{"id":656080,"date":"2024-05-01T11:01:05","date_gmt":"2024-05-01T15:01:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?p=656080"},"modified":"2024-05-02T12:40:59","modified_gmt":"2024-05-02T16:40:59","slug":"big-science-drives-wallops-suborbital-upgrades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/technology\/goddard-tech\/big-science-drives-wallops-suborbital-upgrades\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Science Drives Wallops\u2019 Upgrades for NASA Suborbital Missions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Large amounts of data collected by today\u2019s sensitive science instruments present a data-handling challenge to small rocket and balloon mission computing systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cJust generally, science payloads are getting larger and more complex,\u201d said astrophysicist Alan Kogut, of NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. \u201cYou\u2019re always pushing the limit of what can be done, and getting their data back quickly is clearly a high priority for the balloon science community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Suborbital science platforms provide low-cost, quick-turnaround test opportunities to study Earth, our solar system, and the universe. Engineers at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wallops\/\">NASA\u2019s Wallops Flight Facility<\/a> in Virginia are developing new, higher-capacity systems to process, store, and transmit that data using the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/goddard\/technology\/irad\/\">IRAD Internal Research and Development Program<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-fit \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/casba.png\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1620\" height=\"1125\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/casba.png?w=1620\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"NASA's new suborbital avionics system: A stack of computer components on a white background - CGI\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/casba.png 1620w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/casba.png?resize=300,208 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/casba.png?resize=768,533 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/casba.png?resize=1024,711 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/casba.png?resize=1536,1067 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/casba.png?resize=400,278 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/casba.png?resize=600,417 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/casba.png?resize=900,625 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/casba.png?resize=1200,833 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1620px) 100vw, 1620px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">The CASBa, Comprehensive Avionic System for Balloons, under development at NASA\u2019s Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia, will occupy about 6 by 8 by 6 inches \u2014 about the size of a gallon jug of milk \u2014 of payload space while offering higher performance than the existing system. CASBa in this digital rendering includes a computing module, power switching unit, dual antenna GPS system and modem.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">Credit: NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>One high-data effort, Kogut said, requires new types of sensors to capture faint patterns within the cosmic microwave background: the oldest light in the cosmos, which was produced 380,000 years after the big bang, when the universe had cooled enough to form the first atoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Capturing the polarization \u2014 the orientation of this light relative to its path of travel \u2014 should show patterns from the original quantum state of the universe, he explained. If seen, these patterns could point the way to a quantum theory of gravity: something beyond Einstein\u2019s general theory of relativity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cObserving this polarization takes a lot of data,\u201d Kogut said. \u201cThe results are limited by noise in any individual detector, so scientists are looking to fly as many as 10,000 detectors on a balloon to minimize that noise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While a high-altitude balloon floating high above the clouds is an ideal place for missions to stare into space without disturbances from Earth\u2019s atmosphere, it\u2019s also a good place to be hit by cosmic rays that our atmosphere filters out, he explained. These high-energy particles spatter throughout the balloon payload\u2019s solid structures, producing unwanted signals \u2014 noise \u2014 in the detectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Faster, Lighter, Less Expensive<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The CASBa, Comprehensive Avionic System for Balloons, aims to replace a system originally developed in the 1980s, said <a>Sarah Wright, suborbital technology lead<\/a> at NASA Wallops. <a>CASBa will capture, process, and transmit gigabytes rather than the <\/a>megabytes capacity of the current system. Building it around commercially supplied computer cores also keeps mission costs down while reducing mass, Wright added.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-cover \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/sif.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"830\" height=\"472\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/sif.png?w=830\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"A large white box studded with components sits on a table or cart\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/sif.png 830w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/sif.png?resize=300,171 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/sif.png?resize=768,437 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/sif.png?resize=400,227 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/sif.png?resize=600,341 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 830px) 100vw, 830px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">The current avionics system for operating NASA’s balloon science platforms measures 48 by 30 by 22 inches \u2014 about the size of a shopping cart.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat is the essence of sounding rocket and balloon science,\u201d she said. \u201cIf it\u2019s relatively inexpensive and off-the-shelf, scientists could put more resources into developing the science package.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>CASBa will provide a variety of options and configurations for different mission needs, she said and will work with the core Flight System operating software developed at NASA Goddard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once proven on a balloon flight this summer, a sounding rocket version will be tested in 2025. Additional IRAD projects seek to develop more efficient power-switching electronics and higher-data-rate transmission capabilities which, taken together, complete the computing and download capacity overhaul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Engineer Ted Daisey leads the IRAD effort to integrate a commercially available computer the size of a credit card into their control module.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re building this around a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4, which is an industrial product intended for embedded systems,\u201d Daisey said, \u201cso it\u2019s going to be very cost-effective for suborbital projects we do here at Wallops.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Engineer Scott Hesh is developing the power switching unit to complement the Raspberry Pi CM4 computer. He described it as a modular switch that distributes the system\u2019s power supply between up to eight different hardware systems. It uses programmable software \u201cfuses\u201d to protect components from overheating as well as hardware fuses to protect the power switching unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe avionics package takes a little less space and less mass than a current sounding rocket system,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it\u2019s a game changer when it comes to implementing avionics and communication. Each module measures approximately 8 by 6 inches, which is much smaller compared to our current balloon systems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis whole 21<sup>st<\/sup> century avionics system was designed based on our Wallops philosophy of fast, agile, and cost-effective solutions for our suborbital platforms,\u201d Hesh added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>By <\/strong><a href=\"mailto:karl.b.hille@nasa.gov\"><strong>Karl B. Hille<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"nasa-gb-align-full width-full maxw-full padding-x-3 padding-y-0 article_a hds-module hds-module-full wp-block-nasa-blocks-credits-and-details\">\n<section class=\"padding-x-0 padding-top-5 padding-bottom-2 desktop:padding-top-7 desktop:padding-bottom-9\">\n\t<div class=\"grid-row grid-container maxw-widescreen padding-0\">\n\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-2 padding-right-4 margin-bottom-5 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-top-3 border-top-1px border-color-carbon-black\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"heading-14\">Share<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"social-icons social-icons-round\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"social-icon social-icon-x\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a 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4.5h-5v16h5v-16zm7.982 0h-4.968v16h4.969v-8.399c0-4.67 6.029-5.052 6.029 0v8.399h4.988v-10.131c0-7.88-8.922-7.593-11.018-3.714v-2.155z\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"social-icon social-icon-rss\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"\/feed\/\" aria-label=\"Subscribe to RSS feed.\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 800 800\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M493 652H392c0-134-111-244-244-244V307c189 0 345 156 345 345zm71 0c0-228-188-416-416-416V132c285 0 520 235 520 520z\"\/><circle cx=\"219\" cy=\"581\" r=\"71\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-5 padding-right-4 margin-bottom-5 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-top-3 border-top-1px border-color-carbon-black\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"heading-14\">Details<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-row margin-bottom-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-4\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"subheading\">Last Updated<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-8\">May 02, 2024<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-5 padding-right-4 margin-bottom-5 desktop:margin-bottom-0\"><div class=\"padding-top-3 border-top-1px border-color-carbon-black \"><div class=\"margin-bottom-2\"><h2 class=\"heading-14\">Related Terms<\/h2><\/div><ul class=\"article-tags\"><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/goddard\/technology\/\">Goddard Technology<\/a><\/li><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/goddard\/\">Goddard Space Flight Center<\/a><\/li><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/technology\/\">Technology<\/a><\/li><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wallops\/\">Wallops Flight Facility<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\t<\/div>\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"nasa-gb-align-full width-full maxw-full padding-x-3 padding-y-0 hds-module hds-module-full wp-block-nasa-blocks-related-articles\">\t\t<section class=\"hds-related-articles padding-x-0 padding-y-3 desktop:padding-top-7 desktop:padding-bottom-9\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"w-100 grid-row grid-container maxw-widescreen padding-0 text-align-left\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-4\"><h2 style=\"max-width: 100%;\" class=\"width-full w-full maxw-full\">Explore More<\/h2><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-row grid-container maxw-widescreen padding-0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-4 margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0 desktop:padding-right-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/goddard\/nasa-interns-blast-off-for-their-first-week-at-goddard\/\" 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C5.6,6.7,5.6,9.3,5.6,12z\"\/><\/g><\/g><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Article<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t18 hours ago\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-4 margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0 desktop:padding-right-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/missions\/webb\/investigating-the-origins-of-the-crab-nebula-with-nasas-webb\/\" class=\"color-carbon-black\" rel=\"noopener\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black minh-mobile\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" src=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/webb-stsci-01j04ajb8zf5kwsnd3jnj0x9hb-3k.png\" ><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-right-0 desktop:padding-right-10\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"subheading margin-bottom-1\">6 min read<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-1\"><h3 class=\"related-article-title\">Investigating the Origins of the Crab Nebula With NASA\u2019s Webb<\/h3><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"p-md color-carbon-60\">New data revises our view of this unusual supernova explosion. A team of scientists used…<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"display-flex flex-align-center label related-article-label margin-bottom-1 color-carbon-60\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"display-flex flex-align-center margin-right-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg version=\"1.1\" class=\"square-2 margin-right-1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" style=\"enable-background:new 0 0 16 16;\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><g><g><path d=\"M8,0C3.5,0-0.1,3.7,0,8.2C0.1,12.5,3.6,16,8,16c4.4,0,8-3.6,8-8C16,3.5,12.4,0,8,0z M8,15.2 C4,15.2,0.8,12,0.8,8C0.8,4,4,0.8,8,0.8c3.9,0,7.2,3.2,7.2,7.1C15.2,11.9,12,15.2,8,15.2z\"\/><path d=\"M5.6,12c0.8-0.8,1.6-1.6,2.4-2.4c0.8,0.8,1.6,1.6,2.4,2.4c0-2.7,0-5.3,0-8C8.8,4,7.2,4,5.6,4 C5.6,6.7,5.6,9.3,5.6,12z\"\/><\/g><\/g><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Article<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t22 hours ago\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-4 margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0 desktop:padding-right-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/earth\/nasa-led-mission-to-map-air-pollution-over-both-u-s-coasts\/\" class=\"color-carbon-black\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black minh-mobile\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg 4246w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=300,157 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=768,401 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=1024,535 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=1536,802 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=2048,1070 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=400,209 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=600,313 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=900,470 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=1200,627 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=2000,1045 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-right-0 desktop:padding-right-10\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"subheading margin-bottom-1\">2 min read<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-1\"><h3 class=\"related-article-title\">NASA-Led Mission to Map Air Pollution Over Both U.S. Coasts<\/h3><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"display-flex flex-align-center label related-article-label margin-bottom-1 color-carbon-60\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"display-flex flex-align-center margin-right-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg version=\"1.1\" class=\"square-2 margin-right-1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" style=\"enable-background:new 0 0 16 16;\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><g><g><path d=\"M8,0C3.5,0-0.1,3.7,0,8.2C0.1,12.5,3.6,16,8,16c4.4,0,8-3.6,8-8C16,3.5,12.4,0,8,0z M8,15.2 C4,15.2,0.8,12,0.8,8C0.8,4,4,0.8,8,0.8c3.9,0,7.2,3.2,7.2,7.1C15.2,11.9,12,15.2,8,15.2z\"\/><path d=\"M5.6,12c0.8-0.8,1.6-1.6,2.4-2.4c0.8,0.8,1.6,1.6,2.4,2.4c0-2.7,0-5.3,0-8C8.8,4,7.2,4,5.6,4 C5.6,6.7,5.6,9.3,5.6,12z\"\/><\/g><\/g><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Article<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t4 days ago\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Large amounts of data collected by today\u2019s sensitive science instruments present a data-handling challenge to small rocket and balloon mission computing systems. \u201cJust generally, science payloads are getting larger and more complex,\u201d said astrophysicist Alan Kogut, of NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. \u201cYou\u2019re always pushing the limit of what can be done, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":298,"featured_media":656086,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[13227,2857,2661,2872],"news-tags":[],"internal-terms":[3913,12342,12308],"coauthors":[11005],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Big Science Drives Wallops\u2019 Upgrades for NASA Suborbital Missions","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/technology\/goddard-tech\/big-science-drives-wallops-suborbital-upgrades\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/technology\/goddard-tech\/big-science-drives-wallops-suborbital-upgrades\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/casba.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/casba.png"},"articleSection":"Technology","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Karl B. Hille"}],"creator":["Karl B. Hille"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["NASA Centers & Facilities","Wallops Flight Facility","Goddard Technology","Goddard Space Flight Center","Technology"],"dateCreated":"2024-05-01T15:01:05Z","datePublished":"2024-05-01T15:01:05Z","dateModified":"2024-05-02T16:40:59Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"Big Science Drives Wallops\u2019 Upgrades for NASA Suborbital Missions\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/technology\/goddard-tech\/big-science-drives-wallops-suborbital-upgrades\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/casba.png?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2024-05-01T15:01:05Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"Technology\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"NASA Centers & Facilities,Wallops Flight Facility,Goddard Technology,Goddard Space Flight Center,Technology\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"Karl B. Hille\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":4,"time_ago":"2 months","featured_image":{"id":656086,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/casba.png","title":"casba","alt":"A stack of computer components on a white background - CGI","caption":"The CASBa, Comprehensive Avionic System for Balloons, under development at NASA\u2019s Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia, will occupy about 6 by 8 by 6 inches \u2014 about the size of a gallon jug of milk \u2014 of payload space while offering higher performance than the existing system. CASBa in this digital rendering includes a computing module, power switching unit, dual antenna GPS system and modem."},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/656080"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/298"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=656080"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/656080\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":657062,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/656080\/revisions\/657062"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/656086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=656080"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=656080"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=656080"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=656080"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=656080"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}