A Database Centered Approach to Satellite Engineering Data Storage, Access, and Display

Many of the tools available today for processing and displaying engineering telemetry data of small satellite missions are limited by a real-time software design. Data access is often accomplished via sequential (linear) search, and interfaces are constrained to snap screen shots or batch processing views. To promote greater accessibility and improve data retention, we have developed the Berkeley Trending and Plotting System (BTAPS). BTAPS is a general purpose software suite that provides a record of all spacecraft engineering data over the course of the mission via a MYSQL 5.0 database and includes an interface to generate multiple simultaneous time ordered plots of mission engineering data. BTAPS can simultaneously decommutate, convert and store data from multiple satellites into the database in real time and load back-orbit data without impacting real-time operations. The system is compatible with single satellite or constellation class missions that use CCSDS compliant file formats. BTAPS was a crucial part of integration and testing for the recently launched multi-spacecraft THEMIS mission, and is central to data storage, on-orbit operations and mission analysis support. By making a database central to mission operations, we are able to provide random access to the satellite data in O(log(n)) search time, rather than being restricted to real-time and replay access to the data or O(n) search time. BTAPS also leverages the rich set of built-in interfaces that are part of MYSQL, simplifying the development of new client programs and decreasing language specific constraints on client design. BTAPS greatly increases the availability and efficiency of access to satellite engineering data, and proved to be an invaluable tool for mission support from pre-launch testing to essentially all aspects of on-orbit operations of the THEMIS mission.