How do ultra-stable oscillators for spacecraft work?How far from earth have atomic clocks (or ultra-stable oscillators) been placed and monitored?Where would one deploy deep space atomic clocks?How do spacecraft measure onboard gravity?What instruments are necessary aboard spacecraft?What is the current record for the farthest detection of a “dead” spacecraft?How have/how will Indian ground stations be used for comms or tracking of deep space spacecraft?How does a three-way doppler shift measurement work?Have any deep-space spacecraft supported same-band turnaround of Earth-based doppler measurements?How to get an initial setting of the range gate for a Lunar Laser Ranging using a new Retro Reflector for the first time?How (the heck) were Parker's sapphire elbows made?
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How do ultra-stable oscillators for spacecraft work?
How far from earth have atomic clocks (or ultra-stable oscillators) been placed and monitored?Where would one deploy deep space atomic clocks?How do spacecraft measure onboard gravity?What instruments are necessary aboard spacecraft?What is the current record for the farthest detection of a “dead” spacecraft?How have/how will Indian ground stations be used for comms or tracking of deep space spacecraft?How does a three-way doppler shift measurement work?Have any deep-space spacecraft supported same-band turnaround of Earth-based doppler measurements?How to get an initial setting of the range gate for a Lunar Laser Ranging using a new Retro Reflector for the first time?How (the heck) were Parker's sapphire elbows made?
.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty margin-bottom:0;
$begingroup$
Many spacecraft carry "ultra-stable oscillators" for ranging and related measurements, but I can't quickly find any info on how these actually work. Are they just very pure quartz crystals, or do they use some other technology. I'd also be interested in quantitative figures on their stability.
instrument doppler-ranging ranging
asked 8 hours ago
Steve LintonSteve Linton
11.3k1 gold badge30 silver badges56 bronze badges
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Many spacecraft carry "ultra-stable oscillators" for ranging and related measurements, but I can't quickly find any info on how these actually work. Are they just very pure quartz crystals, or do they use some other technology. I'd also be interested in quantitative figures on their stability.
instrument doppler-ranging ranging
asked 8 hours ago
Steve LintonSteve Linton
11.3k1 gold badge30 silver badges56 bronze badges
$endgroup$
1
$begingroup$
see this answer to How far from earth have atomic clocks (or ultra-stable oscillators) been placed and monitored? and also this answer to Where would one deploy deep space atomic clocks?
$endgroup$
– uhoh
6 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Many spacecraft carry "ultra-stable oscillators" for ranging and related measurements, but I can't quickly find any info on how these actually work. Are they just very pure quartz crystals, or do they use some other technology. I'd also be interested in quantitative figures on their stability.
instrument doppler-ranging ranging
asked 8 hours ago
Steve LintonSteve Linton
11.3k1 gold badge30 silver badges56 bronze badges
$endgroup$
Many spacecraft carry "ultra-stable oscillators" for ranging and related measurements, but I can't quickly find any info on how these actually work. Are they just very pure quartz crystals, or do they use some other technology. I'd also be interested in quantitative figures on their stability.
instrument doppler-ranging ranging
instrument doppler-ranging ranging
asked 8 hours ago
Steve LintonSteve Linton
11.3k1 gold badge30 silver badges56 bronze badges
asked 8 hours ago
Steve LintonSteve Linton
11.3k1 gold badge30 silver badges56 bronze badges
asked 8 hours ago
Steve LintonSteve Linton
11.3k1 gold badge30 silver badges56 bronze badges
asked 8 hours ago
Steve LintonSteve Linton
11.3k1 gold badge30 silver badges56 bronze badges
asked 8 hours ago
Steve LintonSteve Linton
11.3k1 gold badge30 silver badges56 bronze badges
11.3k1 gold badge30 silver badges56 bronze badges
1
$begingroup$
see this answer to How far from earth have atomic clocks (or ultra-stable oscillators) been placed and monitored? and also this answer to Where would one deploy deep space atomic clocks?
$endgroup$
– uhoh
6 hours ago
add a comment |
1
$begingroup$
see this answer to How far from earth have atomic clocks (or ultra-stable oscillators) been placed and monitored? and also this answer to Where would one deploy deep space atomic clocks?
$endgroup$
– uhoh
6 hours ago
1
1
$begingroup$
see this answer to How far from earth have atomic clocks (or ultra-stable oscillators) been placed and monitored? and also this answer to Where would one deploy deep space atomic clocks?
$endgroup$
– uhoh
6 hours ago
$begingroup$
see this answer to How far from earth have atomic clocks (or ultra-stable oscillators) been placed and monitored? and also this answer to Where would one deploy deep space atomic clocks?
$endgroup$
– uhoh
6 hours ago
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
$begingroup$
The material depended on the mission but was usually quartz, and the stability is insane.
The development of Ultra-Stable Oscillators (USOs) is ongoing (see here and here).
NASA/the ESA have used things like quartz and rubidium depending on the mission (see the abstract) . Crystal oscillators are preferred because they are "...easier to qualify for deep space than atomic clocks" (same source). Also in that source is the line that "...all ultrastable oscillators in deep space have been quartz-based with the exception of the Huygens probe USO".
In terms of stability, those on the Voyagers had a "Allan Deviation" of $10^-12$ over 100 seconds. Precisely what the Allan Deviation, or Allan Variance, means is hard to understand, so I'm just going to quote Wikipedia's article on Allan Variance:
An Allan deviation of 1.3×10−9 at observation time 1 s (i.e. τ = 1 s) should be interpreted as there being an instability in frequency between two observations 1 second apart with a relative root mean square (RMS) value of 1.3×10−9. For a 10 MHz clock, this would be equivalent to 13 mHz RMS movement.
Newer oscillators, such as those in Mars Global Surveyor, were an order of magnitude better. For reference, a relatively inexpensive gyroscope made by Freescale Semiconductor has an Allan Variance of about $10^-2$ over the same timescale source, and a cheap crystal oscillator like this one have frequency stability of 100 parts-per-million, which is somewhere around $10^-5$ or so (although the two measurements aren't exactly equivalent)
answered 7 hours ago
Michael StachowskyMichael Stachowsky
2,1303 silver badges14 bronze badges
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
Your cheap reference is particularly bad. I'd mention an oscillator as they are used e.g. in mobile phone which has 10ppm over the whole temperature range, and much better when temperature is stable. They should be better than 1ppm in stability at constant temperature. Maybe also mention that stability != accuracy.
$endgroup$
– asdfex
4 hours ago
$begingroup$
@asdfex: I just did a quick Digikey search for one. If you want to find a better one and edit I have no issues
$endgroup$
– Michael Stachowsky
4 hours ago
$begingroup$
+1and slightly related references to Allan Variance : How do I calculate Allan Variance (maybe for pulsars)? and also Why aren't GPS clocks sufficient to synchronize VLBI observations? and possibly (1, 2)
$endgroup$
– uhoh
9 mins ago
add a comment |
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$begingroup$
The material depended on the mission but was usually quartz, and the stability is insane.
The development of Ultra-Stable Oscillators (USOs) is ongoing (see here and here).
NASA/the ESA have used things like quartz and rubidium depending on the mission (see the abstract) . Crystal oscillators are preferred because they are "...easier to qualify for deep space than atomic clocks" (same source). Also in that source is the line that "...all ultrastable oscillators in deep space have been quartz-based with the exception of the Huygens probe USO".
In terms of stability, those on the Voyagers had a "Allan Deviation" of $10^-12$ over 100 seconds. Precisely what the Allan Deviation, or Allan Variance, means is hard to understand, so I'm just going to quote Wikipedia's article on Allan Variance:
An Allan deviation of 1.3×10−9 at observation time 1 s (i.e. τ = 1 s) should be interpreted as there being an instability in frequency between two observations 1 second apart with a relative root mean square (RMS) value of 1.3×10−9. For a 10 MHz clock, this would be equivalent to 13 mHz RMS movement.
Newer oscillators, such as those in Mars Global Surveyor, were an order of magnitude better. For reference, a relatively inexpensive gyroscope made by Freescale Semiconductor has an Allan Variance of about $10^-2$ over the same timescale source, and a cheap crystal oscillator like this one have frequency stability of 100 parts-per-million, which is somewhere around $10^-5$ or so (although the two measurements aren't exactly equivalent)
answered 7 hours ago
Michael StachowskyMichael Stachowsky
2,1303 silver badges14 bronze badges
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
Your cheap reference is particularly bad. I'd mention an oscillator as they are used e.g. in mobile phone which has 10ppm over the whole temperature range, and much better when temperature is stable. They should be better than 1ppm in stability at constant temperature. Maybe also mention that stability != accuracy.
$endgroup$
– asdfex
4 hours ago
$begingroup$
@asdfex: I just did a quick Digikey search for one. If you want to find a better one and edit I have no issues
$endgroup$
– Michael Stachowsky
4 hours ago
$begingroup$
+1and slightly related references to Allan Variance : How do I calculate Allan Variance (maybe for pulsars)? and also Why aren't GPS clocks sufficient to synchronize VLBI observations? and possibly (1, 2)
$endgroup$
– uhoh
9 mins ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
The material depended on the mission but was usually quartz, and the stability is insane.
The development of Ultra-Stable Oscillators (USOs) is ongoing (see here and here).
NASA/the ESA have used things like quartz and rubidium depending on the mission (see the abstract) . Crystal oscillators are preferred because they are "...easier to qualify for deep space than atomic clocks" (same source). Also in that source is the line that "...all ultrastable oscillators in deep space have been quartz-based with the exception of the Huygens probe USO".
In terms of stability, those on the Voyagers had a "Allan Deviation" of $10^-12$ over 100 seconds. Precisely what the Allan Deviation, or Allan Variance, means is hard to understand, so I'm just going to quote Wikipedia's article on Allan Variance:
An Allan deviation of 1.3×10−9 at observation time 1 s (i.e. τ = 1 s) should be interpreted as there being an instability in frequency between two observations 1 second apart with a relative root mean square (RMS) value of 1.3×10−9. For a 10 MHz clock, this would be equivalent to 13 mHz RMS movement.
Newer oscillators, such as those in Mars Global Surveyor, were an order of magnitude better. For reference, a relatively inexpensive gyroscope made by Freescale Semiconductor has an Allan Variance of about $10^-2$ over the same timescale source, and a cheap crystal oscillator like this one have frequency stability of 100 parts-per-million, which is somewhere around $10^-5$ or so (although the two measurements aren't exactly equivalent)
answered 7 hours ago
Michael StachowskyMichael Stachowsky
2,1303 silver badges14 bronze badges
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
Your cheap reference is particularly bad. I'd mention an oscillator as they are used e.g. in mobile phone which has 10ppm over the whole temperature range, and much better when temperature is stable. They should be better than 1ppm in stability at constant temperature. Maybe also mention that stability != accuracy.
$endgroup$
– asdfex
4 hours ago
$begingroup$
@asdfex: I just did a quick Digikey search for one. If you want to find a better one and edit I have no issues
$endgroup$
– Michael Stachowsky
4 hours ago
$begingroup$
+1and slightly related references to Allan Variance : How do I calculate Allan Variance (maybe for pulsars)? and also Why aren't GPS clocks sufficient to synchronize VLBI observations? and possibly (1, 2)
$endgroup$
– uhoh
9 mins ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
The material depended on the mission but was usually quartz, and the stability is insane.
The development of Ultra-Stable Oscillators (USOs) is ongoing (see here and here).
NASA/the ESA have used things like quartz and rubidium depending on the mission (see the abstract) . Crystal oscillators are preferred because they are "...easier to qualify for deep space than atomic clocks" (same source). Also in that source is the line that "...all ultrastable oscillators in deep space have been quartz-based with the exception of the Huygens probe USO".
In terms of stability, those on the Voyagers had a "Allan Deviation" of $10^-12$ over 100 seconds. Precisely what the Allan Deviation, or Allan Variance, means is hard to understand, so I'm just going to quote Wikipedia's article on Allan Variance:
An Allan deviation of 1.3×10−9 at observation time 1 s (i.e. τ = 1 s) should be interpreted as there being an instability in frequency between two observations 1 second apart with a relative root mean square (RMS) value of 1.3×10−9. For a 10 MHz clock, this would be equivalent to 13 mHz RMS movement.
Newer oscillators, such as those in Mars Global Surveyor, were an order of magnitude better. For reference, a relatively inexpensive gyroscope made by Freescale Semiconductor has an Allan Variance of about $10^-2$ over the same timescale source, and a cheap crystal oscillator like this one have frequency stability of 100 parts-per-million, which is somewhere around $10^-5$ or so (although the two measurements aren't exactly equivalent)
answered 7 hours ago
Michael StachowskyMichael Stachowsky
2,1303 silver badges14 bronze badges
$endgroup$
The material depended on the mission but was usually quartz, and the stability is insane.
The development of Ultra-Stable Oscillators (USOs) is ongoing (see here and here).
NASA/the ESA have used things like quartz and rubidium depending on the mission (see the abstract) . Crystal oscillators are preferred because they are "...easier to qualify for deep space than atomic clocks" (same source). Also in that source is the line that "...all ultrastable oscillators in deep space have been quartz-based with the exception of the Huygens probe USO".
In terms of stability, those on the Voyagers had a "Allan Deviation" of $10^-12$ over 100 seconds. Precisely what the Allan Deviation, or Allan Variance, means is hard to understand, so I'm just going to quote Wikipedia's article on Allan Variance:
An Allan deviation of 1.3×10−9 at observation time 1 s (i.e. τ = 1 s) should be interpreted as there being an instability in frequency between two observations 1 second apart with a relative root mean square (RMS) value of 1.3×10−9. For a 10 MHz clock, this would be equivalent to 13 mHz RMS movement.
Newer oscillators, such as those in Mars Global Surveyor, were an order of magnitude better. For reference, a relatively inexpensive gyroscope made by Freescale Semiconductor has an Allan Variance of about $10^-2$ over the same timescale source, and a cheap crystal oscillator like this one have frequency stability of 100 parts-per-million, which is somewhere around $10^-5$ or so (although the two measurements aren't exactly equivalent)
answered 7 hours ago
Michael StachowskyMichael Stachowsky
2,1303 silver badges14 bronze badges
answered 7 hours ago
Michael StachowskyMichael Stachowsky
2,1303 silver badges14 bronze badges
answered 7 hours ago
Michael StachowskyMichael Stachowsky
2,1303 silver badges14 bronze badges
answered 7 hours ago
Michael StachowskyMichael Stachowsky
2,1303 silver badges14 bronze badges
2,1303 silver badges14 bronze badges
$begingroup$
Your cheap reference is particularly bad. I'd mention an oscillator as they are used e.g. in mobile phone which has 10ppm over the whole temperature range, and much better when temperature is stable. They should be better than 1ppm in stability at constant temperature. Maybe also mention that stability != accuracy.
$endgroup$
– asdfex
4 hours ago
$begingroup$
@asdfex: I just did a quick Digikey search for one. If you want to find a better one and edit I have no issues
$endgroup$
– Michael Stachowsky
4 hours ago
$begingroup$
+1and slightly related references to Allan Variance : How do I calculate Allan Variance (maybe for pulsars)? and also Why aren't GPS clocks sufficient to synchronize VLBI observations? and possibly (1, 2)
$endgroup$
– uhoh
9 mins ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Your cheap reference is particularly bad. I'd mention an oscillator as they are used e.g. in mobile phone which has 10ppm over the whole temperature range, and much better when temperature is stable. They should be better than 1ppm in stability at constant temperature. Maybe also mention that stability != accuracy.
$endgroup$
– asdfex
4 hours ago
$begingroup$
@asdfex: I just did a quick Digikey search for one. If you want to find a better one and edit I have no issues
$endgroup$
– Michael Stachowsky
4 hours ago
$begingroup$
+1and slightly related references to Allan Variance : How do I calculate Allan Variance (maybe for pulsars)? and also Why aren't GPS clocks sufficient to synchronize VLBI observations? and possibly (1, 2)
$endgroup$
– uhoh
9 mins ago
$begingroup$
Your cheap reference is particularly bad. I'd mention an oscillator as they are used e.g. in mobile phone which has 10ppm over the whole temperature range, and much better when temperature is stable. They should be better than 1ppm in stability at constant temperature. Maybe also mention that stability != accuracy.
$endgroup$
– asdfex
4 hours ago
$begingroup$
Your cheap reference is particularly bad. I'd mention an oscillator as they are used e.g. in mobile phone which has 10ppm over the whole temperature range, and much better when temperature is stable. They should be better than 1ppm in stability at constant temperature. Maybe also mention that stability != accuracy.
$endgroup$
– asdfex
4 hours ago
$begingroup$
@asdfex: I just did a quick Digikey search for one. If you want to find a better one and edit I have no issues
$endgroup$
– Michael Stachowsky
4 hours ago
$begingroup$
@asdfex: I just did a quick Digikey search for one. If you want to find a better one and edit I have no issues
$endgroup$
– Michael Stachowsky
4 hours ago
$begingroup$
+1 and slightly related references to Allan Variance : How do I calculate Allan Variance (maybe for pulsars)? and also Why aren't GPS clocks sufficient to synchronize VLBI observations? and possibly (1, 2)$endgroup$
– uhoh
9 mins ago
$begingroup$
+1 and slightly related references to Allan Variance : How do I calculate Allan Variance (maybe for pulsars)? and also Why aren't GPS clocks sufficient to synchronize VLBI observations? and possibly (1, 2)$endgroup$
– uhoh
9 mins ago
add a comment |
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$begingroup$
see this answer to How far from earth have atomic clocks (or ultra-stable oscillators) been placed and monitored? and also this answer to Where would one deploy deep space atomic clocks?
$endgroup$
– uhoh
6 hours ago