. 

Introduction to thermal chemical analysis, exhaust species 

shift with mixture ratio, and the concepts of frozen and shifting 

equilibrium. The effects of propellant density on mass 

properties & performance of rocket systems for advanced 

design decisions. 

6. Liquid Rocket Engines. Liquid rocket engine 

fundamentals, introduction to practical propellants, propellant 

feed systems, gas pressure feed systems, propellant tanks, 

turbo-pump feed systems, flow and pressure balance, RCS 

and OMS, valves, pipe lines, and engine supporting structure. 

7. Liquid Propellants. A survey of the spectrum of 

practical liquid and gaseous rocket propellants is conducted, 

including properties, performance, advantages and 

disadvantages. 

8. Thrust Chambers. The examination of injectors, 

combustion chamber and nozzle and other major engine 

elements is conducted in-depth. The issues of heat transfer, 

cooling, film cooling, ablative cooling and radiation cooling are 

explored. Ignition and engine start problems and solutions are 

examined. 

9. Combustion. Examination of combustion zones, 

combustion instability and control of instabilities in the design 

and analysis of rocket engines. 

10. Turbopumps. Close examination of the issues of 

turbo-pumps, the gas generation, turbines, and pumps. 

Parameters and properties of a good turbo-pump design. 

11. Solid Rocket Motors. Introduction to propellant grain 

design, alternative motor configurations and burning rate 

issues. Burning rates, and the effects of hot or cold motors. 

Propellant grain configuration with regressive, neutral and 

progressive burn motors. Issues of motor case, nozzle, and 

thrust termination design. Solid propellant formulations, 

binders, fuels and oxidizers. 

12. Hybrid Rockets. Applications and propellants used in 

hybrid rocket systems. The advantages and disadvantages of 

hybrid rocket motors. Hybrid rocket grain configurations / 

combustion instability. 

13. Thrust Vector Control. Thrust Vector Control 

mechanisms and strategies. Issues of hydraulic actuation, 

gimbals and steering mechanisms. Solid rocket motor flexbearings. 

Liquid and gas injection thrust vector control. The 

use of vanes and rings for steering.. 

14. Rocket System Design. Integration of rocket system 

design and selection processes with the lessons of rocket 

propulsion. How to design rocket systems. 

15. Applications and Conclusions. Now that you have 

an education in rocket propulsion, what else is needed to 

design rocket systems A discussion regarding the future of 

rocket engine and system design. 


Synthetic Aperture Radar 

Fundamentals 

October 25-26, 2010 




Instructors: 

Walt McCandless & Bart Huxtable 

$1290** (8:30am - 4:00pm) 

$990 without RadarCalc software 

Advanced 

October 27-28, 2010 


February 10-11, 2011 


Instructors: 

Bart Huxtable & Sham Chotoo 

$1290** (8:30am - 4:00pm) 

$990 without RadarCalc software 

**Includes single user RadarCalc license for Windows PC, for the design of airborne & space-based 

SAR. Retail price $1000. 


• Basic concepts and principles of SAR. 

• What are the key system parameters. 

• Performance calculations using RadarCalc. 

• Design and implementation tradeoffs. 

• Current system performance. Emerging 

systems. 


1. Applications Overview. A survey of important 

applications and how they influence the SAR system 

from sensor through processor. A wide number of SAR 

designs and modes will be presented from the 

pioneering classic, single channel, strip mapping 

systems to more advanced all-polarization, spotlight, 

and interferometric designs. 

2. Applications and System Design Tradeoffs 

and Constraints. System design formulation will begin 

with a class interactive design workshop using the 

RadarCalc model designed for the purpose of 

demonstrating the constraints imposed by 

range/Doppler ambiguities, minimum antenna area, 

limitations and related radar physics and engineering 

constraints. Contemporary pacing technologies in the 

area of antenna design, on-board data collection and 

processing and ground system processing and 

analysis will also be presented along with a projection 

of SAR technology advancements, in progress, and 

how they will influence future applications. 

3. Civil Applications. A review of the current NASA 

and foreign scientific applications of SAR. 

4. Commercial Applications. The emerging 

interest in commercial applications is international and 

is fueled by programs such as Canada’s RadarSat-2, 

the European ENVISAT and TerraSAR series, the 

NASA/JPL UAVSAR system, and commercial systems 

such as Intermap's Star-3i and Fugro's GeoSAR. The 

applications (surface mapping, change detection, 

resource exploration and development, etc.) driving 

this interest will be presented and analyzed in terms of 

the sensor and platform space/airborne and associated 

ground systems design. 


• How to process data from SAR systems for 

high resolution, wide area coverage, 

interferometric and/or polarimetric applications. 

• How to design and build high performance 

SAR processors. 

• Perform SAR data calibration. 

• Ground moving target indication (GMTI) in a 

SAR context. 

• Current state-of-the-art. 


1. SAR Review Origins. Theory, Design, 

Engineering, Modes, Applications, System. 

2. Processing Basics. Traditional strip map 

processing steps, theoretical justification, processing 

systems designs, typical processing systems. 

3. Advanced SAR Processing. Processing 

complexities arising from uncompensated motion and 

low frequency (e.g., foliage penetrating) SAR 

processing. 

4. Interferometric SAR. Description of the state-ofthe-art 

IFSAR processing techniques: complex SAR 

image registration, interferogram and correlogram 

generation, phase unwrapping, and digital terrain 

elevation data (DTED) extraction. 

5. Spotlight Mode SAR. Theory and 

implementation of high resolution imaging. Differences 

from strip map SAR imaging. 

6. Polarimetric SAR. Description of the image 

information provided by polarimetry and how this can 

be exploited for terrain classification, soil moisture, 

ATR, etc. 

7. High Performance Computing Hardware. 

Parallel implementations, supercomputers, compact 

DSP systems, hybrid opto-electronic system. 

8. SAR Data Calibration. Internal (e.g., cal-tones) 

and external calibrations, Doppler centroid aliasing, 

geolocation, polarimetric calibration, ionospheric 

effects. 

9. Example Systems and Applications. Spacebased: 

SIR-C, RADARSAT, ENVISAT, TerraSAR, 

Cosmo-Skymed, PalSAR. Airborne: AirSAR and other 

current systems. Mapping, change detection, 

polarimetry, interferometry. 


Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Applications 

Engineering, Spectrum, and Regulatory Issues Associated with Unmanned Aerial Vehicles 

NEW! 

Summary 

This one-day course is designed for engineers, 

aviation experts and project managers who wish to 

enhance their understanding of UAS. The course 

provides the "big picture" for those who work outside of 

the discipline. Each topic addresses real systems 

(Predator, Shadow, Warrior and others) and real-world 

problems and issues concerning the use and 

expansion of their applications. 

Instructor 

Mr. Mark N. Lewellen has nearly 25 years of 

experience with a wide variety of space, satellite and 

aviation related projects, including the 

Predator/Shadow/Warrior/Global Hawk 

UAVs, Orbcomm, Iridium, Sky Station, 

and aeronautical mobile telemetry 

systems. More recently he has been 

working in the exciting field of UAS. He is 

currently the Vice Chairman of a UAS 

Sub-group under Working Party 5B 

which is leading the US preparations to find new radio 

spectrum for UAS operations for the next World 

Radiocommunication Conference in 2011 under 

Agenda Item 1.3. He is also a technical advisor to the 

US State Department and a member of the National 

Committee which reviews and comments on all US 

submissions to international telecommunication 

groups, including the International Telecommunication 

Union (ITU). 


• Categories of current UAS and their aeronautical 

capabilities 

• Major manufactures of UAS 

• The latest developments and major components of 

a UAS 

• What type of sensor data can UAS provide 

• Regulatory and spectrum issues associated with 

UAS 

• National Airspace System including the different 

classes of airspace 

• How will UAS gain access to the National Airspace 

System (NAS) 

November 9, 2010 


March 1, 2011 


$650 (8:30am - 4:30pm) 


1. Historic Development of UAS Post 1960’s. 

2. Components and latest developments of a 

UAS. Ground Control Station, Radio Links (LOS 

and BLOS), UAV, Payloads. 

3. UAS Manufacturers. Domestic, International. 

4. Classes, Characteristics and Comparisons 

of UAS. 

5. Operational Scenarios for UAS. Phases of 

Flight, Federal Government Use of UAS, State 

and Local government use of UAS. Civil and 

commercial use of UAS. 

6. ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and 

Reconnaissance) of UAS. Optical, Infrared, 

Radar. 

7. Comparative Study of the Safety of UAS. 

In the Air and On the ground. 

8. UAS Access to the National Airspace 

System (NAS). Overview of the NAS, Classes of 

Airspace, Requirements for Access to the NAS, 

Issues Being Addressed, Issues Needing to be 

Addressed. 

9. Bandwidth and Spectrum Issues. Bandwidth 

of single UAV, Aggregate bandwidth of UAS 

population. 

10. International UAS issues. WRC Process, 

Agenda Item 1.3 and Resolution 421. 

11. UAS Centers of Excellence. North Dakota, 

Las Cruses, NM, DoD. 

12. Worked Examples of Channeling Plans 

and Link/Interference Budgets. Shadow, Predator/Warrior. 

13. UAS Interactive Deployment Scenarios. 


Applied Systems Engineering 

A 4-Day Practical 

Workshop 

Planned and Controlled 

Methods are Essential to 

Successful Systems. 

Participants in this course 

practice the skills by designing and building 

interoperating robots that solve a larger problem. 

Small groups build actual interoperating robots to 

solve a larger problem. Create these interesting and 

challenging robotic systems while practicing: 

• Requirements development from a stakeholder 

description. 

• System architecting, including quantified, 

stakeholder-oriented trade-offs. 

• Implementation in software and hardware 

• Systm integration, verification and validation 

Summary 

Systems engineering is a simple flow of concepts, 

frequently neglected in the press of day-to-day work, 

that reduces risk step by step. In this workshop, you 

will learn the latest systems principles, processes, 

products, and methods. This is a practical course, in 

which students apply the methods to build real, 

interacting systems during the workshop. You can use 

the results now in your work. 

This workshop provides an in-depth look at the 

latest principles for systems engineering in context of 

standard development cycles, with realistic practice on 

how to apply them. The focus is on the underlying 

thought patterns, to help the participant understand 

why rather than just teach what to do. 

Instructor 

Eric Honour, CSEP, international consultant and 

lecturer, has a 40-year career of 

complex systems development & 

operation. Founder and former 

President of INCOSE. He has led the 

development of 18 major systems, 

including the Air Combat Maneuvering 

Instrumentation systems and the Battle 

Group Passive Horizon Extension System. BSSE 

(Systems Engineering), US Naval Academy, MSEE, 

Naval Postgraduate School, and PhD candidate, 

University of South Australia. 

This course is designed for systems engineers, 

technical team leaders, program managers, project 

managers, logistic support leaders, design 

engineers, and others who participate in defining 

and developing complex systems. 


• A leader or a key member of a complex system 

development team. 

• Concerned about the team’s technical success. 

• Interested in how to fit your system into its system 

environment. 

• Looking for practical methods to use in your team. 

October 18-21, 2010 


$1690 (8:30am - 4:00pm) 




1. How do We Work With Complexity 

Basic definitions and concepts. Problemsolving 

approaches; system thinking; systems 

engineering overview; what systems 

engineering is NOT. 

2. Systems Engineering Model. An 

underlying process model that ties together all 

the concepts and methods. Overview of the 

systems engineering model; technical aspects 

of systems engineering; management aspects 

of systems engineering. 

3. A System Challenge Application. 

Practical application of the systems 

engineering model against an interesting and 

entertaining system development. Small 

groups build actual interoperating robots to 

solve a larger problem. Small group 

development of system requirements and 

design, with presentations for mutual learning. 

4. Where Do Requirements Come From 

Requirements as the primary method of 

measurement and control for systems 

development. How to translate an undefined 

need into requirements; how to measure a 

system; how to create, analyze, manage 

requirements; writing a specification. 

5. Where Does a Solution Come From 

Designing a system using the best methods 

known today. System architecting processes; 

alternate sources for solutions; how to allocate 

requirements to the system components; how 

to develop, analyze, and test alternatives; how 

to trade off results and make decisions. Getting 

from the system design to the system. 

6. Ensuring System Quality. Building in 

quality during the development, and then 

checking it frequently. The relationship 

between systems engineering and systems 

testing. 

7. Systems Engineering Management. 

How to successfully manage the technical 

aspects of the system development; virtual, 

collaborative teams; design reviews; technical 

performance measurement; technical 

baselines and configuration management. 


Architecting with DODAF 

Effectively Using The DOD Architecture Framework (DODAF) 

NEW! 

The DOD Architecture Framework (DODAF) 

provides an underlying structure to work with 

complexity. Today’s systems do not stand alone; 

each system fits within an increasingly complex 

system-of-systems, a network of interconnection 

that virtually guarantees surprise behavior. 

Systems science recognizes this type of 

interconnectivity as one essence of complexity. It 

requires new tools, new methods, and new 

paradigms for effective system design. 

Summary 

This course provides knowledge and exercises at 

a practical level in the use of the DODAF. You will 

learn about architecting processes, methods and 

thought patterns. You will practice architecting by 

creating DODAF representations of a familiar, 

complex system-of-systems. By the end of this 

course, you will be able to use DODAF effectively in 

your work. This course is intended for systems 

engineers, technical team leaders, program or 

project managers, and others who participate in 

defining and developing complex systems. 

Practice architecting on a creative “Mars Rotor” 

complex system. Define the operations, 

technical structure, and migration for this future 

space program. 


• Three aspects of an architecture 

• Four primary architecting activities 

• Eight DoDAF 2.0 viewpoints 

• The entire set of DoDAF 2.0 views and how they 

relate to each other 

• A useful sequence to create views 

• Different “Fit-for-Purpose” versions of the views. 

• How to plan future changes. 

Instructor 

Dr. Scott Workinger has led projects in 

Manufacturing, Eng. & Construction, 

and Info. Tech. for 30 years. His 

projects have made contributions 

ranging from increasing optical fiber 

bandwidth to creating new CAD 

technology. He currently teaches 

courses on management and 

engineering and consults on strategic issues in 

management and technology. He holds a Ph.D. in 

Engineering from Stanford. 

November 4-5 2010 


$990 (8:30am - 4:00pm) 




1. Introduction. The relationship between 

architecting and systems engineering. Course 

objectives and expectations.. 

2. Architectures and Architecting. Fundamental 

concepts. Terms and definitions. Origin of the terms 

within systems development. Understanding of the 

components of an architecture. Architecting key 

activities. Foundations of modern architecting. 

3. Architectural Tools. Architectural frameworks: 

DODAF, TOGAF, Zachman, FEAF. Why frameworks 

exist, and what they hope to provide. Design patterns 

and their origin. Using patterns to generate 

alternatives. Pattern language and the communication 

of patterns. System architecting patterns. Binding 

patterns into architectures. 

4. DODAF Overview. Viewpoints within DoDAF (All, 

Capability, Data/Information, Operational, Project, 

Services, Standards, Systems). How Viewpoints 

support models. Diagram types (views) within each 

viewpoint. 

5. DODAF Operational Definition. Describing an 

operational environment, and then modifying it to 

incorporate new capabilities. Sequences of creation. 

How to convert concepts into DODAF views. Practical 

exercises on each DODAF view, with review and 

critique. Teaching method includes three passes for 

each product: (a) describing the views, (b) instructorled 

exercise, (c) group work to create views. 

6. DODAF Technical Definition Processes. 

Converting the operational definition into serviceoriented 

technical architecture. Matching the new 

architecture with legacy systems. Sequences of 

creation. Linkages between the technical viewpoints 

and the operational viewpoints. Practical exercises on 

each DODAF view, with review and critique, again 

using the three-pass method. 

7. DODAF Migration Definition Processes. How 

to depict the migration of current systems into future 

systems while maintaining operability at each step. 

Practical exercises on migration planning. 


Certified Systems Engineering Professional - CSEP Preparation 

Guaranteed Training to Pass the CSEP Certification Exam 

NEW! 

Instructor 

For additional 2011 dates, 

see our Schedule at 


November 12-13, 2010 

Orlando, Florida 

December 9-10, 2010 

Los Angeles, California 

February 11-12, 2011 


March 30-31, 2011 

Minneapolis, Minnesota 

$990 (8:30am - 4:30pm) 



Summary 

This two-day course walks through the CSEP 

requirements and the INCOSE Handbook Version 3.1 

to cover all topics on the CSEP exam. Interactive work, 

study plans, and sample examination questions help 

you to prepare effectively for the exam. Participants 

leave the course with solid knowledge, a hard copy of 

the INCOSE Handbook, study plans, and a sample 

examination. 

Attend the CSEP course to learn what you need. 

Follow the study plan to seal in the knowledge. Use the 

sample exam to test yourself and check your 

readiness. Contact our instructor for questions if 

needed. Then take the exam. If you do not pass, you 

can retake the course at no cost. 


lecturer, has a 40-year career of 

complex systems development & 


President of INCOSE. Author of the 

“Value of SE” material in the INCOSE 

Handbook. He has led the 

development of 18 major systems, 

including the Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation 

systems and the Battle Group Passive Horizon 

Extension System. BSSE (Systems Engineering), US 

Naval Academy, MSEE, Naval Postgraduate School, 

and PhD candidate, University of South Australia. 


• How to pass the CSEP examination! 

• Details of the INCOSE Handbook, the source for the 

exam. 

• Your own strengths and weaknesses, to target your 

study. 

• The key processes and definitions in the INCOSE 

language of the exam. 

• How to tailor the INCOSE processes. 

• Five rules for test-taking. 


1. Introduction. What is the CSEP and what are the 

requirements to obtain it Terms and definitions. Basis of 

the examination. Study plans and sample examination 

questions and how to use them. Plan for the course. 

Introduction to the INCOSE Handbook. Self-assessment 

quiz. Filling out the CSEP application. 

2. Systems Engineering and Life Cycles. Definitions 

and origins of systems engineering, including the latest 

concepts of “systems of systems.” Hierarchy of system 

terms. Value of systems engineering. Life cycle 

characteristics and stages, and the relationship of 

systems engineering to life cycles. Development 

approaches. The INCOSE Handbook system 

development examples. 

3. Technical Processes. The processes that take a 

system from concept in the eye to operation, maintenance 

and disposal. Stakeholder requirements and technical 

requirements, including concept of operations, 

requirements analysis, requirements definition, 

requirements management. Architectural design, including 

functional analysis and allocation, system architecture 

synthesis. Implementation, integration, verification, 

transition, validation, operation, maintenance and disposal 

of a system. 

4. Project Processes. Technical management and 

the role of systems engineering in guiding a project. 

Project planning, including the Systems Engineering Plan 

(SEP), Integrated Product and Process Development 

(IPPD), Integrated Product Teams (IPT), and tailoring 

methods. Project assessment, including Technical 

Performance Measurement (TPM). Project control. 

Decision-making and trade-offs. Risk and opportunity 

management, configuration management, information 

management. 

5. Enterprise & Agreement Processes. How to 

define the need for a system, from the viewpoint of 

stakeholders and the enterprise. Acquisition and supply 

processes, including defining the need. Managing the 

environment, investment, and resources. Enterprise 

environment management. Investment management 

including life cycle cost analysis. Life cycle processes 

management standard processes, and process 

improvement. Resource management and quality 

management. 

6. Specialty Engineering Activities. Unique 

technical disciplines used in the systems engineering 

processes: integrated logistics support, electromagnetic 

and environmental analysis, human systems integration, 

mass properties, modeling & simulation including the 

system modeling language (SysML), safety & hazards 

analysis, sustainment and training needs. 

7. After-Class Plan. Study plans and methods. 

Using the self-assessment to personalize your study plan. 

Five rules for test-taking. How to use the sample 

examinations. How to reach us after class, and what to do 

when you succeed. 

The INCOSE Certified Systems Engineering 

Professional (CSEP) rating is a coveted milestone in 

the career of a systems engineer, demonstrating 

knowledge, education and experience that are of high 

value to systems organizations. This two-day course 

provides you with the detailed knowledge and 

practice that you need to pass the CSEP examination. 



February 15-16, 2011 


March 28-29, 2011 

Minneapolis, Minnesota 

$990 (8:30am - 4:00pm) 



Summary 

Today's complex systems present difficult 

challenges to develop. From military systems to aircraft 

to environmental and electronic control systems, 

development teams must face the challenges with an 

arsenal of proven methods. Individual systems are 

more complex, and systems operate in much closer 

relationship, requiring a system-of-systems approach 

to the overall design. 

This two-day workshop presents the fundamentals 

of a systems engineering approach to solving complex 

problems. It covers the underlying attitudes as well as 

the process definitions that make up systems 

engineering. The model presented is a researchproven 

combination of the best existing standards. 

Participants in this workshop practice the processes 

on a realistic system development. 

Instructors 

Eric Honour, CSEP, has been in international 

leadership of the engineering of systems 

for over a decade, part of a 40-year 

career of complex systems development 

and operation. His energetic and 

informative presentation style actively 

involves class participants. He is a 

former President of the International 

Council on Systems Engineering 

(INCOSE). He has been a systems engineer, 

engineering manager, and program manager at Harris, 

ESystems, and Link, and was a Navy pilot. He has 

contributed to the development of 17 major systems, 

including Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation, 

Battle Group Passive Horizon Extension System, and 

National Crime Information Center. BSSE (Systems 

Engineering) from US Naval Academy and MSEE from 

Naval Postgraduate School. 

Dr. Scott Workinger has led innovative technology 

development efforts in complex, riskladen 

environments for 30 years. He 

currently teaches courses on program 

management and engineering and 

consults on strategic management and 

technology issues. Scott has a B.S in 

Engineering Physics from Lehigh 

University, an M.S. in Systems Engineering from the 

University of Arizona, and a Ph.D. in Civil and 

Environment Engineering from Stanford University. 


1. Systems Engineering Model. An underlying process 

model that ties together all the concepts and methods. 

System thinking attitudes. Overview of the systems 

engineering processes. Incremental, concurrent processes 

and process loops for iteration. Technical and management 

aspects. 

2. Where Do Requirements Come From 

Requirements as the primary method of measurement and 

control for systems development. Three steps to translate an 

undefined need into requirements; determining the system 

purpose/mission from an operational view; how to measure 

system quality, analyzing missions and environments; 

requirements types; defining functions and requirements. 

3. Where Does a Solution Come From Designing a 

system using the best methods known today. What is an 

architecture System architecting processes; defining 

alternative concepts; alternate sources for solutions; how to 

allocate requirements to the system components; how to 

develop, analyze, and test alternatives; how to trade off 

results and make decisions. Establishing an allocated 

baseline, and getting from the system design to the system. 

Systems engineering during ongoing operation. 

4. Ensuring System Quality. Building in quality during 

the development, and then checking it frequently. The 

relationship between systems engineering and systems 

testing. Technical analysis as a system tool. Verification at 

multiple levels: architecture, design, product. Validation at 

multiple levels; requirements, operations design, product. 

5. Systems Engineering Management. How to 

successfully manage the technical aspects of the system 

development; planning the technical processes; assessing 

and controlling the technical processes, with corrective 

actions; use of risk management, configuration management, 

interface management to guide the technical development. 

6. Systems Engineering Concepts of Leadership. How 

to guide and motivate technical teams; technical teamwork 

and leadership; virtual, collaborative teams; design reviews; 

technical performance measurement. 

7. Summary. Review of the important points of the 

workshop. Interactive discussion of participant experiences 

that add to the material. 


You Should Attend This Workshop If You Are: 

• Working in any sort of system development 

• Project leader or key member in a product development 

team 

• Looking for practical methods to use today 

This Course Is Aimed At: 

• Project leaders, 

• Technical team leaders, 

• Design engineers, and 

• Others participating in system development 


February 17-18, 2011 


March 15-16, 2011 

Norfolk, Virginia 

$990 (8:30am - 4:30pm) 



Summary 

This two day workshop is an overview of test 

and evaluation from product concept through 

operations. The purpose of the course is to give 

participants a solid grounding in practical testing 

methodology for assuring that a product performs 

as intended. The course is designed for Test 

Engineers, Design Engineers, Project Engineers, 

Systems Engineers, Technical Team Leaders, 

System Support Leaders Technical and 

Management Staff and Project Managers. 

The course work includes a case study in several 

parts for practicing testing techniques. 

Instructors 

Eric Honour, CSEP, international consultant 

and lecturer, has a 40-year career 

of complex systems development & 


President of INCOSE. He has led 

the development of 18 major 

systems, including the Air Combat 

Maneuvering Instrumentation 

systems and the Battle Group Passive Horizon 

Extension System. BSSE (Systems Engineering), 

US Naval Academy, MSEE, Naval Postgraduate 

School, and PhD candidate, University of South 

Australia. 


Manufacturing, Eng. & 

Construction, and Info. Tech. for 30 

years. His projects have made 

contributions ranging from 

increasing optical fiber bandwidth 

to creating new CAD technology. 

He currently teaches courses on management 

and engineering and consults on strategic issues 

in management and technology. He holds a Ph.D. 

in Engineering from Stanford. 


• Create effective test requirements. 

• Plan tests for complete coverage. 

• Manage testing during integration and verification. 

• Develop rigorous test conclusions with sound 

collection, analysis, and reporting methods. 

Principles of Test & Evaluation 

Assuring Required Product Performance 


1. What is Test and Evaluation Basic 

definitions and concepts. Test and evaluation 

overview; application to complex systems. A model 

of T&E that covers the activities needed 

(requirements, planning, testing, analysis & 

reporting). Roles of test and evaluation throughout 

product development, and the life cycle, test 

economics and risk and their impact on test 

planning.. 

2. Test Requirements. Requirements as the 

primary method for measurement and control of 

product development. Where requirements come 

from; evaluation of requirements for testability; 

deriving test requirements; the Requirements 

Verification Matrix (RVM); Qualification vs. 

Acceptance requirements; design proof vs. first 

article vs. production requirements, design for 

testability.. 

3. Test Planning. Evaluating the product 

concept to plan verification and validation by test. 

T&E strategy and the Test and Evaluation Master 

Plan (TEMP); verification planning and the 

Verification Plan document; analyzing and 

evaluating alternatives; test resource planning; 

establishing a verification baseline; developing a 

verification schedule; test procedures and their 

format for success. 

4. Integration Testing. How to successfully 

manage the intricate aspects of system integration 

testing; levels of integration planning; development 

test concepts; integration test planning 

(architecture-based integration versus build-based 

integration); preferred order of events; integration 

facilities; daily schedules; the importance of 

regression testing. 

5. Formal Testing. How to perform a test; 

differences in testing for design proof, first article 

qualification, recurring production acceptance; rules 

for test conduct. Testing for different purposes, 

verification vs. validation; test procedures and test 

records; test readiness certification, test article 

configuration; troubleshooting and anomaly 

handling. 

6. Data Collection, Analysis and Reporting. 

Statistical methods; test data collection methods 

and equipment, timeliness in data collection, 

accuracy, sampling; data analysis using statistical 

rigor, the importance of doing the analysis before 

the test;, sample size, design of experiments, 

Taguchi method, hypothesis testing, FRACAS, 

failure data analysis; report formats and records, 

use of data as recurring metrics, Cum Sum method. 

This course provides the knowledge and 

ability to plan and execute testing procedures in 

a rigorous, practical manner to assure that a 

product meets its requirements. 


Risk & Opportunity Management 

A Workshop in Identifying and Managing Risk 

NEW! 

Summary 

This workshop presents standard and 

advanced risk management processes: how to 

identify risks, risk analysis using both intuitive and 

quantitative methods, risk mitigation methods, 

and risk monitoring and control. 

Projects frequently involve great technical 

uncertainty, made more challenging by an 

environment with dozens to hundreds of people 

from conflicting disciplines. Yet uncertainty has 

two sides: with great risk comes great 

opportunity. Risks and opportunities can be 

handled together to seek the best balance for 

each project. Uncertainty issues can be 

quantified to better understand the expected 

impact on your project. Technical, cost and 

schedule issues can be balanced against each 

other. This course provides detailed, useful 

techniques to evaluate and manage the many 

uncertainties that accompany complex system 

projects. 

Instructor 

Eric Honour, CSEP, international consultant 

and lecturer, has a 40-year career 

of complex systems development & 


President of INCOSE. He has led 

the development of 18 major 

systems, including the Air Combat 

Maneuvering Instrumentation systems and the 

Battle Group Passive Horizon Extension System. 

BSSE (Systems Engineering), US Naval 

Academy, MSEE, Naval Postgraduate School, 

and PhD candidate, University of South Australia. 


• Four major sources of risk. 

• The risk of efficiency concept, balancing cost of 

action against cost of risk. 

• The structure of a risk issue. 

• Five effective ways to identify risks. 

• The basic 5x5 risk matrix. 

• Three diagrams for structuring risks. 

• How to quantify risks. 

• 29 possible risk responses. 

• Efficient risk management that can apply to 

even the smallest project. 

March 8-10, 2011 


$1490 (8:30am - 4:30pm) 



Practice the skills on a realistic “Submarine Explorer” 

case study. Identify, analyze, and quantify 

the uncertainties, then create effective risk mitigation 

plans. 


1. Managing Uncertainty. Concepts of uncertainty, 

both risk and opportunity. Uncertainty as a central 

feature of system development. The important concept 

of risk efficiency. Expectations for what to achieve with 

risk management. Terms and definitions. Roles of a 

project leader in relation to uncertainty. 

2. Subjective Probabilities. Review of essential 

mathematical concepts related to uncertainty, including 

the psychological aspects of probability. 

3. Risk Identification. Methods to find the risk and 

opportunity issues. Potential sources and how to 

exploit them. Guiding a team through the mire of 

uncertainty. Possible sources of risk. Identifying 

possible responses and secondary risk sources. 

Identifying issue ownership. Class exercise in 

identifying risks 

4. Risk Analysis. How to determine the size of risk 

relative to other risks and relative to the project. 

Qualitative vs. quantitative analysis. 

5. Qualitative Analysis: Understanding the issues 

and their subjective relationships using simple 

methods and more comprehensive graphical methods. 

The 5x5 matrix. Structuring risk issues to examine 

links. Source-response diagrams, fault trees, influence 

diagrams. Class exercise in doing simple risk analysis. 

6. Quantitative Analysis: What to do when the 

level of risk is not yet clear. Mathematical methods to 

quantify uncertainty in a world of subjectivity. Sizing the 

uncertainty, merging subjective and objective data. 

Using probability math to diagnose the implications. 

Portraying the effect with probability charts, 

probabilistic PERT and Gantt diagrams. Class exercise 

in quantified risk analysis. 

7. Risk Response & Planning. Possible 

responses to risk, and how to select an effective 

response using the risk efficiency concept. Tracking 

the risks over time, while taking effective action. How to 

monitor the risks. Balancing analysis and its results to 

prevent “paralysis by analysis” and still get the 

benefits. A minimalist approach that makes risk 

management simply, easy, inexpensive, and effective. 

Class exercise in designing a risk mitigation. 


Systems Engineering - Requirements 

NEW! 

January 11-13, 2011 


March 22-24, 2011 


$1690 (8:30am - 4:30pm) 



Summary 

This three-day course provides system engineers, 

team leaders, and managers with a clear 

understanding about how to develop good 

specifications affordably using modeling methods that 

encourage identification of the essential characteristics 

that must be respected in the subsequent design 

process. Both the analysis and management aspects 

are covered. Each student will receive a full set of 

course notes and textbook, “System Requirements 

Analysis,” by the instructor Jeff Grady. 

Instructor 

Jeffrey O. Grady is the president of a System 

Engineering company. He has 30 years 

of industry experience in aerospace 

companies as a system engineer, 

engineering manager, field engineer, 

and project engineer. Jeff has authored 

seven published books in the system 

engineering field and holds a Master of 

Science in System Management from USC. He 

teaches system engineering courses nation-wide. Jeff 

is an INCOSE Founder, Fellow, and ESEP. 


• How to model a problem space using proven 

methods where the product will be implemented in 

hardware or software. 

• How to link requirements with traceability and reduce 

risk through proven techniques. 

• How to identify all requirements using modeling that 

encourages completeness and avoidance of 

unnecessary requirements. 

• How to structure specifications and manage their 

development. 

This course will show you how to build good 

specifications based on effective models. It is not 

difficult to write requirements; the hard job is to 

know what to write them about and determine 

appropriate values. Modeling tells us what to write 

them about and good domain engineering 

encourages identification of good values in them. 


1. Introduction 

2. Introduction (Continued) 

3. Requirements Fundamentals – Defines what a 

requirement is and identifies 4 kinds. 

4. Requirements Relationships – How are 

requirements related to each other We will look at 

several kinds of traceability. 

5. Initial System Analysis – The whole process 

begins with a clear understanding of the user’s needs. 

6. Functional Analysis – Several kinds of functional 

analysis are covered including simple functional flow 

diagrams, EFFBD, IDEF-0, and Behavioral Diagramming. 

7. Functional Analysis (Continued) – 

8. Performance Requirements Analysis – 

Performance requirements are derived from functions and 

tell what the item or system must do and how well. 

9. Product Entity Synthesis – The course 

encourages Sullivan’s idea of form follows function so the 

product structure is derived from its functionality. 

10. Interface Analysis and Synthesis – Interface 

definition is the weak link in traditional structured analysis 

but n-square analysis helps recognize all of the ways 

function allocation has predefined all of the interface 

needs. 

11. Interface Analysis and Synthesis – (Continued) 

12. Specialty Engineering Requirements – A 

specialty engineering scoping matrix allows system 

engineers to define product entity-specialty domain 

relationships that the indicated domains then apply their 

models to. 

13. Environmental Requirements – A three-layer 

model involving tailored standards mapped to system 

spaces, a three-dimensional service use profile for end 

items, and end item zoning for component requirements. 

14. Structured Analysis Documentation – How can 

we capture and configuration manage our modeling basis 

for requirements 

15. Software Modeling Using MSA/PSARE – 

Modern structured analysis is extended to PSARE as 

Hatley and Pirbhai did to improve real-time control system 

development but PSARE did something else not clearly 

understood. 

16. Software Modeling Using Early OOA and UML – 

The latest models are covered. 

17. Software Modeling Using Early OOA and UML – 

(Continued). 

18. Software Modeling Using DoDAF – DoD has 

evolved a very complex model to define systems of 

tremendous complexity involving global reach. 

19. Universal Architecture Description Framework 

– A method that any enterprise can apply to develop any 

system using a single comprehensive model no matter 

how the system is to be implemented. 

20. Universal Architecture Description Framework 

– (Continued) 

21. Specification Management – Specification 

formats and management methods are discussed. 

22. Requirements Risk Abatement - Special 

requirements-related risk methods are covered including 

validation, TPM, margins and budgets. 

23. Tools Discussion 

24. Requirements Verification Overview – You 

should be basing verification of three kinds on the 

requirements that were intended to drive design. These 

links are emphasized. 


Systems of Systems 

Sound Collaborative Engineering to Ensure Architectural Integrity 


Los Angeles, California 

April 19-21, 2011 


$1490 (8:30am - 4:30pm) 



Summary 

This three day workshop presents detailed, 

useful techniques to develop effective systems of 

systems and to manage the engineering activities 

associated with them. The course is designed for 

program managers, project managers, systems 

engineers, technical team leaders, logistic 

support leaders, and others who take part in 

developing today’s complex systems. 

Modify a legacy 

robotic system of 

systems as a class 

exercise, using the 

course principles. 

Instructors 


lecturer, has a 40-year career of complex 

systems development & operation. 

Founder and former President of 

INCOSE. He has led the development of 

18 major systems, including the Air 

Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation 

systems and the Battle Group Passive 

Horizon Extension System. BSSE 

(Systems Engineering), US Naval Academy, MSEE, 

Naval Postgraduate School, and PhD candidate, 

University of South Australia. 


Manufacturing, Eng. & Construction, and 

Info. Tech. for 30 years. His projects 

have made contributions ranging from 

increasing optical fiber bandwidth to 

creating new CAD technology. He 

currently teaches courses on 

management and engineering and 

consults on strategic issues in management and 

technology. He holds a Ph.D. in Engineering from 

Stanford. 


1. Systems of Systems (SoS) Concepts. What 

SoS can achieve. Capabilities engineering vs. 

requirements engineering. Operational issues: 

geographic distribution, concurrent operations. 

Development issues: evolutionary, large scale, 

distributed. Roles of a project leader in relation to 

integration and scope control. 

2. Complexity Concepts. Complexity and chaos; 

scale-free networks; complex adaptive systems; small 

worlds; synchronization; strange attraction; emergent 

behaviors. Introduction to the theories and how to work 

with them in a practical world. 

3. Architecture. Design strategies for large scale 

architectures. Architectural Frameworks including the 

DOD Architectural Framework (DODAF), TOGAF, 

Zachman Framework, and FEAF. How to use design 

patterns, constitutions, synergy. Re-Architecting in an 

evolutionary environment. Working with legacy 

systems. Robustness and graceful degradation at the 

design limits. Optimization and measurement of 

quality. 

4. Integration. Integration strategies for SoS with 

systems that originated outside the immediate control 

of the project staff, the difficulty of shifting SoS 

priorities over the operating life of the systems. Loose 

coupling integration strategies, the design of open 

systems, integration planning and implementation, 

interface design, use of legacy systems and COTS. 

5. Collaboration. The SoS environment and its 

special demands on systems engineering. 

Collaborative efforts that extend over long periods of 

time and require effort across organizations. 

Collaboration occurring explicitly or implicitly, at the 

same time or at disjoint times, even over decades. 

Responsibilities from the SoS side and from the 

component systems side, strategies for managing 

collaboration, concurrent and disjoint systems 

engineering; building on the past to meet the future. 

Strategies for maintaining integrity of systems 

engineering efforts over long periods of time when 

working in independent organizations. 

6. Testing and Evaluation. Testing and evaluation 

in the SoS environment with unique challenges in the 

evolutionary development. Multiple levels of T&E, why 

the usual success criteria no longer suffice. Why 

interface testing is necessary but isn’t enough. 

Operational definitions for evaluation. Testing for 

chaotic behavior and emergent behavior. Testing 

responsibilities in the SoS environment. 


• Capabilities engineering methods. 

• Architecture frameworks. 

• Practical uses of complexity theory. 

• Integration strategies to achieve higher-level 

capabilities. 

• Effective collaboration methods. 

• T&E for large-scale architectures. 


Technical CONOPS & Concepts Master's Course 

A hands on, how-to course in building Concepts of Operations, Operating Concepts, 

Concepts of Employment and Operational Concept Documents 


Chesapeake, Virginia 

February 22-24, 2011 


April 12-14, 2011 


$1490 (8:30am - 4:30pm) 



Summary 

This three-day course is de signed for engineers, scientists, 

project managers and other professionals who design, build, 

test or sell complex systems. Each topic is illustrat ed by realworld 

case studies discussed by experienced CONOPS and 

requirements professionals. Key topics are reinforced with 

small-team exercises. Over 200 pages of sample CONOPS 

(six) and templates are provided. Students outline CONOPS 

and build OpCons in class. Each student gets instructor’s 

slides; college-level textbook; ~250 pages of case studies, 

templates, checklists, technical writing tips, good and bad 

CONOPS; Hi-Resolution personalized Certificate of 

CONOPS Competency and class photo, opportunity to join 

US/Coalition CONOPS Community of Interest. 

Instructors 

Mack McKinney, president and founder of a consulting 

company, has worked in the defense industry 

since 1975, first as an Air Force officer for 8 

years, then with Westinghouse Defense and 

Northrop Grumman for 16 years, then with a 

SIGINT company in NY for 6 years. He now 

teaches, consults and writes Concepts of 

Operations for Boeing, Sikorsky, Lockheed 

Martin Skunk Works, Raytheon Missile 

Systems, Joint Forces Command, all the 

uniformed services and the IC. He has US patents in radar 

processing and hyperspectral sensing. 

John Venable, Col., USAF, ret is a former Thunderbirds 

lead, wrote concepts for the Air Staff and is a certified 

CONOPS instructor. 


• What are CONOPS and how do they differ from CONEMPS, 

OPCONS and OCDs How are they related to the DODAF 

and JCIDS in the US DOD 

• What makes a “good” CONOPS 

• What are the two types and five levels of CONOPS and 

when is each used 

• How do you get to meet end users of your products How 

do you get their active, vocal support in your CONOPS 

• What are the top 5 pitfalls in building a CONOPS and how 

can you avoid them 

• What are the 8 main things to remember when visiting 

deployed operational units for CONOPS research 

After this course you will be able to build and update 

OpCons and CONOPS using a robust CONOPS team, 

determine the appropriate 

NEW! 


1. How to build CONOPS. Operating Concepts (OpCons) 

and Concepts of Employment (ConEmps). Five levels of 

CONOPS & two CONOPS templates, when to use each. 

2. The elegantly simple Operating Concept and the 

mathematics behind it (X2-X)/2 

3. What Scientists, Engineers and Project Managers 

need to know when working with operational end users. 

Proven, time-tested techniques for understanding the end 

user’s perspective – a primer for non-users. Rules for visiting 

an operational unit/site and working with difficult users and 

operators. 

4. How OpCons and CONOPS drive User Manuals. 

Modeling and Simulation. Detailed cross-walk for CONOPS 

and Modeling and Simulation (determining the scenarios, 

deciding on the level of fidelity needed, modeling operational 

utility, etc.) 

5. Clear technical writing in English. (1 hour crash 

course). Getting non-technical people to embrace scientific 

methods and principles for requirements to drive solid 

CONOPS. 

6. Survey of major weapons and sensor systems in trouble 

and lessons learned. Getting better collaboration among 

engineers, scientists, managers and users to build more 

effective systems and powerful CONOPS. Special challenges 

when updating existing CONOPS. 

7. Forming the CONOPS team. Collaborating with people 

from other professions. Working With Non-Technical People: 

Forces that drive Program Managers, Requirements Writers, 

Acquisition/Contracts Professionals. What motivates them, 

how work with them. 

8. Concepts, CONOPS, JCIDS and DODAF. how does it all 

tie together 

9. All users are not operators. (Where to find the good 

ones and how to gain access to them). Getting actionable 

information from operational users without getting thrown out of 

the office. The two questions you must ALWAYS ask, one of 

which may get you bounced. 

10. Relationship of CONOPS to requirements & 

contracts. Legal minefields in CONOPS. 

11. OpCons, ConEmps & CONOPS for systems. 

Reorganizations & exercises – how to build them. OpCons and 

CONOPS for IT-intensive systems (benefits and special risks). 

12. R&D and CONOPS. Using CONOPS to increase the 

Transition Rate (getting R&D projects from the lab to adopted, 

fielded systems). People Mover and Robotic Medic team 

exercises reinforce lecture points, provide skills practice. 

Checklist to achieve team consensus on types of R&D needed 

for CONOPS (effects-driven, blue sky, capability-driven, new 

spectra, observed phenomenon, product/process improvement, 

basic science). Unclassified R&D Case Histories: $$$ millions 

invested - - - what went wrong & key lessons learned: (Software 

for automated imagery analysis; low cost, lightweight, 

hyperspectral sensor; non-traditional ISR; innovative ATC 

aircraft tracking system; full motion video for bandwidthdisadvantaged 

users in combat - - - Getting it Right!). 

13. Critical thinking, creative thinking, empathic thinking, 

counterintuitive thinking and when engineers and scientists use 

each type in developing concepts and CONOPS. 

14. Operations Researchers. and Operations Analysts 

when quantification is needed. 

15. Lessons Learned From No/Poor CONOPS. Real world 

problems with fighters, attack helicopters, C3I systems, DHS 

border security project, humanitarian relief effort, DIVAD, air 

defense radar, E/O imager, civil aircraft ATC tracking systems 

and more. 

16. Beyond the CONOPS: Configuring a program for 

success and the critical attributes and crucial considerations 

that can be program-killers; case histories and lessons-learned. 


Test Design and Analysis 

Getting the Right Results from a Test Requires Effective Test Design 



$1490 (8:30am - 4:30pm) 



Instructor 


Manufacturing, Eng. & 

Construction, and Info. Tech. for 30 

years. His projects have made 

contributions ranging from 

increasing optical fiber bandwidth 

to creating new CAD technology. 

He currently teaches courses on 

management and engineering and consults on 

strategic issues in management and technology. 

He holds a Ph.D. in Engineering from Stanford. 

Systems are growing more complex and are 

developed at high stakes. With unprecedented 

complexity, effective test engineering plays an 

essential role in development. Student groups 

participate in a detailed practical exercise designed 

to demonstrate the application of testing tools and 

methods for system evaluation. 

Summary 

This three-day course is designed for military and 

commercial program managers, systems engineers, 

test project managers, test engineers, and test 

analysts. The focus of the course is giving 

individuals practical insights into how to acquire and 

use data to make sound management and technical 

decisions in support of a development program. 

Numerous examples of test design or analysis 

“traps or pitfalls” are highlighted in class. Many 

design methods and analytic tools are introduced. 

1. Testing and Evaluation. Basic concepts for 

testing and evaluation. Verification and validation 

concepts. Common T&E objectives. Types of Test. 

Context and relationships between T&E and 

systems engineering. T&E support to acquisition 

programs. The Test and Evaluation Master Plan 

(TEMP). 

2. Testability What is testability How is it 

achieved What is Built in Test What are the 

types of BIT and how are they applied 

3. A Well Structured Testing and Evaluation 

Program. - What are the elements of a well 

structured testing and evaluation program How 

do the pieces fit together How does testing and 

evaluation fit into the lifecycle What are the levels 

of testing 

4. Needs and Requirements. Identifying the 

need for a test. The requirements envelope and 

how the edge of the envelope defines testing. 

Understanding the design structure. Stakeholders, 

system, boundaries, motivation for a test. Design 

structure and how it affects the test. 

5. Issues, Criteria and Measures. Identifying 

the issues for a test. Evaluation planning 

techniques. Other sources of data. The 

Requirements Verification Matrix. Developing 

evaluation criteria: Measures of Effectiveness 

(MOE), Measures of Performance (MOP). Test 

planning analysis: Operational analysis, 

engineering analysis, Matrix analysis, Dendritic 

analysis. Modeling and simulation for test 

planning. 

6. Designing Evaluations & Tests. Specific 

methods to design a test. Relationships of different 

units. Input/output analysis - where test variable 

come from, choosing what to measure, types of 


variables. Review of statistics and probability 

distributions. Statistical design of tests - basic 

types of statistical techniques, choosing the 

techniques, variability, assumptions and pitfalls. 

Sequencing test events - the low level tactics of 

planning the test procedure. 

7. Conducting Tests. Preparation for a test. 

Writing the report first to get the analysis methods 

in place. How to work with failure. Test 

preparation. Forms of the test report. Evaluating 

the test design. Determining when failure occurs. 

8. Evaluation. Analyzing test results. 

Comparing results to the criteria. Test results and 

their indications of performance. Types of test 

problems and how to solve them. Test failure 

analysis - analytic techniques to find fault. Test 

program documents. Pressed Funnels Case 

Study - How evaluation shows the path ahead. 

9. Testing and Evaluation Environments. 12 

common testing and evaluation environments in a 

system lifecycle, what evaluation questions are 

answered in each environment and how the test 

equipment and processes differ from environment 

to environment. 

10. Special Types and Best Practices of 

T&E. Survey of special techniques and best 

practices. Special types: Software testing, Design 

for testability, Combined testing, Evolutionary 

development, Human factors, Reliability testing, 

Environmental issues, Safety, Live fire testing, 

Interoperability. The Nine Best Practices of T&E. 

11. Emerging Opportunities and Issues with 

Testing and Evaluation. The use of prognosis 

and sense and respond logistics. Integration 

between testing and simulation. Large scale 

systems. Complexity in tested systems. Systems 

of Systems. 


Total Systems Engineering Development & Management 

January 31-February 3, 2011 


March 1-4, 2011 


$1790 (8:00am - 5:00pm) 

Call for information about our six-course systems engineering 

certificate program or for “on-site” training to prepare for the 

INCOSE systems engineering exam. 



Summary 

This four-day course covers four system 

development fundamentals: (1) a sound 

engineering management infrastructure within 

which work may be efficiently accomplished, (2) 

define the problem to be solved (requirements and 

specifications), (3) solve the problem (design, 

integration, and optimization), and (4) prove that the 

design solves the defined problem (verification). 

Proven, practical techniques are presented for the 

key tasks in the development of sound solutions for 

extremely difficult customer needs. This course 

prepares students to both learn practical systems 

engineering and to learn the information and 

terminology that is tested in the newest INCOSE 

CSEP exam. 

Instructor 

Jeffrey O. Grady is the president of a System 

Engineering company. He has 30 

years of industry experience in 

aerospace companies as a system 

engineer, engineering manager, field 

engineer, and project engineer. Jeff 

has authored seven published 

books in the system engineering field and holds a 

Master of Science in System Management from 

USC. He teaches system engineering courses 

nationwide at universities as well as commercially 

on site at companies. Jeff is an INCOSE ESEP, 

Fellow, and Founder. 

WHAT STUDENTS SAY: 

"This course tied the whole development cycle 

together for me." 

"I had mastered some of the details before 

this course, but did not understand how the 

pieces fit together. Now I do!" 

"I really appreciated the practical methods 

to accomplish this important work." 


1. System Management. Introduction to System 

Engineering, Development Process Overview, 

Enterprise Engineering, Program Design, Risk, 

Configuration Management / Data Management, 

System Engineering Maturity. 

2. System Requirements. Introduction and 

Development Environments, Requirements Elicitation 

and Mission Analysis, System and Hardware 

Structured Analysis, Performance Requirements 

Analysis, Product Architecture Synthesis and 

Interface Development, Constraints Analysis, 

Computer Software Structured Analysis, 

Requirements Management Topics. 

3. System Synthesis. Introduction, Design, 

Product Sources, Interface Development, Integration, 

Risk, Design Reviews. 

4. System Verification. Introduction to 

Verification, Item Qualification Requirements 

Identification, Item Qualification Planning and 

Documentation, Item Qualification Verification 

Reporting, Item Qualification Implementation, 

Management, and Audit, Item Acceptance Overview, 

System Test and Evaluation Overview, Process 

Verification. 


• How to identify and organize all of the work an 

enterprise must perform on programs, plan a 

project, map enterprise work capabilities to the 

plan, and quality audit work performance against 

the plan. 

• How to accomplish structured analysis using one of 

several structured analysis models yielding every 

kind of requirement appropriate for every kind of 

specification coordinated with specification 

templates. 

• An appreciation for design development through 

original design, COTS, procured items, and 

selection of parts, materials, and processes. 

• How to develop interfaces under associate 

contracting relationships using ICWG/TIM meetings 

and Interface Control Documents. 

• How to define verification requirements, map and 

organize them into verification tasks, plan and 

proceduralize the verification tasks, capture the 

verification evidence, and audit the evidence for 

compliance. 


Antenna and Array Fundamentals 

Basic concepts in antennas, antenna arrays, and antennas systems 

November 16-18, 2010 


March 1-3, 2011 


$1690 (8:30am - 4:00pm) 



NEW! 

Summary 

This three-day course teaches the basics of 

antenna and antenna array theory. Fundamental 

concepts such as beam patterns, radiation resistance, 

polarization, gain/directivity, aperture size, reciprocity, 

and matching techniques are presented. Different 

types of antennas such as dipole, loop, patch, horn, 

dish, and helical antennas are discussed and 

compared and contrasted from a performanceapplications 

standpoint. The locations of the reactive 

near-field, radiating near-field (Fresnel region), and farfield 

(Fraunhofer region) are described and the Friis 

transmission formula is presented with worked 

examples. Propagation effects are presented. Antenna 

arrays are discussed, and array factors for different 

types of distributions (e.g., uniform, binomial, and 

Tschebyscheff arrays) are analyzed giving insight to 

sidelobe levels, null locations, and beam broadening 

(as the array scans from broadside.) The end-fire 

condition is discussed. Beam steering is described 

using phase shifters and true-time delay devices. 

Problems such as grating lobes, beam squint, 

quantization errors, and scan blindness are presented. 

Antenna systems (transmit/receive) with active 

amplifiers are introduced. Finally, measurement 

techniques commonly used in anechoic chambers are 

outlined. The textbook, Antenna Theory, Analysis & 

Design, is included as well as a comprehensive set of 

course notes. 

Instructor 

Dr. Steven Weiss is a senior design engineer with 

the Army Research Lab in Adelphi, MD. He has a 

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the 

Rochester Institute of Technology with Master’s and 

Doctoral Degrees from The George Washington 

University. He has numerous publications in the IEEE 

on antenna theory. He teaches both introductory and 

advanced, graduate level courses at Johns Hopkins 

University on antenna systems. He is active in the 

IEEE. In his job at the Army Research Lab, he is 

actively involved with all stages of antenna 

development from initial design, to first prototype, to 

measurements. He is a licensed Professional 

Engineer in both Maryland and Delaware. 


1. Basic concepts in antenna theory. Beam 

patterns, radiation resistance, polarization, 

gain/directivity, aperture size, reciprocity, and matching 

techniques. 

2. Locations. Reactive near-field, radiating nearfield 

(Fresnel region), far-field (Fraunhofer region) and 

the Friis transmission formula. 

3. Types of antennas. Dipole, loop, patch, horn, 

dish, and helical antennas are discussed, compared, 

and contrasted from a performance/applications 

standpoint. 

4. Propagation effects. Direct, sky, and ground 

waves. Diffraction and scattering. 

5. Antenna arrays and array factors. (e.g., 

uniform, binomial, and Tschebyscheff arrays). 

6. Scanning from broadside. Sidelobe levels, 

null locations, and beam broadening. The end-fire 

condition. Problems such as grating lobes, beam 

squint, quantization errors, and scan blindness. 

7. Beam steering. Phase shifters and true-time 

delay devices. Some commonly used components 

and delay devices (e.g., the Rotman lens) are 

compared. 

8. Measurement techniques used in anechoic 

chambers. Pattern measurements, polarization 

patterns, gain comparison test, spinning dipole (for CP 

measurements). Items of concern relative to anechoic 

chambers such as the quality of the absorbent 

material, quiet zone, and measurement errors. 

Compact, outdoor, and near-field ranges. 

9. Questions and answers. 


• Basic antenna concepts that pertain to all antennas 

and antenna arrays. 

• The appropriate antenna for your application. 

• Factors that affect antenna array designs and 

antenna systems. 

• Measurement techniques commonly used in 

anechoic chambers. 

This course is invaluable to engineers seeking to 

work with experts in the field and for those desiring 

a deeper understanding of antenna concepts. At 

its completion, you will have a solid understanding 

of the appropriate antenna for your application and 

the technical difficulties you can expect to 

encounter as your design is brought from the 

conceptual stage to a working prototype. 


Fundamentals of Statistics with Excel Examples 



$1040 (8:30am - 4:30pm) 

NEW! 



Summary 

This two-day course covers the basics of 

probability and statistic analysis. The course is selfcontained 

and practical, using Excel to perform the 

fundamental calculations. Students are encouraged 

to bring their laptops to work provided Excel 

example problems. By the end of the course you will 

be comfortable with statistical concepts and able to 

perform and understand statistical calculations by 

hand and using Excel. You will understand 

probabilities, statistical distributions, confidence 

levels and hypothesis testing, using tools that are 

available in Excel. Participants will receive a 

complete set of notes and the textbook Statistical 

Analysis with Excel. 

Instructor 

Dr. Alan D. Stuart, Associate Professor Emeritus 

of Acoustics, Penn State, has over forty years in the 

field of sound and vibration where he applied 

statistics to the design of experiments and analysis 

of data. He has degrees in mechanical engineering, 

electrical engineering, and engineering acoustics 

and has taught for over thirty years on both the 

graduate and undergraduate levels. For the last 

eight years, he has taught Applied Statistics courses 

at government and industrial organizations 

throughout the country. 


• Working knowledge of statistical terms. 

• Use of distribution functions to estimate 

probabilities. 

• How to apply confidence levels to real-world 

problems. 

• Applications of hypothesis testing. 

• Useful ways of summarizing statistical data. 

• How to use Excel to analyze statistical data. 


1. Introduction to Statistics. Definition of terms 

and concepts with simple illustrations. Measures of 

central tendency: Mean, mode, medium. Measures 

of dispersion: Variance, standard deviation, range. 

Organizing random data. Introduction to Excel 

statistics tools. 

2. Basic Probability. Probability based on: 

equally likely events, frequency, axioms. 

Permutations and combinations of distinct objects. 

Total, joint, conditional probabilities. Examples 

related to systems engineering. 

3. Discrete Random Variables. Bernoulli trial. 

Binomial distributions. Poisson distribution. Discrete 

probability density functions and cumulative 

distribution functions. Excel examples. 

4. Continuous Random Variables. Normal 

distribution. Uniform distribution. Triangular 

distribution. Log-normal distributions. Discrete 

probability density functions and cumulative 

distribution functions. Excel examples. 

5. Sampling Distributions. Sample size 

considerations. Central limit theorem. Student-t 

distribution. 

6. Functions of Random Variables. 

(Propagation of errors) Sums and products of 

random variables. Tolerance of mechanical 

components. Electrical system gains. 

7. System Reliability. Failure and reliability 

statistics. Mean time to failure. Exponential 

distribution. Gamma distribution. Weibull 

distribution. 

8. Confidence Level. Confidence intervals. 

Significance of data. Margin of error. Sample size 

considerations. P-values. 

9. Hypotheses Testing. Error analysis. Decision 

and detection theory. Operating characteristic 

curves. Inferences of two-samples testing, e.g. 

assessment of before and after treatments. 

10. Probability Plots and Parameter 

Estimation. Percentiles of data. Box whisker plots. 

Probability plot characteristics. Excel examples of 

Normal, Exponential and Weibull plots.. 

11. Data Analysis. Introduction to linear 

regression, Error variance, Pearson linear 

correlation coefficients, Residuals pattern, Principal 

component analysis (PCA) of large data sets. 

Excel examples. 

12. Special Topics of Interest to Class. 


Grounding & Shielding for EMC 





April 26-28, 2011 


$1590 (8:30am - 4:00pm) 



Instructor 

Dr. William G. Duff (Bill) received a BEE degree 

from George Washington University 

in 1959, a MSEE degree from 

Syracuse University in 1969, and a 

DScEE degree from Clayton 

University in 1977. 

Bill is an independent consultant 

specializing in EMI/EMC. He worked 

for SENTEL and Atlantic Research and taught 

courses on electromagnetic interference (EMI) and 

electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). He is 

internationally recognized as a leader in the 

development of engineering technology for 

achieving EMC in communication and electronic 

systems. He has more than 40 years of experience 

in EMI/EMC analysis, design, test and problem 

solving for a wide variety of communication and 

electronic systems. He has extensive experience in 

assessing EMI at the circuit, equipment and/or the 

system level and applying EMI mitigation 

techniques to "fix" problems. Bill has written more 

than 40 technical papers and four books on EMC. 

He is a NARTE Certified EMC Engineer. 

Bill has been very active in the IEEE EMC 

Society. He served on the Board of Directors, is 

currently Chairman of the Fellow Evaluation 

Committee and is an Associate Editor for the 

Newsletter. He is a past president of the IEEE EMC 

Society and a past Director of the Electromagnetics 

and Radiation Division of IEEE. 


• Examples Of Potential EMI Threats. 

• Safety Grounding Versus Noise Coupling. 

• Field Coupling Into Ground Loops. 

• Coupling Reduction Methods. 

• Victim Sensitivities. 

• Common Ground Impedance Coupling. 

• Ground Loop Coupling. 

• Shielding Theory. 

Summary 

This three-day course is designed for 

technicians, operators, and engineers who need 

an understanding of all facets of grounding and 

shielding at the circuit, PCB, box or equipment 

level, cable-interconnected boxes (subsystem), 

system and building, facilities or vehicle levels. 

The course offers a discussion of the qualitative 

techniques for EMI control through grounding and 

shielding at all levels. It provides for selection of 

EMI suppression methods via math modeling and 

graphics of grounding and shielding parameters. 

Our instructor will use computer software to 

provide real world examples and case histories. 

The computer software simulates and 

demonstrates various concepts and helps bridge 

the gap between theory and the real world. The 

computer software will be made available to the 

attendees. One of the computer programs is used 

to design interconnecting equipments. This 

program demonstrates the impact of various 

grounding schemes and different "fixes" that are 

applied. Another computer program is used to 

design a shielded enclosure. The program 

considers the box material; seams and gaskets; 

cooling and viewing apertures; and various 

"fixes" that may be used for aperture protection. 

There are also hardware demonstrations of the 

effect of various compromises and resulting 

"fixes" on the shielding effectiveness of an 

enclosure. The compromises that are 

demonstrated are seam leakage, and a 

conductor penetrating the enclosure. The 

hardware demonstrations also include 

incorporating various "fixes" and illustrating their 

impact. 


Instrumentation for Test & Measurement 

Understanding, Selecting and Applying Measurement Systems 

Summary 

This three day course, based on the 690-page Sensor 

Technology Handbook, published by Elsevier in 2005 and 

edited by the instructor, is designed for engineers, 

technicians and managers who want to increase their 

knowledge of sensors and signal conditioning. It balances 

breadth and depth in a practical presentation for those 

who design sensor systems and work with sensors of all 

types. Each topic includes technology fundamentals, 

selection criteria, applicable standards, interfacing and 

system designs, and future developments. 

Instructor 

Jon Wilson is a Principal Consultant. He holds degrees 

in Mechanical, Automotive and Industrial Engineering. His 

45-plus years of experience include Test Engineer, Test 

Laboratory Manager, Applications Engineering Manager 

and Marketing Manager at Chrysler Corporation, ITT 

Cannon Electric Co., Motorola Semiconductor Products 

Division and Endevco. He is Editor of the Sensor 

Technology Handbook published by Elsevier in 2005. He 

has been consulting and training in the field of testing and 

instrumentation since 1985. He has presented training for 

ISA, SAE, IEST, SAVIAC, ITC, & many government 

agencies and commercial organizations. He is a Fellow 

Member of the Institute of Environmental Sciences and 

Technology, and a Lifetime Senior Member of SAE and 

ISA. 

NEW! 

January 26-28, 2011 


$1690 (8:30am - 4:30pm) 




• How to understand sensor specifications. 

• Advantages and disadvantages of different sensor 

types. 

• How to avoid configuration and interfacing problems. 

• How to select and specify the best sensor for your 

application. 

• How to select and apply the correct signal conditioning. 

• How to find applicable standards for various sensors. 

• Principles and applications. 

From this course you will learn how to select and 

apply measurement systems to acquire accurate data 

for a variety of applications and measurands 

including mechanical, thermal, optical and biological 

data. 

1. Sensor Fundamentals. Basic Sensor Technology, Sensor 

Systems. 

2. Application Considerations. Sensor Characteristics, 

System Characteristics, Instrument Selection, Data Acquisition & 

Readout. 

3. Measurement Issues & Criteria. Measurand, Environment, 

Accuracy Requirements, Calibration & Documentation. 

4. Sensor Signal Conditioning. Bridge Circuits, Analog to 

Digital Converters, Systems on a Chip, Sigma-Delta ADCs, 

Conditioning High Impedance Sensors, Conditioning Charge 

Output Sensors. 

5. Acceleration, Shock & Vibration Sensors. Piezoelectric, 

Charge Mode & IEPE, Piezoelectric Materials & Structures, 

Piezoresistive, Capacitive, Servo Force Balance, Mounting, 

Acceleration Probes, Grounding, Cables & Connections. 

6. Biosensors. Bioreceptor + Transducer, Biosensor 

Characteristics, Origin of Biosensors, Bioreceptor Molecules, 

Transduction Mechanisms. 

7. Chemical Sensors. Technology Fundamentals, Applications, 

CHEMFETS. 

8. Capacitive & Inductive Displacement Sensors. Capacitive 

Fundamentals, Inductive Fundamentals, Target Considerations, 

Comparing Capacitive & Inductive, Using Capacitive & Inductive 

Together. 

9. Electromagnetism in Sensing. Electromagnetism & 

Inductance, Sensor Applications, Magnetic Field Sensors. 

10. Flow Sensors. Thermal Anemometers, Differential 

Pressure, Vortex Shedding, Positive Displacement & Turbine 

Based Sensors, Mass Flowmeters, Electromagnetic, Ultrasonic & 

Laser Doppler Sensors, Calibration. 

11. Level Sensors. Hydrostatic, Ultrasonic, RF Capacitance, 

Magnetostrictive, Microwave Radar, Selecting a Technology. 

12. Force, Load & Weight Sensors. Sensor Types, Physical 

Configurations, Fatigue Ratings. 

13. Humidity Sensors.Capacitive, Resistive & Thermal 

Conductivity Sensors, Temperature & Humidity Effects, 


Condensation & Wetting, Integrated Signal Conditioning. 

14. Machinery Vibration Monitoring Sensors. Accelerometer 

Types, 4-20 Milliamp Transmitters, Capacitive Sensors, Intrinsically 

Safe Sensors, Mounting Considerations. 

15. Optical & Radiation Sensors. Photosensors, Quantum 

Detectors, Thermal Detectors, Phototransistors, Thermal Infrared 

Detectors. 

16. Position & Motion Sensors. Contact & Non-contact, Limit 

Switches, Resistive, Magnetic & Ultrasonic Position Sensors, 

Proximity Sensors, Photoelectric Sensors, Linear & Rotary Position 

& Motion Sensors, Optical Encoders, Resolvers & Synchros. 

17. Pressure Sensors. Fundamentals of Pressure Sensing 

Technology, Piezoresistive Sensors, Piezoelectric Sensors, 

Specialized Applications. 

18. Sensors for Mechanical Shock Technology 

Fundamentals, Sensor Types-Advantages & Disadvantages, 

Frequency Response Requirements, Pyroshock Measurement, 

Failure Modes, Structural Resonance Effects, Environmental 

Effects. 

19. Test & Measurement Microphones. Measurement 

Microphone Characteristics, Condenser & Prepolarized (Electret), 

Effect of Angle of Incidence, Pressure, Free Field, Random 

Incidence, Environmental Effects, Specialized Types, Calibration 

Techniques. 

20. Introduction to Strain Gages. Piezoresistance, Thin Film, 

Microdevices, Accuracy, Strain Gage Based Measurements, 

Sensor Installations, High Temperature Installations. 

21. Temperature Sensors. Electromechanical & Electronic 

Sensors, IR Pyrometry, Thermocouples, Thermistors, RTDs, 

Interfacing & Design, Heat Conduction & Self Heating Effects. 

22. Nanotechnology-Enabled Sensors. Possibilities, 

Realities, Applications. 

23. Wireless Sensor Networks. Individual Node Architecture, 

Network Architecture, Radio Options, Power Considerations. 

24. Smart Sensors – IEEE 1451, TEDS, TEDS Sensors, Plug 

& Play Sensors. 


March 1-3, 2011 


$1590 (8:30am - 4:30pm) 



Summary 

This three-day course is designed for technicians, 

operators and engineers who need an understanding 

of Electromagnetic Interference (EMI)/Electromagnetic 

Compatibility (EMC) methodology and concepts. The 

course provides a basic working knowledge of the 

principles of EMC. 

The course will provide real world examples and 

case histories. Computer software will be used to 

simulate and demonstrate various concepts and help 

to bridge the gap between theory and the real world. 

The computer software will be made available to the 

attendees. One of the computer programs is used to 

design interconnecting equipments. This program 

demonstrates the impact of various EMI “EMI 

mitigation techniques" that are applied. Another 

computer program is used to design a shielded 

enclosure. The program considers the box material; 

seams and gaskets; cooling and viewing apertures; 

and various "EMI mitigation techniques" that may be 

used for aperture protection. 

There are also hardware demonstrations of the effect 

of various compromises on the shielding effectiveness 

of an enclosure. The compromises that are 

demonstrated are seam leakage, and a conductor 

penetrating the enclosure. The hardware 

demonstrations also include incorporating various "EMI 

mitigation techniques" and illustrating their impact. 

Instructor 

Dr. William G. Duff (Bill) is an independent 

consultant. Previously, he was the Chief 

Technology Officer of the Advanced 

Technology Group of SENTEL. Prior to 

working for SENTEL, he worked for 

Atlantic Research and taught courses on 

electromagnetic interference (EMI) and 

electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). He 

is internationally recognized as a leader 

in the development of engineering technology for 

achieving EMC in communication and electronic 

systems. He has 42 years of experience in EMI/EMC 

analysis, design, test and problem solving for a wide 

variety of communication and electronic systems. He 

has extensive experience in assessing EMI at the 

equipment and/or the system level and applying EMI 

suppression and control techniques to "fix" problems. 

Bill has written more than 40 technical papers and 

four books on EMC. He also regularly teaches seminar 

courses on EMC. He is a past president of the IEEE 

EMC Society. He served a number of terms as a 

member of the EMC Society Board of Directors and is 

currently Chairman of the EMC Society Fellow 

Evaluation Committee and an Associate Editor for the 

EMC Society Newsletter. He is a NARTE Certified EMC 

Engineer. 

Introduction to EMI / EMC 


1. Examples Of Communications System. A 

Discussion Of Case Histories Of Communications 

System EMI, Definitions Of Systems, Both Military 

And Industrial, And Typical Modes Of System 

Interactions Including Antennas, Transmitters And 

Receivers And Receiver Responses. 

2. Quantification Of Communication System 

EMI. A Discussion Of The Elements Of Interference, 

Including Antennas, Transmitters, Receivers And 

Propagation. 

3. Electronic Equipment And System EMI 

Concepts. A Description Of Examples Of EMI 

Coupling Modes To Include Equipment Emissions 

And Susceptibilities. 

4. Common-Mode Coupling. A Discussion Of 

Common-Mode Coupling Mechanisms Including 

Field To Cable, Ground Impedance, Ground Loop 

And Coupling Reduction Techniques. 

5. Differential-Mode Coupling. A Discussion 

Of Differential-Mode Coupling Mechanisms 

Including Field To Cable, Cable To Cable And 

Coupling Reduction Techniques. 

6. Other Coupling Mechanisms. A Discussion 

Of Power Supplies And Victim Amplifiers. 

7. The Importance Of Grounding For 

Achieving EMC. A Discussion Of Grounding, 

Including The Reasons (I.E., Safety, Lightning 

Control, EMC, Etc.), Grounding Schemes (Single 

Point, Multi-Point And Hybrid), Shield Grounding 

And Bonding. 

8. The Importance Of Shielding. A Discussion 

Of Shielding Effectiveness, Including Shielding 

Considerations (Reflective And Absorptive). 

9. Shielding Design. A Description Of 

Shielding Compromises (I.E., Apertures, Gaskets, 

Waveguide Beyond Cut-Off). 

10. EMI Diagnostics And Fixes. A Discussion 

Of Techniques Used In EMI Diagnostics And Fixes. 

11. EMC Specifications, Standards And 

Measurements. A Discussion Of The Genesis Of 

EMC Documentation Including A Historical 

Summary, The Rationale, And A Review Of MIL- 

Stds, FCC And CISPR Requirements. 


• Examples of Communications Systems EMI. 

• Quantification of Systems EMI. 

• Equipment and System EMI Concepts. 

• Source and Victim Coupling Modes. 

• Importance of Grounding. 

• Shielding Designs. 

• EMI Diagnostics. 

• EMC/EMI Specifications and Standards. 


Military Standard 810G Testing 

Understanding, Planning and Performing Climatic and Dynamic Tests 

NEW! 



$2995 (8:00am - 4:00pm) 



Summary 

This four-day class provides understanding of 

the purpose of each test, the equipment required 

to perform each test, and the methodology to 

correctly apply the specified test environments. 

Vibration and Shock methods will be covered 

together with instrumentation, equipment, control 

systems and fixture design. Climatic tests will be 

discussed individually: requirements, origination, 

equipment required, test methodology, 

understanding of results. 

The course emphasizes topics you will use 

immediately. Suppliers to the military services 

protectively install commercial-off-the-shelf 

(COTS) equipment in our flight and land vehicles 

and in shipboard locations where vibration and 

shock can be severe. We laboratory test the 

protected equipment (1) to assure twenty years 

equipment survival and possible combat, also (2) 

to meet commercial test standards, IEC 

documents, military standards such as STANAG 

or MIL-STD-810G, etc. Few, if any, engineering 

schools cover the essentials about such 

protection or such testing. 

Instructor 

Steve Brenner has worked in environmental 

simulation and reliability testing for over 

30 years, always involved with the 

latest techniques for verifying 

equipment integrity through testing. He 

has independently consulted in 

reliability testing since 1996. His client 

base includes American and European 

companies with mechanical and 

electronic products in almost every industry. Steve's 

experience includes the entire range of climatic and 

dynamic testing, including ESS, HALT, HASS and long 

term reliability testing. 


When you visit an environmental test laboratory, 

perhaps to witness a test, or plan or review a test 

program, you will have a good understanding of the 

requirements and execution of the 810G dynamics and 

climatics tests. You will be able to ask meaningful 

questions and understand the responses of test 

laboratory personnel. 


1. Introduction to Military Standard testing - 

Dynamics. 

• Introduction to classical sinusoidal vibration. 

• Resonance effects 

• Acceleration and force measurement 

• Electrohydraulic shaker systems 

• Electrodynamic shaker systems 

• Sine vibration testing 

• Random vibration testing 

• Attaching test articles to shakers (fixture 

design, fabrication and usage) 

• Shock testing 

2. Climatics. 

• Temperature testing 

• Temperature shock 

• Humidity 

• Altitude 

• Rapid decompression/explosives 

• Combined environments 

• Solar radiation 

• Salt fog 

• Sand & Dust 

• Rain 

• Immersion 

• Explosive atmosphere 

• Icing 

• Fungus 

• Acceleration 

• Freeze/thaw (new in 810G) 

3. Climatics and Dynamics Labs 

demonstrations. 

4. Reporting On And Certifying Test Results. 


Optical Communications Systems 

Trades and Technology for Implementing Free Space or Fiber Communications 

NEW! 

January 17-18, 2011 

San Diego, California 

$990 (8:30am - 4:30pm) 



Summary 

This two-day course provides a strong foundation for 

selecting, designing and building either a Free Space Optical 

Comms, or Fiber-Optic Comms System for various 

applications. Course includes both DoD and Commercial 

systems, in Space, Atmospheric, Underground, and 

Underwater Applications. Optical Comms Systems have 

advantages over RF and Microwave Comms Systems due to 

their directionality, and high frequency carrier. These 

properties can lead to greater covertness, freedom from 

jamming, and potentially much higher data rates. Novel 

architectures are feasible allowing usage in situations where 

RF emission or transmission would be precluded. 

Instructor 

Dr. James Pierre Hauck is a consultant to industry and 

government labs. He is an expert in optical communications 

systems having pioneered a variety of such systems including 

Sat-to-Underwater, Non-line-of-Sight, and Single-Ended 

Systems. Dr. Hauck’s work with lasers and optics began about 

40 years ago when he studied Quantum Electronics at the 

University of CA Irvine. After completing the Ph.D. in Physics, 

he went to work for Rockwell’s Electronics Research Center, 

working on Laser Radar (LADAR) which has much in common 

with Optical Comms Systems. Dr. Hauck’s work on Optical 

Comms Systems began in earnest about 30 years ago when 

he was Chief Scientist of the Strategic Laser Communications 

System Laser Transmitter Module (SLC/LTM), at Northrop 

Grumman. He invented, designed and developed a novel 

Non-Line-Of-Sight Optical Comms System when he was 

Chief Scientist of the General Dynamics Laser Systems 

Laboratory. This portable system allowed comm in a U 

shaped channel “up-over-and-down” a large building. At SAIC 

he analyzed, designed, developed and tested a single ended 

Optical Comms System. 


• What are the Emerging Laser Communications Challenges 

for Mobile, Airborne and Space-Based Missions. 

• Future Opportunities in LaserCom Applications (ground-toground, 

satellite-to-satellite, ground-to-satellite and much 

more!) 

• Overcoming Challenges in LaserCom Development 

(bandwidth expansion, real-time global connectivity, 

survivability & more). 

• Measuring the Key Performance Tradeoffs (cost vs. 

size/weight vs. availability vs. power vs. range). 

• Tools and Techniques for Meeting the Requirements of Data 

Rate, Availability, Covertness & Jamming. 

From this course you will obtain the knowledge and 

ability to perform basic Comm systems engineering 

calculations, identify tradeoffs, interact meaningfully 

with colleagues, evaluate systems, and understand the 

literature.. 


1. Understanding Laser Communications. What are the 

Benefits of Laser Communications How Do Laser 

Communications Compare with RF and Microwave Systems 

Implementation Options. Future Role of Laser 

Communications in Commercial, Military and Scientific 

Markets. 

2. Laser Communications Latest Capabilities & 

Requirements. A Complete Guide to Laser Communications 

Capabilities for Mobile, Airborne and Space-Based Missions. 

What Critical System Functions are Required for Laser 

Communications What are the Capability Requirements for 

Spacecraft-Based Laser Communications Terminals Tools 

and Techniques for Meeting the Requirements of -Data Rate, 

Availability, Covertness, Jamming Ground Terminal 

Requirements- Viable Receiver Sites, Uplink Beacon and 

Command, Safety. 

3. Laser Communication System Prototypes & 

Programs. USAF/Boeing Gapfiller Wideband Laser Comm 

System–The Future Central Node in Military Architectures 

DARPA’s TeraHertz Operational Reachback (THOR)–Meeting 

Data Requirements for Mobile Environments Elliptica 

Transceiver–The Future Battlefield Commlink Laser 

Communication Test and Evaluation Station (LTES), DARPA’s 

Multi-Access Laser Communication Head (MALCH): 

Providing Simultaneous Lasercom to Multiple Airborne Users. 

4. Opportunities and Challenges in Laser 

Communications Development. Link Drivers--- Weather, 

Mobile or Stationary systems, Design Drivers--- Cost, Link 

Availability, Bit Rates, Bit Error Rates, Mil Specs Design 

Approaches--- Design to Spec, Design to Cost, System 

Architecture and Point to Point Where are the Opportunities in 

Laser Communications Architectures Development Coping 

with the Lack of Bandwidth, What are the Solutions in 

Achieving Real-Time Global Connectivity Beam 

Transmission: Making it Work - Free-Space Optics- 

Overcoming Key Atmospheric Effects Scintillation, 

Turbulence, Cloud Statistics, Background Light and Sky 

Brightness, Transmission, Seeing Availability, Underwater 

Optics, Guided Wave Optics. 

5. Expert Insights on Measuring Laser 

Communications Performance. Tools and Techniques for 

Establishing Requirements and Estimating Performance Key 

Performance Trade-offs for Laser Communications Systems - 

Examining the Tradeoffs of Cost vs. Availability, Bit Rate, and 

Bit Error Rate; of Size/Weight vs. Cost, Availability, BR/BER, 

Mobility; of Power vs. Range, BR/BER, Availability; Mass, 

Power, Volume and Cost Estimation; Reliability and Quality 

Assurance, Environmental Tests, Component Specifics 

(Lasers, Detectors, Optics.) 

6. Understanding the Key Components and 

Subsystems. Current Challenges and Future Capabilities in 

Laser Transmitters Why Modulation and Coding is Key for 

Successful System Performance Frequency/Wavelength 

Control for Signal-to-Noise Improvements Meeting the 

Requirements for Optical Channel Capacity The Real Impact 

of the Transmitter Telescope on System Performance 

Transcription Methods for Sending the Data- Meeting the 

Requirements for Bit Rates and Bit Error Rates Which 

Receivers are Most Useful for Detecting Optical Signals, 

Pointing and Tracking for Link Closure and Reduction of Drop- 

Outs - Which Technologies Can Be Used for Link 

Closure,How Can You Keep Your Bit Error Rates Low . 

7. Future Applications of Laser Communications 

Systems. Understanding the Flight Systems - Host Platform 

Vibration Characteristics, Fine-Pointing Mechanism, Coarse 

Pointing Mechanism, Isolation Mechanisms, Inertial Sensor 

Feedback, Eye Safety Ground to Ground – Decisions 

required include covertness requirements, day/night, - Fixed – 

Mobile Line-of-Sight, Non-Line-of-Sight – Allows significant 

freedom of motion Ground to A/C, A/C to Ground, A/C to A/C, 

Ground to Satellite. Low Earth Orbit, Point Ahead 

Requirements, Medium Earth Orbit, Geo-Stationary Earth 

Orbit, Long Range as Above, Satellite to Ground as Above, 

Sat to Sat “Real Free Space Comms”, Under-Water Fixed to 

Mobile, Under-Water Mobile to Fixed. 


Signal & Image Processing And Analysis For Scientists And Engineers 

Recent attendee comments ... 

"This course provided insight and 

explanations that saved me hours of 

research time." 

Summary 

Whether working in the scientific, medical, or 

security field, signal and image processing and 

analysis play a critical role. This three-day course is 

designed is designed for engineers, scientists, 

technicians, implementers, and managers in those 

fields who need to understand basic and advanced 

methods of signal and image processing and 

analysis techniques. The course provides a jump 

start for utilizing these methods in any application. 

Instructor 

Dr. Donald J. Roth is the Nondestructive 

Evaluation (NDE) Team Lead at a 

major NASA center, as well as a 

senior research engineer with 26 

years of experience in NDE, 

measurement and imaging 

sciences, and software design. His 

primary areas of expertise over his 

career include research and development in 

the imaging modalities of ultrasound, infrared, 

x-ray, computed tomography, and terahertz. He 

has been heavily involved in the development 

of software for custom data and control 

systems, and for signal and image processing 

software systems. Dr. Roth holds the degree of 

Ph.D. in Materials Science from the Case 

Western Reserve University and has published 

over 100 articles, presentations, book 

chapters, and software products. 


• Terminology, definitions, and concepts related 

to basic and advanced signal and image 

processing. 

• Conceptual examples. 

• Case histories where these methods have 

proven applicable. 

• Methods are exhibited using live computerized 

demonstrations. 

• All of this will allow a better understanding of 

how and when to apply processing methods in 

practice. 

From this course you will obtain the knowledge 

and ability to perform basic and advanced signal 

and image processing and analysis that can be 

applied to many signal and image acquisition 

scenarios in order to improve and analyze signal 

and image data 

December 14-16, 2010 


$1590 (8:30am - 4:30pm) 




NEW! 

1. Introduction. Basic Descriptions, Terminology, 

and Concepts Related to Signals, Imaging, and 

Processing for science and engineering. Analog 

and Digital. Data acquisition concepts. Sampling 

and Quantization. 

2. Signal Analysis. Basic operations, 

Frequency-domain filtering, Wavelet filtering, 

Wavelet Decomposition and Reconstruction, Signal 

Deconvolution, Joint Time-Frequency Processing, 

Curve Fitting. 

3. Signal Analysis. Signal Parameter Extraction, 

Peak Detection, Signal Statistics, Joint Time – 

Frequency Analysis, Acoustic Emission analysis, 

Curve Fitting Parameter Extraction. 

4. Image Processing. Basic and Advanced 

Methods, Spatial frequency Filtering, Wavelet 

filtering, lookup tables, Kernel convolution/filtering 

(e.g. Sobel, Gradient, Median), Directional Filtering, 

Image Deconvolution, Wavelet Decomposition and 

Reconstruction, Thresholding, Colorization, 

Morphological Operations, Segmentation, B-scan 

display, Phased Array Display. 

5. Image Analysis. Region-of-interest Analysis, 

Line profiles, Feature Selection and Measurement, 

Image Math, Logical Operators, Masks, Particle 

analysis, Image Series Reduction including Images 

Averaging, Principal Component Analysis, 

Derivative Images, Multi-surface Rendering, B-scan 

Analysis, Phased Array Analysis. 

6. Integrated Signal and Image Processing 

and Analysis Software and algorithm strategies. 

The instructor will draw on his extensive experience 

to demonstrate how these methods can be 

combined and utilized in a post-processing software 

package. Software strategies including code and 

interface design concepts for versatile signal and 

image processing and analysis software 

development will be provided. These strategies are 

applicable for any language including LabVIEW, 

MATLAB, and IDL. Practical considerations and 

approaches will be emphasized. 


Strapdown Inertial Navigation Systems 

Guidance, Navigation & Control Engineering 

Summary 

In this highly structured 4-day short course – 

specifically tailored to the needs of busy engineers, 

scientists, managers, and aerospace professionals – 

Logsdon will provide you with cogent instruction on the 

modern guidance, navigation, and control techniques 

now being perfected at key research centers around 

the world. 

The various topics are amply illustrated with 

powerful analogies, full-color sketches, block 

diagrams, simple one-page derivations highlighting 

their salient features, and numerical examples that 

employ inputs from battlefield rockets, satellites, and 

deep-space missions. These lessons are carefully laid 

out to help you design and implement practical 

performance-optimal missions and test procedures. 

Instructor 

NEW! 

Thomas S. Logsdon has accumulated more than 

30 years experience with the Naval Ordinance 

Laboratory, McDonnell Douglas, 

Lockheed Martin, Boeing Aerospace, 

and Rockwell International. His research 

projects and consulting assignments 

have included the Tartar and Talos 

shipboard missiles, Project Skylab, and 

various interplanetary missions. 

Mr. Logsdon has also worked on the Navstar GPS 

project, including military applications, constellation 

design and coverage studies. He has taught and 

lectured in 31 different countries on six continents and 

he has written and published 1.7 million words, 

including 29 technical books. His textbooks include 

Striking It Rich in Space, Understanding the Navstar, 

Mobile Communication Satellites, and Orbital 

Mechanics: Theory and Applications. 


• What are the key differences between gimballing and 

strapdown Inertial Navigation Systems 

• How are transfer alignment operations currently 

being carried out on the modern battlefield 

• How sensitive are today’s solid state accelerometers 

and how are they currently being designed 

• What is a covariance matrix and how can it be used 

in evaluating the performance capabilities of 

Integrated GPS/INS Navigation Systems 

• How does the Paveway IV differ from its 

predecessors 

• What are its key performance capabilities on the 

battlefield 

• What is the deep space network and how does it 

perform its demanding mission assignments 



January 17-20, 2011 

Cape Canaveral, Florida 

February 28-March 3, 2011 


$1790 (8:30am - 4:30pm) 




1. Inertial Navigation Systems. Fundamental Concepts. 

Schuller Pendulum Errors. Strapdown Implementations. Ring 

Laser Gyros. The Sagnac Effect. Monolithic Ring Laser Gyros. 

Fiber Optic Gyros. Advanced Strapdown Concepts. 

2. Radionavigations’s Precise Position-Fixing 

Techniques. Active and Passive Radionavigation Systems. 

Precise Pseudoranging Solutions. Nanosecond Timing 

Accuracies. The Quantum-Mechanical Principles of Cesium 

and Rubidium Atomic Clocks. Solving for the User’s Position. 

3. Integrated Navigation Systems. Modern INS 

Concepts. Gimballing and Strapdown Implementations in 

Review. Embedded Navigation Systems. Open-Loop and 

Closed-Loop Implementations. Chassis-Level Integration. 

Transfer Alignment Techniques. Kalman Filters and Their 

State Variable Selections. Real-World Test Results. 

4. Hardware Units for Inertial Navigation. Sensors. 

Solid-State Accelerometers. Initializing Today’s Strapdown 

Inertial Navigation Systems. Coordinate Rotations and 

Direction Cosine Matrices. Advanced Strapdown Concepts 

and Hardware Units. Strapdown INS Launched Into Space. 

5. Military Applications of Integrated Navigation 

Systems. Developing and Implementing the Worldwide 

Common Grid. Translator Implementations at Military Test 

Ranges. Military Performance Specifications. Military Test 

Results. Tactical Applications. The Trident Accuracy 

Improvement Program. Tomahawk Cruise Missile Upgrades. 

6. Navigation Solutions & Kalman Filtering 

Techniques. P-Code Navigation Solutions. Solving For the 

User’s Velocity. Evaluating the Geometrical Dilution of 

Precision. Deriving Real-Time Accuracy Estimates. Kalman 

Filtering Procedures. The Covariance Matrices and Their 

Physical Interpretations. Typical State Variable Selections. 

Monte Carlo Simulations. 

7. Smart Bombs, Guided Missiles, & Artillery 

Projectiles. Beam-Riders and Their Destructive Potential. 

Smart Bombs and Their Demonstrated Accuracies. Smart and 

Rugged Artillery Projectiles. The Paveway IV. 

8. Spacecraft Subsystems GPS Subsystems on Parade. 

Orbit Injection and TT&C. Electrical Power and Attitude and 

Velocity Control. Navigation and Reaction Control. Schematic 

Overview Featuring Some of the More Important Subsystem 

Interactions. 

9. Spaceborne Applications of Integrated Navigation 

Systems. On-Orbit Position-Fixing for the Landsat Satellites. 

Highly Precise Orbit-Determination Techniques. The Twin 

Grace Satellites. Guiding Tomorrow’s Booster Rockets. 

Attitude Determination for the International Space Station. 

Cesium Fountain Clocks in Outer Space. Relativistic 

Corrections for Radionavigation Satellites. 

10. Guidance & Control for Deep Space Missions. 

Putting ICBM’s Through Their Paces. Guiding Tomorrow’s 

Highly Demanding Missions from the Earth to Mars. JPL’s 

Awesome New Interplanetary Pinball Machines. JPL’s Deep 

Space Network. Autonomous Robots Swarming Through the 

Universe. Unpaved Freeways in the Sky. 



“This course uses very little math, yet provides an indepth 

understanding of the concepts and real-world 

applications of these powerful tools.” 

Summary 

Fast Fourier Transforms (FFT) are in wide use and 

work very well if your signal stays at a constant 

frequency (“stationary”). But if the signal could vary, 

have pulses, “blips” or any other kind of interesting 

behavior then you need Wavelets. Wavelets are 

remarkable tools that can stretch and move like an 

amoeba to find the hidden “events” and then 

simultaneously give you their location, frequency, and 

shape. Wavelet Transforms allow this and many other 

capabilities not possible with conventional methods like 

the FFT. 

This course is vastly different from traditional mathoriented 

Wavelet courses or books in that we use 

examples, figures, and computer demonstrations to 

show how to understand and work with Wavelets. This 

is a comprehensive, in-depth. up-to-date treatment of 

the subject, but from an intuitive, conceptual point of 

view. 

We do look at some key equations but only AFTER 

the concepts are demonstrated and understood so you 

can see the wavelets and equations “in action”. 

Each student will receive extensive course slides, a 

CD with MATLAB demonstrations, and a copy of the 

instructor’s new book, Conceptual Wavelets. 

Instructor 

D. Lee Fugal is the Founder and President of an 

independent consulting firm. He has 

over 30 years of industry experience in 

Digital Signal Processing (including 

Wavelets) and Satellite 

Communications. He has been a fulltime 

consultant on numerous 

assignments since 1991. Recent 

projects include Excision of Chirp 

Jammer Signals using Wavelets, design of Space- 

Based Geolocation Systems (GPS & Non-GPS), and 

Advanced Pulse Detection using Wavelet Technology. 

He has taught upper-division University courses in 

DSP and in Satellites as well as Wavelet short courses 

and seminars for Practicing Engineers and 

Management. He holds a Masters in Applied Physics 

(DSP) from the University of Utah, is a Senior Member 

of IEEE, and a recipient of the IEEE Third Millennium 

Medal. 


• How to use Wavelets as a “microscope” to analyze 

data that changes over time or has hidden “events” 

that would not show up on an FFT. 

• How to understand and efficiently use the 3 types of 

Wavelet Transforms to better analyze and process 

your data. State-of-the-art methods and 

applications. 

• How to compress and de-noise data using advanced 

Wavelet techniques. How to avoid potential pitfalls 

by understanding the concepts. A “safe” method if in 

doubt. 

• How to increase productivity and reduce cost by 

choosing (or building) a Wavelet that best matches 

your particular application. 

February 22-24, 2011 

San Diego, California 

$1690 (8:30am - 4:00pm) 



"Your Wavelets course was very helpful in our 

Radar studies. We often use wavelets now instead 

of the Fourier Transform for precision denoising." 

–Long To, NAWC WD, Point Wugu, CA 

"I was looking forward to this course and it was 

very rewarding–Your clear explanations starting 

with the big picture immediately contextualized the 

material allowing us to drill a little deeper with a 

fuller understanding" 

–Steve Van Albert, Walter Reed Army Institute 

of Research 

"Good overview of key wavelet concepts and literature. 

The course provided a good physical understanding 

of wavelet transforms and 

applications." 

–Stanley Radzevicius, ENSCO, Inc. 


1. What is a Wavelet Examples and Uses. “Waves” that 

can start, stop, move and stretch. Real-world applications in 

many fields: Signal and Image Processing, Internet Traffic, 

Airport Security, Medicine, JPEG, Finance, Pulse and Target 

Recognition, Radar, Sonar, etc. 

2. Comparison with traditional methods. The concept 

of the FFT, the STFT, and Wavelets as all being various types 

of comparisons (correlations) with the data. Strengths, 

weaknesses, optimal choices. 

3. The Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT). 

Stretching and shifting the Wavelet for optimal correlation. 

Predefined vs. Constructed Wavelets. 

4. The Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT). Shrinking 

the signal by factors of 2 through downsampling. 

Understanding the DWT in terms of correlations with the data. 

Relating the DWT to the CWT. Demonstrations and uses. 

5. The Redundant Discrete Wavelet Transform (RDWT). 

Stretching the Wavelet by factors of 2 without downsampling. 

Tradeoffs between the alias-free processing and the extra 

storage and computational burdens. A hybrid process using 

both the DWT and the RDWT. Demonstrations and uses. 

6. “Perfect Reconstruction Filters”. How to cancel the 

effects of aliasing. How to recognize and avoid any traps. A 

breakthrough method to see the filters as basic Wavelets. 

The “magic” of alias cancellation demonstrated in both the 

time and frequency domains. 

7. Highly useful properties of popular Wavelets. How 

to choose the best Wavelet for your application. When to 

create your own and when to stay with proven favorites. 

8. Compression and De-Noising using Wavelets. How 

to remove unwanted or non-critical data without throwing 

away the alias cancellation capability. A new, powerful method 

to extract signals from large amounts of noise. 

Demonstrations. 

9. Additional Methods and Applications. Image 

Processing. Detecting Discontinuities, Self-Similarities and 

Transitory Events. Speech Processing. Human Vision. Audio 

and Video. BPSK/QPSK Signals. Wavelet Packet Analysis. 

Matched Filtering. How to read and use the various Wavelet 

Displays. Demonstrations. 

10. Further Resources. The very best of Wavelet 

references. 


Wireless Communications & Spread Spectrum Design 

Summary 

This three-day course is designed for wireless 

communication engineers involved with spread 

spectrum systems, and managers who wish to 

enhance their understanding 

of the wireless techniques that 

are being used in all types of 

communication systems and 

products. It provides an overall 

look at many types and 

advantages of spread 

spectrum systems that are 

designed in wireless systems 

today. This course covers an 

intuitive approach that 

provides a real feel for the 

technology, with applications that apply to both the 

government and commercial sectors. Students will 

receive a copy of the instructor's textbook, Transceiver 

and System Design for Digital Communications. 

Instructor 

Scott R. Bullock, P.E., MSEE, 30 years in Wireless 

Communications & Networking for commercial and 

Military links, holds 18 patents, published two books; 

Transceiver and System Design for Digital Comms, 3rd 

Edition, Scitech Pub 2009, and Broadband 

Communications and Home Networking, Scitech Pub 

2000, and multiple technical articles. He worked and 

consulted for TI, L-3Comms, Omnipoint, Raytheon, 

Northrop Grumman holding positions of Fellow, Dir. 

Senior Dir., and VP of Eng. He has taught this course 

for 15 years with updates to include the newest 

technologies. He was a guest lecturer Polytechnic on 

“Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum & Multiple Access 

Technologies”, adjunct professor, developed the first 

hand-held PCS digital telephone using CDMA/TDMA 

hybrid, a D8PSK for GPS landings, a wireless LPI/LPD 

anti-jam data link replacing the wired TOW missile, & 

many others. 


• How to perform link budgets for types of spread 

spectrum communications 

• How to evaluate different digital modulation/ 

demodulation techniques 

• What additional techniques are used to enhance 

digital Comm links including; multiple access, 

OFDM, error detection/correction, FEC, Turbo 

codes 

• What is multipath and how to reduce multipath 

and jammers including adaptive processes 

• What types of satellite communications and 

satellites are being used and design techniques 

• What types of networks & Comms are being 

used for commercial/military; ad hoc, mesh, WiFi, 

WiMAX, 3&4G, JTRS, SCA, SDR, Link 16, 

cognitive radios & networks 

• What is a Global Positioning System 

• How to solve a 3 dimension Direction Finding 

From this course you will obtain the knowledge 

and ability to evaluate and develop the system 

design for wireless communication digital 

transceivers including spread spectrum systems. 

March 22-24, 2011 


$1690 (8:30am - 4:00pm) 




1. Transceiver Design. dB power, link budgets, system 

design tradeoffs, S/N, Eb/No, Pe, BER, link margin, tracking 

noise, process gain, effects and advantages of using spread 

spectrum techniques. 

2. Transmitter Design. Spread spectrum transmitters, 

PSK, MSK, QAM, CP-PSK, FH, OFDM, PN-codes, 

TDMA/CDMA/FDMA, antennas, T/R, LOs, upconverters, 

sideband elimination, PAs, VSWR. 

3. Receiver Design. Dynamic range, image rejection, 

limiters, MDS, superheterodyne receivers, importance of 

LNAs, 3rd order intercept, intermods, spurious signals, two 

tone dynamic range, TSS, phase noise, mixers, filters, A/D 

converters, aliasing anti-aliasing filters, digital signal 

processors DSPs. 

4. Automatic Gain Control Design & Phase Lock Loop 

Comparison. AGCs, linearizer, detector, loop filter, integrator, 

using control theory and feedback systems to analyze AGCs, 

PLL and AGC comparison. 

5. Demodulation. Demodulation and despreading 

techniques for spread spectrum systems, pulsed matched 

filters, sliding correlators, pulse position modulation, CDMA, 

coherent demod, despreading, carrier recovery, squaring 

loops, Costas and modified Costas loops, symbol synch, eye 

pattern, inter-symbol interference, phase detection, Shannon' 

s limit. 

6. Basic Probability and Pulse Theory. Simple approach 

to probability, gaussian process, quantization error, Pe, BER, 

probability of detection vs probability of false alarm, error 

detection CRC, error correction, FEC, RS & Turbo codes, 

LDPC, Interleaving, Viterbi, multi-h, PPM, m-sequence codes. 

7. Multipath. Specular and diffuse reflections, Rayleigh 

criteria, earth curvature, pulse systems, vector and power 

analysis. 

8. Improving the System Against Jammers. Burst 

jammers, digital filters, GSOs, adaptive filters, ALEs, 

quadrature method to eliminate unwanted sidebands, 

orthogonal methods to reduce jammers, types of intercept 

receivers. 

9. Global Navigation Satellite Systems. Basic 

understanding of GPS, spread spectrum BPSK modulated 

signal from space, satellite transmission, signal structure, 

receiver, errors, narrow correlator, selective availability SA, 

carrier smoothed code, Differential DGPS, Relative GPS, 

widelane/narrowlane, carrier phase tracking KCPT, double 

difference. 

10. Satellite Communications. ADPCM, FSS, 

geosynchronous / geostationary orbits, types of antennas, 

equivalent temperature analysis, G/T multiple access, 

propagation delay, types of satellites. 

11. Broadband Communications and Networking. Home 

distribution methods, Bluetooth, OFDM, WiFi, WiMax, LTE, 

3&4G cellular, QoS, military radios, JTRS, software defined 

radios, SCA, gateways, Link 16, TDMA, adaptive networks, 

mesh, ad hoc, on-the-move, MANETs, D-MANETs, cognitive 

radios and networks. 

12. DF & Interferometer Analysis. Positioning and 

direction finding using interferometers, direction cosines, 

three dimensional approach, antenna position matrix, 

coordinate conversion for moving. 


Advanced Satellite Communications Systems: 

Survey of Current and Emerging Digital Systems 

January 25-27, 2011 

Cocoa Beach, Florida 

$1590 (8:30am - 4:00pm) 



Summary 

This three-day course covers all the technology 

of advanced satellite communications as well as the 

principles behind current state-of-the-art satellite 

communications equipment. New and promising 

technologies will be covered to develop an 

understanding of the major approaches. Network 

topologies, VSAT, and IP networking over satellite. 

Instructor 

Dr. John Roach is a leading authority in satellite 

communications with 35+ years in the SATCOM 

industry. He has worked on many development 

projects both as employee and consultant / 

contractor. His experience has focused on the 

systems engineering of state-of-the-art system 

developments, military and commercial, from the 

worldwide architectural level to detailed terminal 

tradeoffs and designs. He has been an adjunct 

faculty member at Florida Institute of Technology 

where he taught a range of graduate communications 

courses. He has also taught SATCOM 

short courses all over the US and in London and 

Toronto, both publicly and in-house for both 

government and commercial organizations. In 

addition, he has been an expert witness in patent, 

trade secret, and government contracting cases. Dr. 

Roach has a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from 

Georgia Tech. Advanced Satellite Communications 

Systems: Survey of Current and Emerging Digital 

Systems. 


• Major Characteristics of satellites. 

• Characteristics of satellite networks. 

• The tradeoffs between major alternatives in 

SATCOM system design. 

• SATCOM system tradeoffs and link budget 

analysis. 

• DAMA/BoD for FDMA, TDMA, and CDMA 

systems. 

• Critical RF parameters in terminal equipment and 

their effects on performance. 

• Technical details of digital receivers. 

• Tradeoffs among different FEC coding choices. 

• Use of spread spectrum for Comm-on-the-Move. 

• Characteristics of IP traffic over satellite. 

• Overview of bandwidth efficient modulation types. 


1. Introduction to SATCOM. History and 

overview. Examples of current military and 

commercial systems. 

2. Satellite orbits and transponder 

characteristics. 

3. Traffic Connectivities: Mesh, Hub-Spoke, 

Point-to-Point, Broadcast. 

4. Multiple Access Techniques: FDMA, TDMA, 

CDMA, Random Access. DAMA and Bandwidth-on- 

Demand. 

5. Communications Link Calculations. 

Definition of EIRP, G/T, Eb/No. Noise Temperature 

and Figure. Transponder gain and SFD. Link 

Budget Calculations. 

6. Digital Modulation Techniques. BPSK, 

QPSK. Standard pulse formats and bandwidth. 

Nyquist signal shaping. Ideal BER performance. 

7. PSK Receiver Design Techniques. Carrier 

recovery, phase slips, ambiguity resolution, 

differential coding. Optimum data detection, clock 

recovery, bit count integrity. 

8. Overview of Error Correction Coding, 

Encryption, and Frame Synchronization. 

Standard FEC types. Coding Gain. 

9. RF Components. HPA, SSPA, LNA, Up/down 

converters. Intermodulation, band limiting, oscillator 

phase noise. Examples of BER Degradation. 

10. TDMA Networks. Time Slots. Preambles. 

Suitability for DAMA and BoD. 

11. Characteristics of IP and TCP/UDP over 

satellite. Unicast and Multicast. Need for 

Performance Enhancing Proxy (PEP) techniques. 

12. VSAT Networks and their system 

characteristics; DVB standards and MF-TDMA. 

13. Earth Station Antenna types. Pointing / 

Tracking. Small antennas at Ku band. FCC - Intelsat 

- ITU antenna requirements and EIRP density 

limitations. 

14. Spread Spectrum Techniques. Military use 

and commercial PSD spreading with DS PN 

systems. Acquisition and tracking. Frequency Hop 

systems. 

15. Overview of Bandwidth Efficient 

Modulation (BEM) Techniques. M-ary PSK, Trellis 

Coded 8PSK, QAM. 

16. Convolutional coding and Viterbi 

decoding. Concatenated coding. Turbo coding. 

17. Emerging Technology Developments and 

Future Trends. 


Attitude Determination and Control 

Summary 

This four-day course provides a detailed 

introduction to spacecraft attitude estimation and 

control. This course emphasizes many practical 

aspects of attitude control system design but with a 

solid theoretical foundation. The principles of operation 

and characteristics of attitude sensors and actuators 

are discussed. Spacecraft kinematics and dynamics 

are developed for use in control design and system 

simulation. Attitude determination methods are 

discussed in detail, including TRIAD, QUEST, Kalman 

filters. Sensor alignment and calibration is also 

covered. Environmental factors that affect pointing 

accuracy and attitude dynamics are presented. 

Pointing accuracy, stability (smear), and jitter 

definitions and analysis methods are presented. The 

various types of spacecraft pointing controllers and 

design, and analysis methods are presented. Students 

should have an engineering background including 

calculus and linear algebra. Sufficient background 

mathematics are presented in the course but is kept to 

the minimum necessary. 

Instructor 

Dr. Mark E. Pittelkau is an independent consultant. 

He was previously with the Applied Physics Laboratory, 

Orbital Sciences Corporation, CTA Space Systems, 

and Swales Aerospace. His early career at the Naval 

Surface Warfare Center involved target tracking, gun 

pointing control, and gun system calibration, and he 

has recently worked in target track fusion. His 

experience in satellite systems covers all phases of 

design and operation, including conceptual desig, 

implemen-tation, and testing of attitude control 

systems, attitude and orbit determination, and attitude 

sensor alignment and calibration, control-structure 

interaction analysis, stability and jitter analysis, and 

post-launch support. His current interests are precision 

attitude determination, attitude sensor calibration, orbit 

determination, and formation flying. Dr. Pittelkau 

earned the Bachelor's and Ph. D. degrees in Electrical 

Engineering at Tennessee Technological University 

and the Master's degree in EE at Virginia Polytechnic 

Institute and State University. 


• Characteristics and principles of operation of attitude 

sensors and actuators. 

• Kinematics and dynamics. 

• Principles of time and coordinate systems. 

• Attitude determination methods, algorithms, and 

limits of performance; 

• Pointing accuracy, stability (smear), and jitter 

definitions and analysis methods. 

• Various types of pointing control systems and 

hardware necessary to meet particular control 

objectives. 

• Back-of-the envelope design techniques. 

February 28 - March 3, 2011 


$1790 (8:30am - 4:00pm) 




“Very thorough!” 

“Relevant and comprehensive.” 


1. Kinematics. Vectors, direction-cosine 

matrices, Euler angles, quaternions, frame 

transformations, and rotating frames. Conversion 

between attitude representations. 

2. Dynamics. Rigid-body rotational dynamics, 

Euler's equation. Slosh dynamics. Spinning spacecraft 

with long wire booms. 

3. Sensors. Sun sensors, Earth Horizon sensors, 

Magnetometers, Gyros, Allan Variance & Green 

Charts, Angular Displacement sensors, Star Trackers. 

Principles of operation and error modeling. 

4. Actuators. Reaction and momentum wheels, 

dynamic and static imbalance, wheel configurations, 

magnetic torque rods, reaction control jets. Principles 

of operation and modeling. 

5. Environmental Disturbance Torques. 

Aerodynamic, solar pressure, gravity-gradient, 

magnetic dipole torque, dust impacts, and internal 

disturbances. 

6. Pointing Error Metrics. Accuracy, Stability 

(Smear), and Jitter. Definitions and methods of design 

and analysis for specification and verification of 

requirements. 

7. Attitude Control. B-dot and H X B rate damping 

laws. Gravity-gradient, spin stabilization, and 

momentum bias control. Three-axis zero-momentum 

control. Controller design and stability. Back-of-the 

envelope equations for actuator sizing and controller 

design. Flexible-body modeling, control-structure 

interaction, structural-mode (flex-mode) filters, and 

control of flexible structures. Verification and 

Validation, and Polarity and Phase testing. 

8. Attitude Determination. TRIAD and QUEST 

algorithms. Introduction to Kalman filtering. Potential 

problems and reliable solutions in Kalman filtering. 

Attitude determination using the Kalman filter. 

Calibration of attitude sensors and gyros. 

9. Coordinate Systems and Time. J2000 and 

ICRF inertial reference frames. Earth Orientation, 

WGS-84, geodetic, geographic coordinates. Time 

systems. Conversion between time scales. Standard 

epochs. Spacecraft time and timing. 


Communications Payload Design and Satellite System Architecture 

November 16-18, 2010 


April 5-7, 2011 


$1590 (8:30am - 4:00pm) 



Summary 

This three-day course provides communications and 

satellite systems engineers and system architects with a 

comprehensive and accurate approach for the 

specification and detailed design of the communications 

payload and its integration into a satellite system. Both 

standard bent pipe repeaters and digital processors (on 

board and ground-based) are studied in depth, and 

optimized from the standpoint of maximizing throughput 

and coverage (single footprint and multi-beam). 

Applications in Fixed Satellite Service (C, X, Ku and Ka 

bands) and Mobile Satellite Service (L and S bands) are 

addressed as are the requirements of the associated 

ground segment for satellite control and the provision of 

services to end users. 

Instructor 

Bruce R. Elbert (MSEE, MBA) is an independent 

consultant and Adjunct Prof of Engineering, Univ of Wisc, 

Madison. 

He is a recognized satellite 

communications expert with 40 years of 

experience in satellite communications 

payload and systems design engineering 

beginning at COMSAT Laboratories and 

including 25 years with Hughes 

Electronics. He has contributed to the 

design and construction of major communications, 

including Intelsat, Inmarsat, Galaxy, Thuraya, DIRECTV 

and Palapa A. 

He has written eight books, including: The Satellite 

Communication Applications Handbook, Second Edition, 

The Satellite Communication Ground Segment and Earth 

Station Handbook, and Introduction to Satellite 

Communication, Third Edition. 


• How to transform system and service requirements into 

payload specifications and design elements. 

• What are the specific characteristics of payload 

components, such as antennas, LNAs, microwave filters, 

channel and power amplifiers, and power combiners. 

• What space and ground architecture to employ when 

evaluating on-board processing and multiple beam 

antennas, and how these may be configured for optimum 

end-to-end performance. 

• How to understand the overall system architecture and the 

capabilities of ground segment elements - hubs and remote 

terminals - to integrate with the payload, constellation and 

end-to-end system. 

• From this course you will obtain the knowledge, skill and 

ability to configure a communications payload based on its 

service requirements and technical features. You will 

understand the engineering processes and device 

characteristics that determine how the payload is put 

together and operates in a state - of - the - art 

telecommunications system to meet user needs. 

NEW! 


1. Communications Payloads and Service 

Requirements. Bandwidth, coverage, services and 

applications; RF link characteristics and appropriate use of link 

budgets; bent pipe payloads using passive and active 

components; specific demands for broadband data, IP over 

satellite, mobile communications and service availability; 

principles for using digital processing in system architecture, 

and on-board processor examples at L band (non-GEO and 

GEO) and Ka band. 

2. Systems Engineering to Meet Service 

Requirements. Transmission engineering of the satellite link 

and payload (modulation and FEC, standards such as DVB-S2 

and Adaptive Coding and Modulation, ATM and IP routing in 

space); optimizing link and payload design through 

consideration of traffic distribution and dynamics, link margin, 

RF interference and frequency coordination requirements. 

3. Bent-pipe Repeater Design. Example of a detailed 

block and level diagram, design for low noise amplification, 

down-conversion design, IMUX and band-pass filtering, group 

delay and gain slope, AGC and linearizaton, power 

amplification (SSPA and TWTA, linearization and parallel 

combining), OMUX and design for high power/multipactor, 

redundancy switching and reliability assessment. 

4. Spacecraft Antenna Design and Performance. Fixed 

reflector systems (offset parabola, Gregorian, Cassegrain) 

feeds and feed systems, movable and reconfigurable 

antennas; shaped reflectors; linear and circular polarization. 

5. Communications Payload Performance Budgeting. 

Gain to Noise Temperature Ratio (G/T), Saturation Flux 

Density (SFD), and Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP); 

repeater gain/loss budgeting; frequency stability and phase 

noise; third-order intercept (3ICP), gain flatness, group delay; 

non-linear phase shift (AM/PM); out of band rejection and 

amplitude non-linearity (C3IM and NPR). 

6. On-board Digital Processor Technology. A/D and D/A 

conversion, digital signal processing for typical channels and 

formats (FDMA, TDMA, CDMA); demodulation and 

remodulation, multiplexing and packet switching; static and 

dynamic beam forming; design requirements and service 

impacts. 

7. Multi-beam Antennas. Fixed multi-beam antennas 

using multiple feeds, feed layout and isloation; phased array 

approaches using reflectors and direct radiating arrays; onboard 

versus ground-based beamforming. 

8. RF Interference and Spectrum Management 

Considerations. Unraveling the FCC and ITU international 

regulatory and coordination process; choosing frequency 

bands that address service needs; development of regulatory 

and frequency coordination strategy based on successful case 

studies. 

9. Ground Segment Selection and Optimization. 

Overall architecture of the ground segment: satellite TT&C and 

communications services; earth station and user terminal 

capabilities and specifications (fixed and mobile); modems and 

baseband systems; selection of appropriate antenna based on 

link requirements and end-user/platform considerations. 

10. Earth station and User Terminal Tradeoffs: RF 

tradeoffs (RF power, EIRP, G/T); network design for provision 

of service (star, mesh and hybrid networks); portability and 

mobility. 

11. Performance and Capacity Assessment. 

Determining capacity requirements in terms of bandwidth, 

power and network operation; selection of the air interface 

(multiple access, modulation and coding); interfaces with 

satellite and ground segment; relationship to available 

standards in current use and under development . 

12. Satellite System Verification Methodology. 

Verification engineering for the payload and ground segment; 

where and how to review sources of available technology and 

software to evaluate subsystem and system performance; 

guidelines for overseeing development and evaluating 

alternate technologies and their sources; example of a 

complete design of a communications payload and system 

architecture. 


Design and Analysis of Bolted Joints 

For Aerospace Engineers 


“It was a fantastic course—one of the 

most useful short courses I have ever 

taken.” 

“A must course for structural/mechanical 

engineers and anyone who has ever 

questioned the assumptions in bolt analysis” 

(What I found most useful:) “strong 

emphasis on understanding physical 

principles vs. blindly applying textbook 

formulas.” 

“Excellent instructor. Great lessons 

learned on failure modes shown from 

testing.” 

Summary 

Just about everyone involved in developing 

hardware for space missions (or any other purpose, 

for that matter) has been affected by problems with 

mechanical joints. Common problems include 

structural failure, fatigue, unwanted and unpredicted 

loss of stiffness, joint shifting or loss of alignment, 

fastener loosening, material mismatch, incompatibility 

with the space environment, mis-drilled 

holes, time-consuming and costly assembly, and 

inability to disassemble when needed. 

• Build an understanding of how bolted joints 

behave and how they fail. 

• Impart effective processes, methods, and 

standards for design and analysis, drawing on a mix 

of theory, empirical data, and practical experience. 

• Share guidelines, rules of thumb, and valuable 

references. 

The course includes many examples and class 

problems; calculators are required. Each participant 

will receive a comprehensive set of course notes. 

subject to strict application of modern science. 

Instructor 

Tom Sarafin has worked full time in the space 

industry since 1979, at Martin Marietta and Instar 

Engineering. Since founding Instar in 1993, he has 

consulted for DigitalGlobe, AeroAstro, AFRL, and 

Design_Net Engineering. He has helped the U. S. 

Air Force Academy design, develop, and test a 

series of small satellites and has been an advisor to 

DARPA. He is the editor and principal author of 

Spacecraft Structures and Mechanisms: From 

Concept to Launch and is a contributing author to all 

three editions of Space Mission Analysis and 

Design. Since 1995, he has taught over 150 short 

courses to more than 3000 engineers and 

managers in the space industry. 



$1590 (8:30am - 5:00pm) 




1. Overview of Designing Fastened Joints. 

Common problems with structural joints, a design 

process, selecting the method of attachment, strength 

analysis for sizing and assessment, establishing 

design standards and criteria. 

2. Introduction to Threaded Fasteners. Brief 

history of screw threads, terminology and specification, 

tensile-stress area, fine threads vs. coarse threads. 

3. Developing a Concept for the Joint. Selecting 

the type of fastener, configuring the joint, designing a 

stiff joint, shear clips and tension clips, guidelines for 

using tapped holes and inserts. 

4. Calculating Fastener Loads. How a preloaded 

joint carries load, temporarily ignoring preload, other 

common assumptions and their limitations, calculating 

bolt loads in a compact joint, examples, calculating 

fastener loads for skins and panels. 

5. Failure Modes, Assessment Methods, and 

Design Guidelines. Typical strength criteria for 

aerospace structures; an effective process for strength 

analysis; bolt tension, shear, and interaction; tension 

joints, shear joints, identifying potential failure modes, 

riveted joints, fastening composite materials. 

6. Thread Shear and Pull-out Strength. How 

threads fail, computing theoretical shear engagement 

areas, including a knock-down factor, selected test 

results. 

7. Selecting Hardware and Detailing the Design. 

Selecting hardware and materials, guidelines for 

simplifying assembly, establishing bolt preload, locking 

features, recommendations for controlling preload. 

8. Detailed Analysis: Accounting for Bolt Preload. 

Mechanics of a preloaded joint, estimating the load 

carried by the bolt and designing to reduce it, effects of 

ductility, calculating maximum and minimum preload, 

thermal effects on preload, fatigue analysis. 

9. Recommended Design Practice for Ductile 

Bolts Not Subject to NASA Standards. Applicability, 

general recommendations, torque coefficients for steel 

fasteners, establishing allowable limit bolt loads for 

design, example. 

10. Complying with NASA Standards. Factors of 

safety, fracture control for fastened joints, satisfying the 

intent of NSTS 08307A, simplifying: deriving reduced 

allowable bolts loads, example. 


Earth Station Design, Implementation, Operation and Maintenance 

for Satellite Communications 



$1895 (8:30am - 4:00pm) 



Summary 

This intensive four-day course is intended for 

satellite communications engineers, earth station 

design professionals, and operations and maintenance 

managers and technical staff. The course provides a 

proven approach to the design of modern earth 

stations, from the system level down to the critical 

elements that determine the performance and reliability 

of the facility. We address the essential technical 

properties in the baseband and RF, and delve deeply 

into the block diagram, budgets and specification of 

earth stations and hubs. Also addressed are practical 

approaches for the procurement and implementation of 

the facility, as well as proper practices for O&M and 

testing throughout the useful life. The overall 

methodology assures that the earth station meets its 

requirements in a cost effective and manageable 

manner. Each student will receive a copy of Bruce R. 

Elbert’s text The Satellite Communication Ground 

Segment and Earth Station Engineering Handbook, 

Artech House, 2001. 

Instructor 

Bruce R. Elbert, MSc (EE), MBA, President, 

Application Technology Strategy, Inc., 

Thousand Oaks, California; and 

Adjunct Professor, College of 

Engineering, University of Wisconsin, 

Madison. Mr. Elbert is a recognized 

satellite communications expert and 

has been involved in the satellite and 

telecommunications industries for over 30 years. He 

founded ATSI to assist major private and public sector 

organizations that develop and operate cutting-edge 

networks using satellite technologies and services. 

During 25 years with Hughes Electronics, he directed 

the design of several major satellite projects, including 

Palapa A, Indonesia’s original satellite system; the 

Galaxy follow-on system (the largest and most 

successful satellite TV system in the world); and the 

development of the first GEO mobile satellite system 

capable of serving handheld user terminals. Mr. Elbert 

was also ground segment manager for the Hughes 

system, which included eight teleports and 3 VSAT 

hubs. He served in the US Army Signal Corps as a 

radio communications officer and instructor. 

By considering the technical, business, and 

operational aspects of satellite systems, Mr. Elbert has 

contributed to the operational and economic success 

of leading organizations in the field. He has written 

seven books on telecommunications and IT, including 

Introduction to Satellite Communication, Third Edition 

(Artech House, 2008). The Satellite Communication 

Applications Handbook, Second Edition (Artech 

House, 2004); The Satellite Communication Ground 

Segment and Earth Station Handbook (Artech House, 

2001), the course text. 

NEW! 


1. Ground Segment and Earth Station Technical 

Aspects. 

Evolution of satellite communication earth stations— 

teleports and hubs • Earth station design philosophy for 

performance and operational effectiveness • Engineering 

principles • Propagation considerations • The isotropic source, 

line of sight, antenna principles • Atmospheric effects: 

troposphere (clear air and rain) and ionosphere (Faraday and 

scintillation) • Rain effects and rainfall regions • Use of the 

DAH and Crane rain models • Modulation systems (QPSK, 

OQPSK, MSK, GMSK, 8PSK, 16 QAM, and 32 APSK) • 

Forward error correction techniques (Viterbi, Reed-Solomon, 

Turbo, and LDPC codes) • Transmission equation and its 

relationship to the link budget • Radio frequency clearance 

and interference consideration • RFI prediction techniques • 

Antenna sidelobes (ITU-R Rec 732) • Interference criteria and 

coordination • Site selection • RFI problem identification and 

resolution. 

2. Major Earth Station Engineering. 

RF terminal design and optimization. Antennas for major 

earth stations (fixed and tracking, LP and CP) • Upconverter 

and HPA chain (SSPA, TWTA, and KPA) • LNA/LNB and 

downconverter chain. Optimization of RF terminal 

configuration and performance (redundancy, power 

combining, and safety) • Baseband equipment configuration 

and integration • Designing and verifying the terrestrial 

interface • Station monitor and control • Facility design and 

implementation • Prime power and UPS systems. Developing 

environmental requirements (HVAC) • Building design and 

construction • Grounding and lightening control. 

3. Hub Requirements and Supply. 

Earth station uplink and downlink gain budgets • EIRP 

budget • Uplink gain budget and equipment requirements • 

G/T budget • Downlink gain budget • Ground segment supply 

process • Equipment and system specifications • Format of a 

Request for Information • Format of a Request for Proposal • 

Proposal evaluations • Technical comparison criteria • 

Operational requirements • Cost-benefit and total cost of 

ownership. 

4. Link Budget Analysis using SatMaster Tool . 

Standard ground rules for satellite link budgets • Frequency 

band selection: L, S, C, X, Ku, and Ka. Satellite footprints 

(EIRP, G/T, and SFD) and transponder plans • Introduction to 

the user interface of SatMaster • File formats: antenna 

pointing, database, digital link budget, and regenerative 

repeater link budget • Built-in reference data and calculators • 

Example of a digital one-way link budget (DVB-S) using 

equations and SatMaster • Transponder loading and optimum 

multi-carrier backoff • Review of link budget optimization 

techniques using the program’s built-in features • Minimize 

required transponder resources • Maximize throughput • 

Minimize receive dish size • Minimize transmit power • 

Example: digital VSAT network with multi-carrier operation • 

Hub optimization using SatMaster. 

5. Earth Terminal Maintenance Requirements and 

Procedures. 

• Outdoor systems • Antennas, mounts and waveguide • 

Field of view • Shelter, power and safety • Indoor RF and IF 

systems • Vendor requirements by subsystem • Failure modes 

and routine testing. 

6. VSAT Basseband Hub Maintenance Requirements 

and Procedures. 

IF and modem equipment • Performance evaluation • Test 

procedures • TDMA control equipment and software • 

Hardware and computers • Network management system • 

System software 

7. Hub Procurement and Operation Case Study. 

General requirements and life-cycle • Block diagram • 

Functional division into elements for design and procurement 

• System level specifications • Vendor options • Supply 

specifications and other requirements • RFP definition • 

Proposal evaluation • O&M planning 


Fundamentals of Orbital & Launch Mechanics 

Summary 

Award-winning rocket scientist Thomas S. Logsdon 

has carefully tailored this comprehensive 4-day short 

course to serve the needs of those military, aerospace, 

and defense-industry professionals who must 

understand, design, and manage today’s 

increasingly complicated and demanding 

aerospace missions. 

Each topic is illustrated with one-page 

mathematical derivations and numerical 

examples that use actual published 

inputs from real-world rockets, 

satellites, and spacecraft missions. 

The lessons help you lay out 

performance-optimal missions in concert 

with your professional colleagues. 

Instructor 

For more than 30 years, Thomas S. Logsdon, has 

worked on the Navstar GPS and other related 

technologies at the Naval Ordinance Laboratory, 

McDonnell Douglas, Lockheed Martin, Boeing 

Aerospace, and Rockwell International. His research 

projects and consulting assignments have included the 

Transit Navigation Satellites, The Tartar and Talos 

shipboard missiles, and the Navstar 

GPS. In addition, he has helped put 

astronauts on the moon and guide their 

colleagues on rendezvous missions 

headed toward the Skylab capsule, and 

helped fly space probes to the nearby 

planets. 

Some of his more challenging assignments have 

included trajectory optimization, constellation design, 

booster rocket performance enhancement, spacecraft 

survivability, differential navigation and booster rocket 

guidance using the GPS signals. 

Tom Logsdon has taught short courses and lectured 

in 31 different countries. He has written and published 

40 technical papers and journal articles, a dozen of 

which have dealt with military and civilian 

radionavigation techniques. He is also the author of 29 

technical books on a variety of mathematical, 

engineering and scientific subjects. These include 

Understanding the Navstar, Orbital Mechanics: Theory 

and Applications, Mobile Communication Satellites, 

and The Navstar Global Positioning System. 


• How do we launch a satellite into orbit and maneuver it to 

a new location 

• How do we design a performance-optimal constellation of 

satellites 

• Why do planetary swingby maneuvers provide such 

profound gains in performance, and what do we pay for 

these important performance gains 

• How can we design the best multistage rocket for a 

particular mission 

• What are Lagrangian libration-point orbits Which ones are 

dynamically stable How can we place satellites into halo 

orbits circling around these moving points in space 

• What are JPL’s gravity tubes How were they discovered 

How are they revolutionizing the exploration of space 

Military, Civilian and Deep-Space Applications 

NEW! 

January 10-13, 2011 


March 7-10, 2011 


$1895 (8:30am - 4:00pm) 




Each student 

will receive a free GPS 

Navigator! 

1. Concepts from Astrodynamics. Kepler’s Laws. 

Newton’s clever generalizations. Evaluating the earth’s 

gravitational parameter. Launch azimuths and groundtrace 

geometry. Orbital perturbations. 

2. Satellite Orbits. Isaac Newton’s vis viva equation. 

Orbital energy and angular momentum. Gravity wells. The 

six classical Keplerian orbital elements. Station-keeping 

maneuvers. 

3. Rocket Propulsion Fundamentals. Momentum 

calculations. Specific impulse. The rocket equation. 

Building efficient liquid and solid rockets. Performance 

calculations. Multi-stage rocket design. 

4. Enhancing a Rocket’s Performance. Optimal fuel 

biasing techniques. The programmed mixture ratio 

scheme. Optimal trajectory shaping. Iterative least 

squares hunting procedures. Trajectory reconstruction. 

Determining the best estimate of propellant mass. 

5. Expendable Rockets and Reusable Space 

Shuttles. Operational characteristics, performance 

curves. Single-stage-to-orbit vehicles. 

6. Powered Flight Maneuvers. The classical 

Hohmann transfer maneuver. Multi-impulse and low-thrust 

maneuvers. Plane-change maneuvers. The bi-elliptic 

transfer. Relative motion plots. Military evasive 

maneuvers. Deorbit techniques. Planetary swingbys and 

ballistic capture maneuvers. 

7. Optimal Orbit Selection. Polar and sunsynchronous 

orbits. Geostationary orbits and their major 

perturbations. ACE-orbit constellations. Lagrangian 

libration point orbits. Halo orbits. Interplanetary 

trajectories. Mars-mission opportunities and deep-space 

trajectories. 

8. Constellation Selection Trades. Existing civilian 

and military constellations. Constellation design 

techniques. John Walker’s rosette configurations. Captain 

Draim’s constellations. Repeating ground-trace orbits. 

Earth coverage simulation routines. 

9. Cruising along JPL’s Invisible Rivers of Gravity 

in Space. Equipotential surfaces. 3-dimensional 

manifolds. Developing NASA’s clever Genesis mission. 

Capturing stardust in space. Simulating thick bundles of 

chaotic trajectories. Experiencing tomorrow’s unpaved 

freeways in the sky. The Falcon 9. 



GPS Solutions for Military, Civilian & Aerospace Applications 

Each student 

will receive a free GPS 

Navigator! 

Summary 

In this popular four-day short 

course, GPS expert Tom Logsdon 

will describe in detail how precise 

radionavigation systems work and review 

the many practical benefits they provide to military and 

civilian users in space and around the globe. 

Through practical demonstration you will learn how 

a GPS receiver works, how to operate it in various 

situations, and how to interpret the positioning 

solutions it provides. 

Each topic includes practical derivations and realworld 

examples using published inputs from the 

literature and from the instructors personal and 

professional experiences. 

"The presenter was very energetic and truly 

passionate about the material" 

" Tom Logsdon is the best teacher I have ever 

had. His knowledge is excellent. He is a 10!" 

"The instructor displayed awesome knowledge 

of the GPS and space technology…very 

knowledgeable instructor. Spoke 

clearly…Good teaching style. Encouraged 

questions and discussion." 

"Mr. Logsdon did a bang-up job explaining 

and deriving the theories of special/general 

relativity–and how they are associated with 

the GPS navigation solutions." 

"I loved his one-page mathematical derivations 

and the important points they illustrate." 

"Instructor was very knowledgeable and related 

to his students very well–and with 

sparkling good humor!" 

"The lecturer was truly an expert in his field 

and delivered an entertaining and technically 

well-balanced presentation." 

"Excellent instructor! Wonderful teaching 

skills! This was honestly, the best class I 

have had since leaving the university." 

October 25-28, 2010 


March 14-17, 2011 


April 11-14, 2011 


$1895 (8:30am - 4:00pm) 




1. Radionavigation Principles. Active and passive 

radionavigation systems. Spherical and hyperbolic lines 

of position. Position and velocity solutions. Spaceborne 

atomic clocks. Websites and other sources of 

information. Building a $143 billion business in space. 

2. The Three Major Segments of the GPS. Signal 

structure and pseudorandom codes. Modulation 

techniques. Military performance enhancements. 

Relativistic time dilations. Inverted navigation solutions. 

3. Navigation Solutions and Kalman Filtering 

Techniques. Taylor series expansions. Numerical 

iteration. Doppler shift solutions. Satellite selection 

algorithms. Kalman filtering algorithms. 

4. Designing an Effective GPS Receiver. 

Annotated block diagrams. Antenna design. Code 

tracking and carrier tracking loops. Software modules. 

Commercial chipsets. Military receivers. Shuttle and 

space station receivers. 

5. Military Applications. The worldwide common 

grid. Military test-range applications.Tactical and 

strategic applications. Autonomy and survivability 

enhancements. Precision guided munitions. Smart 

bombs and artillery projectiles. 

6. Integrated Navigation Systems. Mechanical and 

Strapdown implementations. Ring lasers and fiber-optic 

gyros. Integrated navigation. Military applications. Key 

features of the C-MIGITS integrated nav system. 

7. Differential Navigation and Pseudosatellites. 

Special committee 104’s data exchange protocols. 

Global data distribution. Wide-area differential 

navigation. Psuedosatellites. International Geosync 

Augmentation Systems. 

8. Carrier-Aided Solutions. The interferometry 

concept. Double differencing techniques. Attitude 

determination receivers. Navigation of the Topex and 

NASA’s twin Grace satellites. Dynamic and Kinematic 

orbit determination. Motorola’s Spaceborne Monarch 

receiver. Relativistic time dilation derivations. 

9. The Navstar Satellites. Subsystem descriptions. 

On-orbit test results. The Block I, II, IIR, and IIF 

satellites, Block III concepts. Orbital Perturbations and 

modeling techniques. Stationkeeping maneuvers. Earth 

shadowing characteristic. The European Galileo, the 

Chine Bridow/Compass, the Indian IRNSS, and the 

Japanese QZSS. 

10. Russia’s Glonass Constellation. Performance 

comparisons between the GPS and Glonass. Orbital 

mechanics considerations. Military survivability. 

Spacecraft subsystems. Russia’s SL-12 Proton booster. 

Building dual-capability GPS/Glonass receivers. 


Hyperspectral & Multispectral Imaging 

March 8-10, 2011 

Beltsville. Maryland 

$1690 (8:30am - 4:00pm) 



Summary 

This three-day class is designed for engineers, 

scientists and other remote sensing professionals who 

wish to become familiar with multispectral and 

hyperspectral remote sensing technology. Students in 

this course will learn the basic physics of spectroscopy, 

the types of spectral sensors currently used by 

government and industry, and the types of data 

processing used for various applications. Lectures will 

be enhanced by computer demonstrations. After taking 

this course, students should be able to communicate 

and work productively with other professionals in this 

field. Each student will receive a complete set of notes 

and the textbook, Remote Sensing: The Image Chain 

Approach. 

Instructor 

Dr. Richard B. Gomez over the years has served 

as a physical scientist, director, and instructor in 

industry, government, and academia. In industry 

he has worked for Texas Instruments and the 

Analytic Services (ANSER), INC. In the 

government, he has served in the Civil Senior 

Executive Service for the United States Army 

Corps of Engineers. In academia, he has served 

as Research Professor at George Mason 

University (GMU) and as Principal Research 

Scientist at the Center for Earth Observing and 

Space Research (CEOSR). In the 2010 spring 

semester at GMU he taught both undergraduate 

and graduate courses that involved the scientific 

and technology fields of hyperspectral imaging 

and high resolution remote sensing. Dr. Gomez 

is internationally recognized as a leader and 

expert in the field of spectral remote sensing 

(multispectral, hyperspectral and ultraspectral) 

and has published extensively in scientific 

journals. He has organized and chaired national 

and international conferences, symposia and 

workshops. He earned his doctoral degree in 

physics from New Mexico State University. He 

also holds an M.S. and a B.S. in physics. Dr. 

Gomez has served as Director for the ASPRS 

Potomac Region and as Remote Sensing Chair 

for the IEEE-USA Committee on Transportation 

and Aerospace Technology Policy. 

Taught by an internationally 

recognized leader & expert 

in spectral remote sensing! 


1. Introduction to multispectral and 

hyperspectral remote sensing. 

2. Sensor types and characterization. 

Design tradeoffs. Data formats and systems. 

3. Optical properties for remote sensing. 

Solar radiation. Atmospheric transmittance, 

absorption and scattering. 

4. Sensor modeling and evaluation. 

Spatial, spectral, and radiometric resolution. 

5. Statistics for multivariate data analysis. 

Scatterplots. Impact of sensor performance on 

data characteristics. 

6. Spectral data processing. Data 

visualization and interpretation. 

7. Radiometric calibration. Partial calibration. 

Relative normalization. 

8. Image registration. Resampling and its 

effect on spectral analysis. 

9. Data and sensor fusion. Spatial versus 

spectral algorithms. 

10. Classification of remote sensing data. 

Supervised and unsupervised classification. 

Parametric and nonparametric classifiers. 

Application examples. 

11. Hyperspectral data analysis. 


• The limitations on passive optical remote 

sensing. 

• The properties of current sensors. 

• Component modeling for sensor performance. 

• How to calibrate remote sensors. 

• The types of data processing used for 

applications such as spectral angle mapping, 

multisensor fusion, and pixel mixture analysis. 

• How to evaluate the performance of different 

hyperspectral systems. 



For Government, Military & Commercial Enterprises 

Summary 

This three-day course is designed for satellite 

engineers and managers in government and industry who 

need to increase their understanding of the Internet and 

how Internet Protocols (IP) can be used to transmit data 

and voice over satellites. IP has become the worldwide 

standard for data communications. Satellites extend the 

reach of the Internet and Intranets. Satellites deliver 

multicast content efficiently anywhere in the world. With 

these benefits come challenges. Satellite delay and bit 

errors can impact performance. Satellite links must be 

integrated with terrestrial networks. Space segment is 

expensive; there are routing and security issues. This 

course explains the techniques and architectures used to 

mitigate these challenges. Quantitative techniques for 

understanding throughput and response time are 

presented. System diagrams describe the 

satellite/terrestrial interface. The course notes provide an 

up-to-date reference. An extensive bibliography is 

supplied. 

Instructor 

Burt H. Liebowitz is Principal Network Engineer at the 

MITRE Corporation, McLean, Virginia, specializing in the 

analysis of wireless services. He has more 

than 30 years experience in computer 

networking, the last six of which have 

focused on Internet-over-satellite services. 

He was President of NetSat Express Inc., 

a leading provider of such services. Before 

that he was Chief Technical Officer for 

Loral Orion (now Cyberstar), responsible for Internet-oversatellite 

access products. Mr. Liebowitz has authored two 

books on distributed processing and numerous articles on 

computing and communications systems. He has lectured 

extensively on computer networking. He holds three 

patents for a satellite-based data networking system. Mr. 

Liebowitz has B.E.E. and M.S. in Mathematics degrees 

from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and an M.S.E.E. 

from Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn. 

After taking this course you will understand how the 

Internet works and how to implement satellite-based 

networks that provide Internet access, multicast 

content delivery services, and mission-critical 

Intranet services to users around the world. 


• How packet switching works and how it enables voice and 

data networking. 

• The rules and protocols for packet switching in the Internet. 

• How to use satellites as essential elements in mission 

critical data networks. 

• How to understand and overcome the impact of 

propagation delay and bit errors on throughput and 

response time in satellite-based IP networks. 

• How to link satellite and terrestrial circuits to create hybrid 

IP networks. 

• How to select the appropriate system architectures for 

Internet access, enterprise and content delivery networks. 

• How to design satellite-based networks to meet user 

throughput and response time requirements. 

• The impact on cost and performance of new technology, 

such as LEOs, Ka band, on-board processing, intersatellite 

links. 

November 16-18, 2010 


$1590 (8:30am - 5:00pm) 




1. Introduction. 

2. Fundamentals of Data Networking. Packet 

switching, circuit switching, Seven Layer Model (ISO). 

Wide Area Networks including, ATM, Aloha, DVB. Local 

Area Networks, Ethernet. Physical communications layer. 

3. The Internet and its Protocols. The Internet 

Protocol (IP). Addressing, Routing, Multicasting. 

Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). Impact of bit errors 

and propagation delay on TCP-based applications. User 

Datagram Protocol (UDP). Introduction to higher level 

services. NAT and tunneling. Impact of IP Version 6. 

4. Quality of Service Issues in the Internet. QoS 

factors for streams and files. Performance of voice and 

video over IP. Response time for web object retrievals 

using HTTP. Methods for improving QoS: ATM, MPLS, 

Differentiated services, RSVP. Priority processing and 

packet discard in routers. Caching and performance 

enhancement. Network Management and Security issues 

including the impact of encryption in a satellite network. 

5. Satellite Data Networking Architectures. 

Geosynchronous satellites. The link budget, modulation 

and coding techniques, bandwidth efficiency. Ground 

station architectures for data networking: Point to Point, 

Point to Multipoint. Shared outbound carriers 

incorporating Frame Relay, DVB. Return channels for 

shared outbound systems: TDMA, CDMA, Aloha, 

DVB/RCS. Meshed networks for Intranets. Suppliers of 

DAMA systems. 

6. System Design and Economic Issues. Cost 

factors for Backbone Internet and Direct to the home 

Internet services. Mission critical Intranet issues including 

asymmetric routing, reliable multicast, impact of user 

mobility. A content delivery case history. 

7. A TDMA/DAMA Design Example. Integrating voice 

and data requirements in a mission-critical Intranet. Cost 

and bandwidth efficiency comparison of SCPC, 

standards-based TDMA/DAMA and proprietary 

TDMA/DAMA approaches. Tradeoffs associated with 

VOIP approach and use of encryption. 

8. Predicting Performance in Mission Critical 

Networks. Queuing theory helps predict response time. 

Single server and priority queues. A design case history, 

using queuing theory to determine how much bandwidth is 

needed to meet response time goals in a voice and data 

network. Use of simulation to predict performance. 

9. A View of the Future. Impact of Ka-band and spot 

beam satellites. Benefits and issues associated with 

Onboard Processing. LEO, MEO, GEOs. Descriptions of 

current and proposed commercial and military satellite 

systems. Low-cost ground station technology. 


Remote Sensing Information Extraction 

March 15-17, 2011 


$1590 (8:30am - 4:00pm) 



Summary 

This three-day short course workshop will review 

remote sensing concepts and vocabulary including 

resolution, sensing platforms, electromagnetic 

spectrum and energy flow profile. The workshop will 

provide an overview of the current and near-term 

status of operational platforms and sensor systems. 

The focus will be on methods to extract information 

from these data sources. The spaceborne systems 

include the following; 1) high spatial resolution (< 5m) 

systems, 2) medium spatial resolution (5-100m) 

multispectral, 3) low spatial resolution (>100m) 

multispectral, 4) radar, and 5) hyperspectral. 

The two directional relationships between remote 

sensing and GIS will be examined. Procedures for 

geometric registration and issues of cartographic 

generalization for creating GIS layers from remote 

sensing information will also be discussed. 

Instructor 

Dr. Barry Haack is a Professor of Geographic and 

Cartographic Sciences at George Mason University. 

He was a Research Engineer at ERIM and has held 

fellowships with NASA Goddard, the US Air Force and 

the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. His primary professional 

interest is basic and applied science using remote 

sensing and he has over 100 professional publications 

and has been a recipient of a Leica-ERDAS award for 

a research manuscript in Photogrammetric 

Engineering and Remote Sensing. He has served as a 

consultant to the UN, FAO, World Bank, and various 

governmental agencies in Africa, Asia and South 

America. He has provided workshops to USDA, US 

intelligence agencies, US Census, and ASPRS. 

Recently he was a Visiting Fulbright Professor at the 

University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and has 

current projects in Nepal with support from the National 

Geographic Society. 


• Operational parameters of current sensors. 

• Visual and digital information extraction procedures. 

• Photogrammetric rectification procedures. 

• Integration of GIS and remote sensing. 

• Accuracy assessments. 

• Availability and costs of remote sensing data. 


1. Remote Sensing Introduction. Definitions, 

resolutions, active-passive. 

2. Platforms. Airborne, spaceborne, 

advantages and limitations. 

3. Energy Flow Profile. Energy sources, 

atmospheric interactions, reflectance curves, 

emittance. 

4. Aerial Photography. Photogrammetric 

fundamentals of photo acquisition. 

5. Film Types. Panchormatic, normal color, 

color infrared, panchromatic infrared. 

6. Scale Determination. Point versus average 

scale. Methods of determination of scale. 

7. Area and Height Measurements. Tools and 

procedures including relative accuracies. 

8. Feature Extraction. Tone, texture, shadow, 

size, shape, association. 

9. Land Use and Land Cover. Examples, 

classification systems definitions, minimum 

mapping units, cartographic generalization. 

10. Source materials. Image processing 

software, organizations, literature, reference 

materials. 

11. Spaceborne Remote Sensing. Basic 

terminology and orbit characteristics. Distinction 

between research/experimental, national technical 

assets, and operational systems. 

12. Multispectral Systems. Cameras, scanners 

linear arrays, spectral matching. 

13. Moderate Resolution MSS. Landsat, 

SPOT, IRS, JERS. 

14. Coarse Resolution MSS. Meteorological 

Systems, AVHRR, Vegetation Mapper. 

15. High Spatial Resolution. IKONOS, 

EarthView, Orbview. 

16. Radar. Basic concepts, RADARSAT, 

ALMAZ, SIR. 

17. Hyperspectral. AVIRIS, MODIS, Hyperion. 

18. GIS-Remote Sensing Integration. Two 

directional relationships between remote sensing 

and GIS. Data structures. 

19. Geometric Rectification. Procedures to 

rectify remote sensing imagery. 

20. Digital Image Processing. Preprocessing, 

image enhancements, automated digital 

classification. 

21. Accuracy Assessments. Contingency 

matrix, Kappa coefficient, sample size and 

selection. 

22. Multiscale techniques. Ratio estimators, 

double and nested sampling, area frame 

procedures. 


Satellite Communications 

An Essential Introduction 

Summary 

This introductory course has recently been expanded to 

three days by popular demand. It has been taught to 

thousands of industry professionals for more than two 

decades, to rave reviews. The course is intended primarily for 

non-technical people who must understand the entire field of 

commercial satellite communications, and who must 

understand and communicate with engineers and other 

technical personnel. The secondary audience is technical 

personnel moving into the industry who need a quick and 

thorough overview of what is going on in the industry, and who 

need an example of how to communicate with less technical 

individuals. The course is a primer to the concepts, jargon, 

buzzwords, and acronyms of the industry, plus an overview of 

commercial satellite communications hardware, operations, 

and business environment. 

Concepts are explained at a basic level, minimizing the 

use of math, and providing real-world examples. Several 

calculations of important concepts such as link budgets are 

presented for illustrative purposes, but the details need not be 

understood in depth to gain an understanding of the concepts 

illustrated. The first section provides non-technical people 

with the technical background necessary to understand the 

space and earth segments of the industry, culminating with 

the importance of the link budget. The concluding section of 

the course provides an overview of the business issues, 

including major operators, regulation and legal issues, and 

issues and trends affecting the industry. Attendees receive a 

copy of the instructor's new textbook, Satellite 

Communications for the Non-Specialist, and will have time to 

discuss issues pertinent to their interests. 

Instructor 

Testimonial: 

…I truly enjoyed 

your course and 

hearing of your 

adventures in the 

Satellite business. 

You have a definite 

gift in teaching style 

and explanations.” 

Dr. Mark R. Chartrand is a consultant and lecturer in satellite 

telecommunications and the space sciences. 

For a more than twenty-five years he has 

presented professional seminars on satellite 

technology and on telecommunications to 

satisfied individuals and businesses 

throughout the United States, Canada, Latin 

America, Europe and Asia. 

Dr. Chartrand has served as a technical 

and/or business consultant to NASA, Arianespace, GTE 

Spacenet, Intelsat, Antares Satellite Corp., Moffett-Larson- 

Johnson, Arianespace, Delmarva Power, Hewlett-Packard, 

and the International Communications Satellite Society of 

Japan, among others. He has appeared as an invited expert 

witness before Congressional subcommittees and was an 

invited witness before the National Commission on Space. He 

was the founding editor and the Editor-in-Chief of the annual 

The World Satellite Systems Guide, and later the publication 

Strategic Directions in Satellite Communication. He is author 

of six books and hundreds of articles in the space sciences. 

He has been chairman of several international satellite 

conferences, and a speaker at many others. 

December 14-16, 2010 


January 31-February 2, 2011 

Laurel, Maryland 

March 8-10, 2011 


$1690 (8:30am - 4:30pm) 




1. Satellites and Telecommunication. Introduction 

and historical background. Legal and regulatory 

environment of satellite telecommunications: industry 

issues; standards and protocols; regulatory bodies; 

satellite services and applications; steps to licensing a 

system. Telecommunications users, applications, and 

markets: fixed services, broadcast services, mobile 

services, navigation services. 

2. Communications Fundamentals. Basic definitions 

and measurements: decibels. The spectrum and its uses: 

properties of waves; frequency bands; bandwidth. Analog 

and digital signals. Carrying information on waves: coding, 

modulation, multiplexing, networks and protocols. Signal 

quality, quantity, and noise: measures of signal quality; 

noise; limits to capacity; advantages of digital. 

3. The Space Segment. The space environment: 

gravity, radiation, solid material. Orbits: types of orbits; 

geostationary orbits; non-geostationary orbits. Orbital 

slots, frequencies, footprints, and coverage: slots; satellite 

spacing; eclipses; sun interference. Out to launch: 

launcher’s job; launch vehicles; the launch campaign; 

launch bases. Satellite systems and construction: 

structure and busses; antennas; power; thermal control; 

stationkeeping and orientation; telemetry and command. 

Satellite operations: housekeeping and communications. 

4. The Ground Segment. Earth stations: types, 

hardware, and pointing. Antenna properties: gain; 

directionality; limits on sidelobe gain. Space loss, 

electronics, EIRP, and G/T: LNA-B-C’s; signal flow through 

an earth station. 

5. The Satellite Earth Link. Atmospheric effects on 

signals: rain; rain climate models; rain fade margins. Link 

budgets: C/N and Eb/No. Multiple access: SDMA, FDMA, 

TDMA, CDMA; demand assignment; on-board 

multiplexing. 

6. Satellite Communications Systems. Satellite 

communications providers: satellite competitiveness; 

competitors; basic economics; satellite systems and 

operators; using satellite systems. Issues, trends, and the 

future. 


• How do commercial satellites fit into the 

telecommunications industry 

• How are satellites planned, built, launched, and operated 

• How do earth stations function 

• What is a link budget and why is it important 

• What legal and regulatory restrictions affect the industry 

• What are the issues and trends driving the industry 



A comprehensive, quantitative tutorial designed for satellite professionals 



March 15-17, 2011 

Boulder, Colorado 

$1740 (8:30am - 4:30pm) 



Instructor 

Dr. Robert A. Nelson is president of Satellite 

Engineering Research Corporation, a 

consulting firm in Bethesda, Maryland, 

with clients in both commercial industry 

and government. Dr. Nelson holds the 

degree of Ph.D. in physics from the 

University of Maryland and is a licensed 

Professional Engineer. He is coauthor of 

the textbook Satellite Communication Systems 

Engineering, 2nd ed. (Prentice Hall, 1993). He is a 

member of IEEE, AIAA, APS, AAPT, AAS, IAU, and 

ION. 

Additional Materials 

In addition to the course notes, each participant will 

receive a book of collected tutorial articles written by 

the instructor and soft copies of the link budgets 

discussed in the course. 

Testimonials 

“Instructor truly knows material. The 

1hour sessions are brilliant.” 

“Exceptional knowledge. Very effective 

presentation.” 

“Great handouts. Great presentation. Great 

real-life course note examples and cd. The 

instructor made good use of student’s 

experiences.” 

“Very well prepared and presented. The 

instructor has an excellent grasp of 

material and articulates it well” 

“Outstanding at explaining and defining 

quantifiably the theory underlying the 

concepts.” 

“Very well organized. Excellent reference 

equations and theory. Good examples.” 

“Good broad general coverage of a 

complex subject.” 


1. Mission Analysis. Kepler’s laws. Circular and 

elliptical satellite orbits. Altitude regimes. Period of 

revolution. Geostationary Orbit. Orbital elements. Ground 

trace. 

2. Earth-Satellite Geometry. Azimuth and elevation. 

Slant range. Coverage area. 

3. Signals and Spectra. Properties of a sinusoidal 

wave. Synthesis and analysis of an arbitrary waveform. 

Fourier Principle. Harmonics. Fourier series and Fourier 

transform. Frequency spectrum. 

4. Methods of Modulation. Overview of modulation. 

Carrier. Sidebands. Analog and digital modulation. Need 

for RF frequencies. 

5. Analog Modulation. Amplitude Modulation (AM). 

Frequency Modulation (FM). 

6. Digital Modulation. Analog to digital conversion. 

BPSK, QPSK, 8PSK FSK, QAM. Coherent detection and 

carrier recovery. NRZ and RZ pulse shapes. Power spectral 

density. ISI. Nyquist pulse shaping. Raised cosine filtering. 

7. Bit Error Rate. Performance objectives. Eb/No. 

Relationship between BER and Eb/No. Constellation 

diagrams. Why do BPSK and QPSK require the same 

power 

8. Coding. Shannon’s theorem. Code rate. Coding gain. 

Methods of FEC coding. Hamming, BCH, and Reed- 

Solomon block codes. Convolutional codes. Viterbi and 

sequential decoding. Hard and soft decisions. 

Concatenated coding. Turbo coding. Trellis coding. 

9. Bandwidth. Equivalent (noise) bandwidth. Occupied 

bandwidth. Allocated bandwidth. Relationship between 

bandwidth and data rate. Dependence of bandwidth on 

methods of modulation and coding. Tradeoff between 

bandwidth and power. Emerging trends for bandwidth 

efficient modulation. 

10. The Electromagnetic Spectrum. Frequency bands 

used for satellite communication. ITU regulations. Fixed 

Satellite Service. Direct Broadcast Service. Digital Audio 

Radio Service. Mobile Satellite Service. 

11. Earth Stations. Facility layout. RF components. 

Network Operations Center. Data displays. 

12. Antennas. Antenna patterns. Gain. Half power 

beamwidth. Efficiency. Sidelobes. 

13. System Temperature. Antenna temperature. LNA. 

Noise figure. Total system noise temperature. 

14. Satellite Transponders. Satellite communications 

payload architecture. Frequency plan. Transponder gain. 

TWTA and SSPA. Amplifier characteristics. Nonlinearity. 

Intermodulation products. SFD. Backoff. 

15. Multiple Access Techniques. Frequency division 

multiple access (FDMA). Time division multiple access 

(TDMA). Code division multiple access (CDMA) or spread 

spectrum. Capacity estimates. 

16. Polarization. Linear and circular polarization. 

Misalignment angle. 

17. Rain Loss. Rain attenuation. Crane rain model. 

Effect on G/T. 

18. The RF Link. Decibel (dB) notation. Equivalent 

isotropic radiated power (EIRP). Figure of Merit (G/T). Free 

space loss. WhyPower flux density. Carrier to noise ratio. 

The RF link equation. 

19. Link Budgets. Communications link calculations. 

Uplink, downlink, and composite performance. Link 

budgets for single carrier and multiple carrier operation. 

Detailed worked examples. 

20. Performance Measurements. Satellite modem. 

Use of a spectrum analyzer to measure bandwidth, C/N, 

and Eb/No. Comparison of actual measurements with 

theory using a mobile antenna and a geostationary satellite. 



Cost-Effective Design for Today's Missions 

October 25-28, 2010 


April 25-28, 2011 


$1790 (8:30am - 4:30pm) 



Summary 

This 3-1/2 day course covers all the important 

technologies needed to develop lower cost space 

systems. Renewed emphasis on cost effective missions 

requires up-to-date knowledge of satellite technology and 

an in-depth understanding of the systems engineering 

issues. Together, these give satellite engineers and 

managers options in selecting lower cost approaches to 

building reliable spacecraft. In addition to covering the 

traditional flight hardware disciplines, attention is given to 

integration and testing, software, and R&QA. 

The emphasis is on the enabling technology 

developments, including new space launch options that 

permit doing more with less in space today. Case studies 

and examples drawn from modern satellite missions 

pinpoint the key issues and tradeoffs in modern design 

and illustrate lessons learned from past successes and 

failures. Technical specialists will also find the broad 

perspective and system engineering viewpoint useful in 

communicating with other specialists to analyze design 

options and tradeoffs. The course notes provide an 

authoritative reference that focuses on proven techniques 

and guidelines for understanding, designing, and 

managing modern satellite systems. 

Instructors 

Eric Hoffman has 40 years of space experience including 19 

years as Chief Engineer of the Johns Hopkins Applied 

Physics Laboratory Space Department, 

which has designed and built 64 spacecraft. 

He joined APL in 1964, designing high 

reliability spacecraft command, 

communications, and navigation systems and 

holds several patents in this field. He has led 

many of APL's system and spacecraft 

conceptual designs. Fellow of the British 

Interplanetary Society, Associate Fellow of the AIAA, and 

coauthor of Fundamentals of Space Systems. 

Dr. Jerry Krassner has been involved in aerospace R&D for 

over 30 years. Over this time, he has 

participated in or led a variety of activities with 

primary technical focus on sensor systems 

R&D, and business focus on new concept 

development and marketing. He has 

authored over 60 research papers, served on 

advisory panels for DARPA and the Navy, and 

was a member of the US Air Force Scientific 

Advisory Board (for which he was awarded the USAF Civilian 

Exemplary Service Award). Jerry was a founding member, 

and past Chairman, of the MASINT Association. Currently, he 

is a consultant to a National Security organization, and acting 

chief scientist for an office in OSD, responsible for 

identification and assessment of new enabling technologies. 

Jerry has a PhD in Physics and Astronomy from the University 

of Rochester. 


1. Space Systems Engineering. Elements of space 

systems engineering. Setting the objective. Establishing 

requirements. System "drivers." Mission analysis and 

design. Budgeted items. Margins. Project phases. Design 

reviews. 

2. Designing for the Space Environment. Vacuum 

and drag. Microgravity. Temperature and thermal 

gradients. Magnetic field. Ultraviolet. Solar pressure. 

Ionizing radiation. Spacecraft charging. Space debris. 

Pre-launch and launch environments. 

3. Orbits and Astrodynamics. Review of spacecraft 

orbital mechanics. Coordinate systems. Orbital elements. 

Selecting an orbit. Orbital transfer. Specialized orbits. 

Orbit perturbations. Interplanetary missions. 

4. On-Orbit Propulsion and Launch Systems. 

Mathematical formulation of rocket equations. Spacecraft 

onboard propulsion systems. Station keeping and attitude 

control. Satellite launch options. 

5. Attitude Determination and Control. Spacecraft 

attitude dynamics. Attitude torque modeling. Attitude 

sensors and actuators. Passive and active attitude control. 

Attitude estimators and controllers. New applications, 

methods, HW. 

6. Spacecraft Power Systems. Power source options. 

Energy storage, control, and distribution. Power 

converters. Designing the small satellite power system. 

7. Spacecraft Thermal Control. Heat transfer 

fundamentals for spacecraft.Modern thermal materials. 

Active vs. passive thermal control. The thermal design 

procedure. 

8. Spacecraft Configuration and Structure. 

Structural design requirements and interfaces. 

Requirements for launch, staging, spin stabilization. 

Design, analysis, and test. Modern structural materials 

and design concepts. Margins of safety. Structural 

dynamics and testing. 

9. Spacecraft RF Communications. RF signal 

transmission. Antennas. One-way range equation. 

Properties and peculiarities of the space channel. 

Modulating the RF. Dealing with noise. Link margin. Error 

correction. RF link design. 

10. Spacecraft Command and Telemetry. Command 

receivers, decoders, and processors. Command 

messages. Synchronization, error detection and 

correction. Encryption and authentication. Telemetry 

systems. Sensors, signal conditioning, and A/D 

conversion. Frame formatting. Packetization. Data 

compression. 

11. Spacecraft On-board Computing. Central 

processing units for space. Memory types. Mass storage. 

Processor input/output. Spacecraft buses. Fault tolerance 

and redundancy. Radiation hardness, upset, and latchup. 

Hardware/software tradeoffs. Software development and 

engineering. 

12. Reliability and Quality Assurance. Hi-rel 

principles: lessons learned. Designing for reliability. Using 

redundancy effectively. Margins and derating. Parts 

quality and process control. Configuration management. 

Quality assurance, inspection, and test. ISO 9000. 

13. Integration and Test. Planning for I&T. Ground 

support systems. I&T facilities. Verification matrix. Test 

plans and other important documents. Testing 

subsystems. Spacecraft level testing. Launch site 

operations. Which tests are worthwhile, which aren’t 


Satellite Laser Communications 



$1590 (8:30am - 4:30pm) 



NEW! 

Summary 

This three-day course will provideThis course will provide 

an introduction and overview of laser communication 

principles and technologies for unguided, free-space beam 

propagation. Special emphasis is placed on highlighting the 

differences, as well as similarities to RF communications and 

other laser systems, and design issues and options relevant 

to future laser communication terminals. 

Instructor 

Hamid Hemmati, Ph.D. , is with the Jet propulsion laboratory 

(JPL), California Institute of Technology 

where he is a Principal member of staff and 

the Supervisor of the Optical 

Communications Group. Prior to joining JPL 

in 1986, he worked at NASA’s Goddard 

Space Flight Center and at the NIST 

(Boulder, CO) as a researcher. Dr. Hemmati 

has published over 40 journal and over 100 

conference papers, holds seven patents, received 3 NASA 

Space Act Board Awards, and 36 NASA certificates of 

appreciation. He is a Fellow of SPIE and teaches optical 

communications courses at CSULA and the UCLA 

Extension. He is the editor and author of two books: “Deep 

Space Optical Communications” and “near-Earth Laser 

Communications”. Dr. Hemmati’s current research interests 

are in developing laser-communications technologies and 

systems for planetary and satellite communications, 

including: systems engineering for electro-optical systems, 

solid-state laser, particularly pulsed fiber lasers, flight 

qualification of optical and electro-optical systems and 

components; low-cost multi-meter diameter optical ground 

receiver telescope; active and adaptive optics; and laser 

beam acquisition, tracking and pointing. 


• This course will provide you the knowledge and ability to 

perform basic satellite laser communication analysis, 

identify tradeoffs, interact meaningfully with colleagues, 

evaluate systems, and understand the literature. 

• How is a laser-communication system superior to 

conventional technology 

• How link performance is analyzed. 

• What are the options for acquisition, tracking and beam 

pointing 

• What are the options for laser transmitters, receivers 

and optical systems. 

• What are the atmospheric effects on the beam and how 

to counter them. 

• What are the typical characteristics of lasercommunication 

system hardware 

• How to calculate mass, power and cost of flight systems. 


1. Introduction. Brief historical background, 

RF/Optical comparison; basic Block diagrams; and 

applications overview. 

2. Link Analysis. Parameters influencing the link; 

frequency dependence of noise; link performance 

comparison to RF; and beam profiles. 

3. Laser Transmitter. Laser sources; semiconductor 

lasers; fiber amplifiers; amplitude modulation; phase 

modulation; noise figure; nonlinear effects; and coherent 

transmitters. 

4. Modulation & Error Correction Encoding. PPM; 

OOK and binary codes; and forward error correction. 

5. Acquisition, Tracking and Pointing. 

Requirements; acquisition scenarios; acquisition; pointahead 

angles, pointing error budget; host platform vibration 

environment; inertial stabilization: trackers; passive/active 

isolation; gimbaled transceiver; and fast steering mirrors. 

6. Opto-Mechanical Assembly. Transmit telescope; 

receive telescope; shared transmit/receive telescope; 

thermo-Optical-Mechanical stability. 

7. Atmospheric Effects. Attenuation, beam wander; 

turbulence/scintillation; signal fades; beam spread; turbid; 

and mitigation techniques. 

8. Detectors and Detections. Discussion of available 

photo-detectors noise figure; amplification; background 

radiation/ filtering; and mitigation techniques. Poisson 

photon counting; channel capacity; modulation schemes; 

detection statistics; and SNR / Bit error probability. 

Advantages / complexities of coherent detection; optical 

mixing; SNR, heterodyne and homodyne; laser linewidth. 

9. Crosslinks and Networking. LEO-GEO & GEO- 

GEO; orbital clusters; and future/advanced. 

10. Flight Qualification. Radiation environment; 

environmental testing; and test procedure. 

11. Eye Safety. Regulations; classifications; wavelength 

dependence, and CDRH notices. 

12. Cost Estimation. Methodology, models; and 

examples. 

13. Terrestrial Optical Comm. Communications 

systems developed for terrestrial links. 

Who should attend 

Engineers, scientists, managers, or professionals who 

desire greater technical depth, or RF communication 

engineers who need to assess this competing technology. 


Satellite RF Communications and Onboard Processing 

Effective Design for Today’s Spacecraft Systems 

April 12-14, 2011 


$1590 (8:30am - 4:00pm) 



Summary 

Successful systems engineering requires a broad 

understanding of the important principles of modern 

satellite communications and onboard data processing. 

This course covers both theory and practice, with 

emphasis on the important system engineering principles, 

tradeoffs, and rules of thumb. The latest technologies are 

covered, including those needed for constellations of 

satellites. 

This course is recommended for engineers and 

scientists interested in acquiring an understanding of 

satellite communications, command and telemetry, 

onboard computing, and tracking. Each participant will 

receive a complete set of notes. 

Instructors 

Eric J. Hoffman has degrees in electrical engineering and 

over 40 years of spacecraft experience. He 

has designed spaceborne communications 

and navigation equipment and performed 

systems engineering on many APL satellites 

and communications systems. He has 

authored over 60 papers and holds 8 patents 

in these fields and served as APL’s Space 

Dept Chief Engineer. 

Robert C. Moore worked in the Electronic Systems Group at 

the APL Space Department from 1965 until 

his retirement in 2007. He designed 

embedded microprocessor systems for space 

applications. Mr. Moore holds four U.S. 

patents. He teaches the command-telemetrydata 

processing segment of "Space Systems" 

at the Johns Hopkins University Whiting 

School of Engineering. 

Satellite RF Communications & Onboard Processing 

will give you a thorough understanding of the important 

principles and modern technologies behind today's 

satellite communications and onboard computing 

systems. 


• The important systems engineering principles and latest 

technologies for spacecraft communications and onboard 

computing. 

• The design drivers for today’s command, telemetry, 

communications, and processor systems. 

• How to design an RF link. 

• How to deal with noise, radiation, bit errors, and spoofing. 

• Keys to developing hi-rel, realtime, embedded software. 

• How spacecraft are tracked. 

• Working with government and commercial ground stations. 

• Command and control for satellite constellations. 


1. RF Signal Transmission. Propagation of radio 

waves, antenna properties and types, one-way radar 

range equation. Peculiarities of the space channel. 

Special communications orbits. Modulation of RF 

carriers. 

2. Noise and Link Budgets. Sources of noise, 

effects of noise on communications, system noise 

temperature. Signal-to-noise ratio, bit error rate, link 

margin. Communications link design example. 

3. Special Topics. Optical communications, error 

correcting codes, encryption and authentication. Lowprobability-of-intercept 

communications. Spreadspectrum 

and anti-jam techniques. 

4. Command Systems. Command receivers, 

decoders, and processors. Synchronization words, 

error detection and correction. Command types, 

command validation and authentication, delayed 

commands. Uploading software. 

5. Telemetry Systems. Sensors and signal 

conditioning, signal selection and data sampling, 

analog-to-digital conversion. Frame formatting, 

commutation, data storage, data compression. 

Packetizing. Implementing spacecraft autonomy. 

6. Data Processor Systems. Central processing 

units, memory types, mass storage, input/output 

techniques. Fault tolerance and redundancy, 

radiation hardness, single event upsets, CMOS latchup. 

Memory error detection and correction. Reliability 

and cross-strapping. Very large scale integration. 

Choosing between RISC and CISC. 

7. Reliable Software Design. Specifying the 

requirements. Levels of criticality. Design reviews and 

code walkthroughs. Fault protection and autonomy. 

Testing and IV&V. When is testing finished 

Configuration management, documentation. Rules of 

thumb for schedule and manpower. 

8. Spacecraft Tracking. Orbital elements. 

Tracking by ranging, laser tracking. Tracking by range 

rate, tracking by line-of-site observation. Autonomous 

satellite navigation. 

9. Typical Ground Network Operations. Central 

and remote tracking sites, equipment complements, 

command data flow, telemetry data flow. NASA Deep 

Space Network, NASA Tracking and Data Relay 

Satellite System (TDRSS), and commercial 

operations. 

10. Constellations of Satellites. Optical and RF 

crosslinks. Command and control issues. Timing and 

tracking. Iridium and other system examples. 



March 23-24, 2011 


$1040 (8:30am - 4:30pm) 



Summary 

This two-day short course reviews the underlying 

technology areas used to construct and operate 

space-based laser altimeters and laser radar 

systems. The course presents background 

information to allow an appreciation for designing 

and evaluating space-based laser radars. 

Fundamental descriptions are given for directdetection 

and coherent-detection laser radar 

systems, and, details associated with space 

applications are presented. System requirements 

are developed and methodology of system 

component selection is given. Performance 

evaluation criteria are developed based on system 

requirements. Design considerations for spacebased 

laser radars are discussed and case studies 

describing previous and current space 

instrumentation are presented. In particular, the 

development, test, and operation of the NEAR 

Laser Radar is discussed in detailed to illustrate 

design decisions. 

Emerging technologies pushing next-generation 

laser altimeters are discussed, the use of lasers in 

BMD and TMD architectures are summarized, and 

additional topics addressing laser radar target 

identification and tracking aspects are provided. 

Fundamentals associated with lasers and optics are 

not covered in this course, a generalized level of 

understanding is assumed. 

Instructor 

Timothy D. Cole is a leading authority with 33 

years of experience exclusively working in electrooptical 

systems as a systems and 

design engineer. Mr. Cole is the Chief 

Scientist within the Special 

Operations Department of Northrop 

Grumman (TASC). He has presented 

several technical papers addressing 

space-based laser altimetry all over the US and 

Europe. His industry experience has been focused 

on the systems engineering and analysis associated 

development of optical detectors, exoatmospheric 

sensor design and calibration, and the design, 

fabrication and operation of the Near-Earth Asteroid 

Rendezvous (NEAR) Laser Radar. He has recently 

designed and fabricated remote sensors based 

upon micro-laser radars and coherent lasers for the 

military and various Intel organizations. 


1. Introduction to Laser Radar Systems. 

Definitions Remote sensing and altimetry, 

Space object identification and tracking. 

2. Review of Basic Theory. How Laser 

Radar Systems Function. 

3. Direct-detection systems. Coherentdetection 

systems, Altimetry application, Radar 

(tracking) application, Target identification 

application. 

4. Laser Radar Design Approach. 

Constraints, Spacecraft resources, Cost 

drivers, Proven technologies, Matching 

instrument with application. 

5. System Performance Evaluation. 

Development of laser radar performance 

equations, Review of secondary 

considerations, Speckle, Glint, Trade-off 

studies, Aperture vs. power, Coherent vs. 

incoherent detection, Spacecraft pointing vs. 

beam steering optics. 

6. Laser Radar Functional 

Implementation. Component descriptions, 

System implementations. 

7. Case Studies. Altimeters, Apollo 17, 

Clementine, Detailed study of the NEAR laser 

altimeter design & implementation, selection of 

system components for high-rel requirements, 

testing of space-based laser systems, nuances 

associated with operating space-based lasers, 

Mars Global Surveyor, Radars, LOWKATR 

(BMD midcourse sensing), FIREPOND (BMD 

target ID), TMD/BMD Laser Systems, COIL: A 

TMD Airborne Laser System (TMD target lethal 

interception). 

8. Emerging Developments and Future 

Trends. PN coding, Laser vibrometry, Signal 

processing hardware Implementation issues. 

Who should attend: 

Engineers, scientists, and technical managers 

interested in obtaining a fundamental knowledge of 

the technologies and system engineering aspects 

underlying laser radar systems. The course presents 

mathematical equations (e.g., link budget) and 

design rules (e.g., bi-static, mono-static, coherent, 

direct detection configurations), survey and 

discussion of key technologies employed (laser 

transmitters, receiver optics and transducer, postdetection 

signal processing), performance 

measurement and examples, and an overview of 

special topics (e.g., space qualification and 

operation, scintillation effects, signal processing 

implementations) to allow appreciation towards the 

design and operation of laser radars in space. 



Summary 

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is the most versatile 

remote sensor. It is an all-weather sensor that can 

penetrate cloud cover and operate day or night from 

space-based or airborne systems. This 4.5-day course 

provides a survey of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) 

applications and how they influence and are constrained 

by instrument, platform (satellite) and image signal 

processing and extraction technologies/design. The 

course will introduce advanced systems design and 

associated signal processing concepts and 

implementation details. The course covers the 

fundamental concepts and principles for SAR, the key 

design parameters and system features, space-based 

systems used for collecting SAR data, signal processing 

techniques, and many applications of SAR data. 

Instructors 

Bob Hill received his BS degree in 1957 (Iowa State 

University) and the MS in 1967 (University of Maryland), 

both in electrical engineering. He managed the 

development of the phased array radar of the Navy’s 

AEGIS system from the early 1960s through its 

introduction to the fleet in 1975. Later in his career he 

directed the development, acquisition and support of all 

surveillance radars of the surface navy. Mr. Hill is a Fellow 

of the IEEE, an IEEE “distinguished lecturer” and a 

member of its Radar Systems Panel. 

Bart Huxtable has a Ph.D. in Physics from the 

California Institute of Technology, and a B.Sc. degree in 

Physics and Math from the University of Delaware. Dr. 

Huxtable is President of User Systems, Inc. He has over 

twenty years experience in signal processing and 

numerical algorithm design and implementation 

emphasizing application-specific data processing and 

analysis for remote sensor systems including radars, 

sonars, and lidars. He integrates his broad experience in 

physics, mathematics, numerical algorithms, and 

statistical detection and estimation theory to develop 

processing algorithms and performance simulations for 

many of the modern remote sensing applications using 

radars, sonars, and lidars. 

Dr. Keith Raney has a Ph.D. in Computer, Information 

and Control Engineering from the University of Michigan, 

an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University, 

and a B.S. degree from Harvard University. He works for 

the Space Department of the Johns Hopkins University 

Applied Physics Laboratory, with responsibilities for earth 

observation systems development, and radar system 

analysis. He holds United States and international patents 

on the Delay/Doppler Radar Altimeter. He was on NASA’s 

Europa Orbiter Radar Sounder instrument design team, 

and on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter instrument 

definition team. Dr. Raney has an extensive background in 

imaging radar theory, and in interdisciplinary applications 

using sensing systems. 


• Basic concepts and principles of SAR and its 

applications. 

• What are the key system parameters. 

• How is performance calculated. 

• Design implementation and tradeoffs. 

• How to design and build high performance signal 

processors. 

• Current state-of-the-art systems. 

• SAR image interpretation. 

March 7-11, 2011 


$1990 (8:30am - 4:00pm) 

Last Day 8:30am - 12:30pm 

3 top experts in 1 week! 




1. Radar Basics. Nature of EM waves, Vector 

representation of waves, Scattering and Propagation. 

2. Tools and Conventions. Radar sensitivity and 

accuracy performance. 

3. Subsystems and Critical Radar Components. 

Transmitter, Antenna, Receiver and Signal Processor, 

Control and Interface Apparatus, Comparison to 

Commsats. 

4. Fundamentals of Aperture Synthesis. 

Motivation for SAR, SAR image formation. 

5. Fourier Imaging. Bragg resonance condition, 

Born approximation. 

6. Signal Processing. Pulse compression: range 

resolution and signal bandwidth, Overview of Strip- 

Map Algorithms including Range-Doppler algorithm, 

Range migration algorithm, Chirp scaling algorithm, 

Overview of Spotlight Algorithms including Polar format 

algorithm, Motion Compensation, Autofocusing using 

the Map-Drift and PGA algorithms. 

7. Radar Phenomenology and Image 

Interpretation. Radar and target interaction including 

radar cross-section, attenuation & penetration 

(atmosphere, foliage), and frequency dependence, 

Imagery examples. 

8. Visual Presentation of SAR Imagery. Nonlinear 

remapping, Apodization, Super resolution, 

Speckle reduction (Multi-look). 

9. Interferometry. Topographic mapping, 

Differential topography (crustal deformation & 

subsidence), Change detection. 

10. Polarimetry. Terrain classification, Scatterer 

characterization. 

11. Miscellaneous SAR Applications. Mapping, 

Forestry, Oceanographic, etc. 

12. Ground Moving Target Indication (GMTI). 

Theory and Applications. 

13. Image Quality Parameters. Peak-to-sidelobe 

ratio, Integrated sidelobe ratio, Multiplicative noise ratio 

and major contributors. 

14. Radar Equation for SAR. Key radar equation 

parameters, Signal-to-Noise ratio, Clutter-to-Noise 

ratio, Noise equivalent backscatter, Electronic counter 

measures and electronic counter counter measures. 

15. Ambiguity Constraints for SAR. Range 

ambiguities, Azimuth ambiguities, Minimum antenna 

area, Maximum area coverage rate, ScanSAR. 

16. SAR Specification. System specification 

overview, Design drivers. 

17. Orbit Selection. LEO, MEO, GEO, Access 

area, Formation flying (e.g., cartwheel). 

18. Example SAR Systems. History, Airborne, 

Space-Based, Future. 


Space Environment – 

Implications for Spacecraft Design 

Summary 

Adverse interactions between the space environment 

and an orbiting spacecraft may lead to a degradation of 

spacecraft subsystem performance and possibly even 

loss of the spacecraft itself. This course presents an 

introduction to the space environment and its effect on 

spacecraft. Emphasis is placed on problem solving 

techniques and design guidelines that will provide the 

student with an understanding of how space environment 

effects may be minimized through proactive spacecraft 

design. 

Each student will receive a copy of the course text, a 

complete set of course notes, including copies of all 

viewgraphs used in the presentation, and a 

comprehensive bibliography. 

Instructor 

Dr. Alan C. Tribble has provided space environments effects 

analysis to more than one dozen NASA, DoD, 

and commercial programs, including the 

International Space Station, the Global 

Positioning System (GPS) satellites, and 

several surveillance spacecraft. He holds a 

Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Iowa 

and has been twice a Principal Investigator 

for the NASA Space Environments and 

Effects Program. He is the author of four books, including the 

course text: The Space Environment - Implications for Space 

Design, and over 20 additional technical publications. He is an 

Associate Fellow of the AIAA, a Senior Member of the IEEE, 

and was previously an Associate Editor of the Journal of 

Spacecraft and Rockets. Dr. Tribble recently won the 2008 

AIAA James A. Van Allen Space Environments Award. He has 

taught a variety of classes at the University of Southern 

California, California State University Long Beach, the 

University of Iowa, and has been teaching courses on space 

environments and effects since 1992. 

Who Should Attend: 

Engineers who need to know how to design systems with 

adequate performance margins, program managers who 

oversee spacecraft survivability tasks, and scientists who 

need to understand how environmental interactions can affect 

instrument performance. 

Review of the Course Text: 

“There is, to my knowledge, no other book that provides its 

intended readership with an comprehensive and authoritative, 

yet compact and accessible, coverage of the subject of 

spacecraft environmental engineering.” – James A. Van Allen, 

Regent Distinguished Professor, University of Iowa. 

“I got exactly what I wanted from this 

course – an overview of the spacecraft environment. 

The charts outlining the interactions 

and synergism were excellent. The 

list of references is extensive and will be 

consulted often.” 

“Broad experience over many design 

teams allowed for excellent examples of 

applications of this information.” 



$1095 (8:30am - 4:00pm) 




1. Introduction. Spacecraft Subsystem Design, 

Orbital Mechanics, The Solar-Planetary Relationship, 

Space Weather. 

2. The Vacuum Environment. Basic Description – 

Pressure vs. Altitude, Solar UV Radiation. 

3. Vacuum Environment Effects. Solar UV 

Degradation, Molecular Contamination, Particulate 

Contamination. 

4. The Neutral Environment. Basic Atmospheric 

Physics, Elementary Kinetic Theory, Hydrostatic 

Equilibrium, Neutral Atmospheric Models. 

5. Neutral Environment Effects. Aerodynamic Drag, 

Sputtering, Atomic Oxygen Attack, Spacecraft Glow. 

6. The Plasma Environment. Basic Plasma Physics - 

Single Particle Motion, Debye Shielding, Plasma 

Oscillations. 

7. Plasma Environment Effects. Spacecraft 

Charging, Arc Discharging. 

8. The Radiation Environment. Basic Radiation 

Physics, Stopping Charged Particles, Stopping Energetic 

Photons, Stopping Neutrons. 

9. Radiation in Space. Trapped Radiation Belts, Solar 

Proton Events, Galactic Cosmic Rays, Hostile 

Environments. 

10. Radiation Environment Effects. Total Dose 

Effects - Solar Cell Degradation, Electronics Degradation; 

Single Event Effects - Upset, Latchup, Burnout; Dose Rate 

Effects. 

11. The Micrometeoroid and Orbital Debris 

Environment. Hypervelocity Impact Physics, 

Micrometeoroids, Orbital Debris. 

12. Additional Topics. Design Examples - The Long 

Duration Exposure Facility; Effects on Humans; Models 

and Tools; Available Internet Resources. 


Space Mission Analysis and Design 

NEW! 

October 19-21, 2010 


$1690 (8:30am - 4:00pm) 



Summary 

This three-day class is intended for both 

students and professionals in astronautics and 

space science. It is appropriate for engineers, 

scientists, and managers trying to obtain the best 

mission possible within a limited budget and for 

students working on advanced design projects or 

just beginning in space systems engineering. It is 

the indispensable traveling companion for 

seasoned veterans or those just beginning to 

explore the highways and by-ways of space 

mission engineering. Each student will be 

provided with a copy of Space Mission Analysis 

and Design [Third Edition], for his or her own 

professional reference library. 

Instructor 

Edward L. Keith is a multi-discipline Launch 

Vehicle System Engineer, specializing 

in the integration of launch vehicle 

technology, design, and business 

strategies. He is currently conducting 

business case strategic analysis, risk 

reduction and modeling for the Boeing 

Space Launch Initiative Reusable Launch Vehicle 

team. For the past five years, Ed has supported the 

technical and business case efforts at Boeing to 

advance the state-of-the-art for reusable launch 

vehicles. Mr. Keith has designed complete rocket 

engines, rocket vehicles, small propulsion systems, 

and composite propellant tank systems, especially 

designed for low cost, as a propulsion and launch 

vehicle engineer. His travels have taken him to 

Russia, China, Australia and many other launch 

operation centers throughout the world. Mr. Keith 

has worked as a Systems Engineer for Rockwell 

International, on the Brillant Eyes Satellite Program 

and on the Space Shuttle Advanced Solid Rocket 

Motor project. Mr. Keith served for five years with 

Aerojet in Australia, evaluating all space mission 

operations that originated in the Eastern 

Hemisphere. Mr. Keith also served for five years on 

Launch Operations at Vandenberg AFB, California. 

Mr. Keith has written 18 papers on various aspects 

of Low Cost Space Transportation over the last 

decade. 


1. The Space Missions Analysis and Design 

Process 

2. Mission Characterization 

3. Mission Evaluation 

4. Requirements Definition 

5. Space Mission Geometry 

6. Introduction to Astro-dynamics 

7. Orbit and Constellation Design 

8. The Space Environment and Survivability 

9. Space Payload Design and Sizing 

10. Spacecraft Design and Sizing 

11. Spacecraft Subsystems 

12. Space Manufacture and Test 

13. Communications Architecture 

14. Mission Operations 

15. Ground System Design and Sizing 

16. Spacecraft Computer Systems 

17. Space Propulsion Systems 

18. Launch Systems 

19. Space Manufacturing and Reliability 

20. Cost Modeling 

21. Limits on Mission Design 

22. Design of Low-Cost Spacecraft 

23. Applying Space Mission Analysis and 

Design 


• Conceptual mission design. 

• Defining top-level mission requirements. 

• Mission operational concepts. 

• Mission operations analysis and design. 

• Estimating space system costs. 

• Spacecraft design development, verification 

and validation. 

• System design review . 


Space Mission Structures: From Concept to Launch 


Littleton, Colorado 

$1895 (8:30am - 5:00pm) 



Summary 

This four-day short course presents a systems 

perspective of structural engineering in the space industry. 

If you are an engineer involved in any aspect of 

spacecraft or launch–vehicle structures, regardless of 

your level of experience, you will benefit from this course. 

Subjects include functions, requirements development, 

environments, structural mechanics, loads analysis, 

stress analysis, fracture mechanics, finite–element 

modeling, configuration, producibility, verification 

planning, quality assurance, testing, and risk assessment. 

The objectives are to give the big picture of space-mission 

structures and improve your understanding of 

• Structural functions, requirements, and environments 

• How structures behave and how they fail 

• How to develop structures that are cost–effective and 

dependable for space missions 

Despite its breadth, the course goes into great depth in 

key areas, with emphasis on the things that are commonly 

misunderstood and the types of things that go wrong in the 

development of flight hardware. The instructor shares 

numerous case histories and experiences to drive the 

main points home. Calculators are required to work class 

problems. 

Each participant will receive a copy of the instructors’ 

850-page reference book, Spacecraft Structures and 

Mechanisms: From Concept to Launch. 

Instructors 

Tom Sarafin has worked full time in the space industry 

since 1979, at Martin Marietta and Instar Engineering. 

Since founding Instar in 1993, he has consulted for 

DigitalGlobe, AeroAstro, AFRL, and Design_Net 

Engineering. He has helped the U. S. Air Force Academy 

design, develop, and test a series of small satellites and 

has been an advisor to DARPA. He is the editor and 

principal author of Spacecraft Structures and 

Mechanisms: From Concept to Launch and is a 

contributing author to all three editions of Space Mission 

Analysis and Design. Since 1995, he has taught over 150 

short courses to more than 3000 engineers and managers 

in the space industry. 

Poti Doukas worked at Lockheed Martin Space 

Systems Company (formerly Martin Marietta) from 1978 to 

2006. He served as Engineering Manager for the Phoenix 

Mars Lander program, Mechanical Engineering Lead for 

the Genesis mission, Structures and Mechanisms 

Subsystem Lead for the Stardust program, and Structural 

Analysis Lead for the Mars Global Surveyor. He’s a 

contributing author to Space Mission Analysis and Design 

(1st and 2nd editions) and to Spacecraft Structures and 

Mechanisms: From Concept to Launch. He joined Instar 

Engineering in July 2006. 

Testimonial 

"Excellent presentation—a reminder of 

how much fun engineering can be." 


1. Introduction to Space-Mission Structures. 

Structural functions and requirements, effects of the 

space environment, categories of structures, how 

launch affects things structurally, understanding 

verification, distinguishing between requirements and 

verification. 

2. Review of Statics and Dynamics. Static 

equilibrium, the equation of motion, modes of vibration. 

3. Launch Environments and How Structures 

Respond. Quasi-static loads, transient loads, coupled 

loads analysis, sinusoidal vibration, random vibration, 

acoustics, pyrotechnic shock. 

4. Mechanics of Materials. Stress and strain, 

understanding material variation, interaction of 

stresses and failure theories, bending and torsion, 

thermoelastic effects, mechanics of composite 

materials, recognizing and avoiding weak spots in 

structures. 

5. Strength Analysis: The margin of safety, 

verifying structural integrity is never based on analysis 

alone, an effective process for strength analysis, 

common pitfalls, recognizing potential failure modes, 

bolted joints, buckling. 

6. Structural Life Analysis. Fatigue, fracture 

mechanics, fracture control. 

7. Overview of Finite Element Analysis. 

Idealizing structures, introduction to FEA, limitations, 

strategies, quality assurance. 

8. Preliminary Design. A process for preliminary 

design, example of configuring a spacecraft, types of 

structures, materials, methods of attachment, 

preliminary sizing, using analysis to design efficient 

structures. 

9. Avoiding Problems with Loads and Vibration. 

Introduction to passive loads control, adding passive 

damping, isolating frequencies, isolating the spacecraft 

from the launch vehicle. 

10. Improving the Loads-Cycle Process. 

Overview of loads cycles, managing math models, 

integrating stress analysis with loads analysis. 

11. Designing for Producibility. Guidelines for 

producibility, minimizing parts, designing an adaptable 

structure, designing to simplify fabrication, 

dimensioning and tolerancing, designing for assembly 

and vehicle integration. 

12 Verification and Quality Assurance. The 

building-blocks approach to verification, verification 

methods and logic, approaches to product inspection, 

protoflight vs. qualification testing, types of structural 

tests and when they apply, designing an effective test. 

13. A Case Study: Structural design, analysis, and 

test of the FalconSAT-2 Small Satellite. 

14. Final Verification and Risk Assessment. 

Overview of final verification, addressing late 

problems, using estimated reliability to assess risks 

(example: negative margin of safety), making the 

launch decision. 


Spacecraft Quality Assurance, Integration & Testing 

March 23-24, 2011 


$990 (8:30am - 4:00pm) 



Summary 

Quality assurance, reliability, and testing are critical 

elements in low-cost space missions. The selection of 

lower cost parts and the most effective use of 

redundancy require careful tradeoff analysis when 

designing new space missions. Designing for low cost 

and allowing some risk are new ways of doing 

business in today's cost-conscious environment. This 

course uses case studies and examples from recent 

space missions to pinpoint the key issues and tradeoffs 

in design, reviews, quality assurance, and testing of 

spacecraft. Lessons learned from past successes and 

failures are discussed and trends for future missions 

are highlighted. 

Instructor 

Eric Hoffman has 40 years of space experience, 

including 19 years as the Chief Engineer 

of the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics 

Laboratory Space Department, which 

has designed and built 64 spacecraft 

and nearly 200 instruments. His 

experience includes systems 

engineering, design integrity, 

performance assurance, and test standards. He has 

led many of APL's system and spacecraft conceptual 

designs and coauthored APL's quality assurance 

plans. He is an Associate Fellow of the AIAA and 

coauthor of Fundamentals of Space Systems. 


• Why reliable design is so important and techniques for 

achieving it. 

• Dealing with today's issues of parts availability, 

radiation hardness, software reliability, process control, 

and human error. 

• Best practices for design reviews and configuration 

management. 

• Modern, efficient integration and test practices. 


1. Spacecraft Systems Reliability and 

Assessment. Quality, reliability, and confidence levels. 

Reliability block diagrams and proper use of reliability 

predictions. Redundancy pro's and con's. 

Environmental stresses and derating. 

2. Quality Assurance and Component Selection. 

Screening and qualification testing. Accelerated 

testing. Using plastic parts (PEMs) reliably. 

3. Radiation and Survivability. The space 

radiation environment. Total dose. Stopping power. 

MOS response. Annealing and super-recovery. 

Displacement damage. 

4. Single Event Effects. Transient upset, latch-up, 

and burn-out. Critical charge. Testing for single event 

effects. Upset rates. Shielding and other mitigation 

techniques. 

5. ISO 9000. Process control through ISO 9001 and 

AS9100. 

6. Software Quality Assurance and Testing. The 

magnitude of the software QA problem. Characteristics 

of good software process. Software testing and when 

is it finished 

7. The Role of the I&T Engineer. Why I&T 

planning must be started early. 

8. Integrating I&T into electrical, thermal, and 

mechanical designs. Coupling I&T to mission 

operations. 

9. Ground Support Systems. Electrical and 

mechanical ground support equipment (GSE). I&T 

facilities. Clean rooms. Environmental test facilities. 

10. Test Planning and Test Flow. Which tests are 

worthwhile Which ones aren't What is the right order 

to perform tests Test Plans and other important 

documents. 

11. Spacecraft Level Testing. Ground station 

compatibility testing and other special tests. 

12. Launch Site Operations. Launch vehicle 

operations. Safety. Dress rehearsals. The Launch 

Readiness Review. 

13. Human Error. What we can learn from the 

airline industry. 

14. Case Studies. NEAR, Ariane 5, Mid-course 

Space Experiment (MSX). 


“Instructor demonstrated excellent knowledge of topics.” 

“Material was presented clearly and thoroughly. An incredible depth of expertise for 

our questions.” 


Spacecraft Systems Integration and Test 

A Complete Systems Engineering Approach to System Test 



January 17-20, 2011 


April 18-21, 2011 


$1790 (8:30am - 4:00pm) 



Summary 

This four-day course is designed for engineers 

and managers interested in a systems engineering 

approach to space systems integration, test and 

launch site processing. It provides critical insight to 

the design drivers that inevitably arise from the need 

to verify and validate complex space systems. Each 

topic is covered in significant detail, including 

interactive team exercises, with an emphasis on a 

systems engineering approach to getting the job 

done. Actual test and processing 

facilities/capabilities at GSFC, VAFB, CCAFB and 

KSC are introduced, providing familiarity with these 

critical space industry resources. 

Instructor 

Mr. Robert K. Vernot has over twenty years of 

experience in the space industry, serving as I&T 

Manager, Systems and Electrical Systems engineer for 

a wide variety of space missions. These missions 

include the UARS, EOS Terra, EO-1, AIM (Earth 

atmospheric and land resource), GGS (Earth/Sun 

magnetics), DSCS (military communications), FUSE 

(space based UV telescope), MESSENGER 

(interplanetary probe). 


• How are systems engineering principals applied to 

system test 

• How can a comprehensive, realistic & achievable 

schedule be developed 

• What facilities are available and how is planning 

accomplished 

• What are the critical system level tests and how do 

their verification goals drive scheduling 

• What are the characteristics of a strong, competent 

I&T team/program 

• What are the viable trades and options when I&T 

doesn’t go as planned 

This course provides the participant with 

knowledge and systems engineering perspective 

to plan and conduct successful space system I&T 

and launch campaigns. All engineers and 

managers will attain an understanding of the 

verification and validation factors critical to the 

design of hardware, software and test procedures. 


1. System Level I&T Overview. Comparison of system, 

subsystem and component test. Introduction to the various stages 

of I&T and overview of the course subject matter. 

2. Main Technical Disciplines Influencing I&T. Mechanical, 

Electrical and Thermal systems. Optical, Magnetics, Robotics, 

Propulsion, Flight Software and others. Safety, EMC and 

Contamination Control. Resultant requirements pertaining to I&T 

and how to use them in planning an effective campaign. 

3. Lunar/Mars Initiative and Manned Space Flight. Safety 

first. Telerobotics, rendezvous & capture and control system 

testing (data latency, range sensors, object recognition, gravity 

compensation, etc.). Verification of multi-fault-tolerant systems. 

Testing ergonomic systems and support infrastructure. Future 

trends. 

4. Staffing the Job. Building a strong team and establishing 

leadership roles. Human factors in team building and scheduling 

of this critical resource. 

5. Test and Processing Facilities. Budgeting and scheduling 

tests. Ambient, environmental (T/V, Vibe, Shock, EMC/RF, etc.) 

and launch site (VAFB, CCAFB, KSC) test and processing 

facilities. Special considerations for hazardous processing 

facilities. 

6. Ground Support Systems. Electrical ground support 

equipment (GSE) including SAS, RF, Umbilical, Front End, etc. 

and Mechanical GSE, such as stands, fixtures and 1-G negation 

for deployments and robotics. I&T ground test systems and 

software. Ground Segment elements (MOCC, SOCC, SDPF, 

FDF, CTV, network & flight resources). 

7. Preparation and Planning for I&T. Planning tools. 

Effective use of block diagrams, exploded views, system 

schematics. Storyboard and schedule development. Configuration 

management of I&T, development of C&T database to leverage 

and empower ground software. Understanding verification and 

validation requirements. 

8. System Test Procedures. Engineering efficient, effective 

test procedures to meet your goals. Installation and integration 

procedures. Critical system tests; their roles and goals (Aliveness, 

Functional, Performance, Mission Simulations). Environmental 

and Launch Site test procedures, including hazardous and 

contingency operations. 

9. Data Products for Verification and Tracking. Criterion for 

data trending. Tracking operational constraints, limited life items, 

expendables, trouble free hours. Producing comprehensive, 

useful test reports. 

10. Tracking and Resolving Problems. Troubleshooting and 

recovery strategies. Methods for accurately documenting, 

categorizing and tracking problems and converging toward 

solutions. How to handle problems when you cannot reach 

closure. 

11. Milestone Progress Reviews. Preparing the I&T 

presentation for major program reviews (PDR, CDR, L-12, Pre- 

Environmental, Pre-ship, MRR). 

12. Subsystem and Instrument Level Testing. Distinctions 

from system test. Expectations and preparations prior to delivery 

to higher level of assembly. 

13. The Integration Phase. Integration strategies to get the 

core of the bus up and running. Standard Operating Procedures. 

Pitfalls, precautions and other considerations. 

14. The System Test Phase. Building a successful test 

program. Technical vs. schedule risk and risk management. 

Establishing baselines for performance, flight software, alignment 

and more. Environmental Testing, launch rehearsals, Mission 

Sims, Special tests. 

15. The Launch Campaign. Scheduling the Launch campaign. 

Transportation and set-up. Test scenarios for arrival and checkout, 

hazardous processing, On-stand and Launch day. 

Contingency planning and scrub turn-arounds. 

16. Post Launch Support. Launch day, T+. L+30 day support. 

Staffing logistics. 

17. I&T Contingencies and Work-arounds. Using your 

schedule as a tool to ensure success. Contingency and recovery 

strategies. Trading off risks. 

18. Summary. Wrap up of ideas and concepts. Final Q & A 

session. 



March 2-3, 2011 


$990 (8:30am - 4:00pm) 



Summary 

This is a fast paced two-day course for system 

engineers and managers with an interest in improving 

their understanding of spacecraft thermal design. All 

phases of thermal design analysis are covered in 

enough depth to give a deeper understanding of the 

design process and of the materials used in thermal 

design. Program managers and systems engineers will 

also benefit from the bigger picture information and 

tradeoff issues. 

The goal is to have the student come away from this 

course with an understanding of how analysis, design, 

thermal devices, thermal testing and the interactions of 

thermal design with the overall system design fit into 

the overall picture of satellite design. Case studies and 

lessons learned illustrate the importance of thermal 

design and the current state of the art. 

Instructor 

Douglas Mehoke is the Assistant Group Supervisor 

and Technology Manager for the Mechanical System 

Group in the Space Department at The Johns Hopkins 

University Applied Physics Laboratory. He has worked 

in the field of spacecraft and instrument thermal design 

for 30 years, and has a wide background in the fields 

of heat transfer and fluid mechanics. He has been the 

lead thermal engineer on a variety spacecraft and 

scientific instruments, including MSX, CONTOUR, and 

New Horizons. He is presently the Technical Lead for 

the development of the Solar Probe Plus Thermal 

Protection System. 


• How requirements are defined. 

• Why thermal design cannot be purchased off the 

shelf. 

• How to test thermal systems. 

• Basic conduction and radiation analysis. 

• Overall thermal analysis methods. 

• Computer calculations for thermal design. 

• How to choose thermal control surfaces. 

• When to use active devices. 

• How the thermal system interacts with other 

systems. 

• How to apply thermal devices. 


1. The Role of Thermal Control. Requirements, 

Constraints, Regimes of thermal control. 

2. The basics of Thermal Analysis, conduction, 

radiation, Energy balance, Numerical analysis, The 

solar spectrum. 

3. Overall Thermal Analysis. Orbital mechanics 

for thermal engineers, Basic orbital energy balance. 

4. Model Building. How to choose the nodal 

structure, how to calculate the conductors capacitors 

and Radfacs, Use of the computer. 

5. System Interactions. Power, Attitude and 

Thermal system interactions, other system 

considerations. 

6. Thermal Control Surfaces. Availability, Factors 

in choosing, Stability, Environmental factors. 

7. Thermal control Devices. Heatpipes, MLI, 

Louvers, Heaters, Phase change devices, Radiators, 

Cryogenic devices. 

8. Thermal Design Procedure. Basic design 

procedure, Choosing radiator locations, When to use 

heat pipes, When to use louvers, Where to use MLI, 

When to use Phase change, When to use heaters. 

9. Thermal Testing. Thermal requirements, basic 

analysis techniques, the thermal design process, 

thermal control materials and devices, and thermal 

vacuum testing. 

10. Case Studies. The key topics and tradeoffs are 

illustrated by case studies for actual spacecraft and 

satellite thermal designs. Systems engineering 

implications. 


Structural Test Design & Interpretation 

For Aerospace Programs 

October 26-28, 2010 

Littleton, Colorado 

$1590 (8:30am - 4:30pm) 



Summary 

This new three-day course provides a rigorous look 

at structural testing and its roles in product 

development and verification for aerospace programs. 

The course starts with a broad view of structural 

verification throughout product development and the 

role of testing. The course then covers planning, 

designing, performing, interpreting, and documenting a 

test. 

The course covers static loads testing at low- and 

high-levels of assembly, modal survey testing and 

math-model correlation, sine-sweep and sine-burst 

testing, and random vibration testing. 

The objectives of this course are to improve your 

understanding of how to. 

• Identify and clearly state test objectives• How 

structures behave and how they fail. 

• Design (or recognize) a test that satisfies the 

identified objectives while minimizing risk. 

• Establish pass/fail criteria. 

• Design the instrumentation. 

• Interpret test data. 

• Write a good test plan and a good test report. 

Instructor 

Tom Sarafin has worked full time in the space 

industry since 1979. He spent over 13 years at Martin 

Marietta Astronautics, where he contributed to and led 

activities in structural analysis, design, and test, mostly 

for large spacecraft. Since founding Instar in 1993, 

he’s consulted for NASA, Space Imaging, DigitalGlobe, 

AeroAstro, Design_Net Engineering, and other 

organizations. He’s helped the United States Air Force 

Academy (USAFA) design, develop, and verify a series 

of small satellites and has been an advisor to DARPA. 

He is the editor and principal author of Spacecraft 

Structures and Mechanisms: From Concept to Launch 

and is a contributing author to Space Mission Analysis 

and Design (all three editions). Since 1995, he’s 

taught over 150 courses to more than 3000 engineers 

and managers in the space industry. 

NEW! 


1. Overview of Structural Verification for Space 

Missions. Structural functions and requirements, 

understanding verification, the building-blocks 

approach to verification, verification methods and logic, 

development testing, acceptance testing, qualification 

and protoqualification testing, types of structural tests 

and when they apply, government standards. 

2. Designing an Effective Test. Designing a test, 

contents of a test plan, defining objectives, boundary 

conditions, the key difference between a qualification 

test and an acceptance test, success criteria, 

instrumentation, preparing to interpret test data. 

3. Testing of Coupons and Joints. Applications 

and objectives, loading systems, typical configurations, 

designing the test, ASTM standards, deriving 

statistically appropriate allowable, case history: 

designing a test to substantiate new NASA criteria for 

analysis of preloaded bolts. 

4. Static Loads Testing of Structural 

Assemblies. Test fixtures and configuration, 

introducing and controlling loads with hydraulic jacks, 

developing the load cases, instrumentation, 

interpreting data, special considerations for centrifuge 

testing. 

5. Testing on an Electrodynamic Shaker. Test 

configuration, fixture design, locating accelerometers, 

deriving overall loads on the test article from test data, 

sine-sweep testing, sine-burst testing, random 

vibration testing, notching and force limiting, example: 

designing a notching strategy. 

6. Modal Survey Testing and Math-model 

Correlation. Test objectives, mass correlation, test 

configuration, approaches, limitations of testing on a 

shaker, selecting accelerometer locations, checking 

the test data with the orthogonality check, correlating 

the math model, the cross-orthogonality check. 

7. Case History: Vibration Testing of a 

Spacecraft Telescope. Overview, initial structural test 

plan, problem statement, revised test plan, testing at 

the telescope assembly level, testing at the vehicle 

level, lessons learned, conclusions. 


All engineers and managers involved in ensuring 

that flight vehicles and their payloads are structurally 

safe to fly. This course is intended to be an effective 

follow-up to “Space-Mission Structures (SMS): From 

Concept to Launch”, although that course is not a 

prerequisite. 


TOPICS for ON-SITE courses 

ATI offers these courses AT YOUR LOCATION...customized for you! 

Spacecraft & Aerospace Engineering 

Advanced Satellite Communications Systems 

Attitude Determination & Control 

Composite Materials for Aerospace Applications 

Design & Analysis of Bolted Joints 

Effective Design Reviews for Aerospace Programs 

Fundamentals of Orbital & Launch Mechanics 

GIS, GPS & Remote Sensing (Geomatics) 


Ground System Design & Operation 

Hyperspectral & Multispectral Imaging 

Introduction To Space 


Launch Vehicle Selection, Performance & Use 

Launch Vehicle Systems - Reusable 

New Directions in Space Remote Sensing 

Orbital & Launch Mechanics 

Payload Integration & Processing 

Reducing Space Launch Costs 

Remote Sensing for Earth Applications 

Risk Assessment for Space Flight 

Satellite Communication Introduction 



Satellite Laser Communications 

Satellite RF Comm & Onboard Processing 


Space Based Radar 

Space Environment 

Space Hardware Instrumentation 

Space Mission Structures 

Space Systems Intermediate Design 

Space Systems Subsystems Design 

Space Systems Fundamentals 

Spacecraft Power Systems 

Spacecraft QA, Integration & Testing 

Spacecraft Structural Design 

Spacecraft Systems Design & Engineering 


Engineering & Data Analysis 

Aerospace Simulations in C++ 

Advanced Topics in Digital Signal Processing 

Antenna & Array Fundamentals 

Applied Measurement Engineering 

Digital Processing Systems Design 

Exploring Data: Visualization 

Fiber Optics Systems Engineering 

Fundamentals of Statistics with Excel Examples 

Grounding & Shielding for EMC 

Introduction To Control Systems 

Introduction to EMI/EMC Practical EMI Fixes 

Kalman Filtering with Applications 

Optimization, Modeling & Simulation 

Practical Signal Processing Using MATLAB 

Other Topics 

Call us to discuss your requirements and 

objectives. Our experts can tailor leading-edge 

cost-effective courses to your specifications. 

OUTLINES & INSTRUCTOR BIOS at 


Practical Design of Experiments 

Self-Organizing Wireless Networks 


Sonar & Acoustic Engineering 

Acoustics, Fundamentals, Measurements and Applications 

Advanced Undersea Warfare 

Applied Physical Oceanography 

AUV & ROV Technology 

Design & Use of Sonar Transducers 

Developments In Mine Warfare 

Fundamentals of Sonar Transducers 

Mechanics of Underwater Noise 

Practical Sonar Systems Engineering 

Sonar Principles & ASW Analysis 

Sonar Signal Processing 

Submarines & Combat Systems 

Underwater Acoustic Modeling 

Underwater Acoustic Systems 

Vibration & Noise Control 

Vibration & Shock Measurement & Testing 

Radar/Missile/Defense 

Advanced Developments in Radar 

Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar 

Combat Systems Engineering 

C4ISR Requirements & Systems 



Fundamentals of Radar 

Fundamentals of Rockets & Missiles 


Microwave & RF Circuit Design 

Missile Autopilots 

Modern Infrared Sensor Technology 

Modern Missile Analysis 

Propagation Effects for Radar & Comm 

Radar Signal Processing. 

Radar System Design & Engineering 

Multi-Target Tracking & Multi-Sensor Data Fusion 


Synthetic Aperture Radar 

Tactical Missile Design 

Systems Engineering and Project Management 

Certified Systems Engineer Professional Exam Preparation 


Principles Of Test & Evaluation 

Project Management Fundamentals 

Project Management Series 

Systems Of Systems 

Kalman Filtering with Applications 

Test Design And Analysis 

Total Systems Engineering Development 


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