LETTER TO DR. ALBERT D. WHEELON FROM DON R. HARRIS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP68R00530A000200110015-8
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 16
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 31, 2002
• Sequence Number: 15
• Publication Date: November 3, 1965
• Content Type: LETTER

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DATA DYNAMICS, Inc. /1",
Dr. Albert D. Wheelon
Deputy Director, Science and Technology
Central Intelligence Agency
2430 E. Street, NW
Washington, D. C.
Attached is a resume of our company's activities, with emphasis placed on the
work we are doing for Air Force System Command in support of its space
activities. Although DDI's forthcoming contract with the Agency to test the
value of interaction analysis as an aid to long-range projection of future
Soviet weapon systems is not mentioned, I gave full information about it to
Ting Sheldon a few weeks ago.
I expect to be in Washington the week of November 15th and will call you then
to answer any further questions or to elucidate further on any point of interest.
If you are coming West in the near future we would be happy to have you visit
Monterey, or Don Criley, the Vice President in charge of our technical staff
and I would be pleased to meet with you in Los Angeles.
Sincerely,
on R. Harris
DRH: 11
Encl.
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INTRODUCTION
TO
DATA DYNAMICS, INC.
OCTOBER 1965
Data Dynamics, Inc.
305 Webster Street
Monterey, California
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Page
INTRODUCTION ............................................ 1
SPACE SCIENCES .......................................... 2
TACTICAL WARFARE SYSTEMS ............................ 11
COMMAND AND CONTROL ANALYSIS AND DESIGN ........... 12
STRATEGIC SYSTEMS ...................................... 12
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES ............................... 12
COMPUTER SCIENCES . . . .................................. 13
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INTRODUCTION
Data Dynamics, Inc., an independent, privately owned research and development
corporation, provides analytical and scientific support to selected government
agencies and industrial concerns. The Corporation's principal areas of activity
include operations research, systems analysis, simulation, computer program-
ming, data processing, man/ machine interactions, and information retrieval.
The history of the staff dates back to 1956 when the nucleus of the present corpor-
ation was organized as the Monterey Research Office of Technical Operations, Inc.
In 1960, Laboratory for Electronics, Inc. , acquired this facility as its Monterey
Laboratory Division. This division was purchased from LFE by the present
stockholders, and DDI came into being in July 1963.
In addition to the main facility in Monterey, California, DDI maintains other
technical staff offices at MacDill Air Force Base and Eglin Air Force Base,
Florida. Technical liaison offices are maintained in Palo Alto and Santa Monica,
California, Washington, D.C., and Boston, Massachusetts. Each facility is
cleared to a level of security appropriate to contractual requirement.:
It has been DDI' s philosophy to concentrate its knowledge and capabilities in
specific areas vital to the nation's military and space programs. This resulted
initially in the building of technical capability in depth; subsequently, this focus
of capabilities has provided a base for extending into other related areas and
has enabled DDI to be active in such diverse programs as operational satellite
tracking and limited warfare studies. It has resulted in DDI developing compe-
tence in a number of specific areas, including:
* Space science
o Tactical warfare systems and requirements
o Command and control analysis and design
a Field experimentation test and evaluation
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o Strategic systems analysis
c Environmental science studies
' Commercial applications.
The nature of our business requires technically competent personnel capable of
solving complex problems in specific fields of study and in areas that cut across
several disciplines. Functionally, the DDI technical staff is qualified in mathe-
matics, physics, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, psychology,
political sciences, economics, military sciences, astronomy, meteorology, and
foreign languages. The extent of the academic qualifications of the DDI staff is
evidenced by the fact that all of the professional staff are holders of academic
degrees at, or above, the bachelor level; 30 percent are holders of advanced
degrees.
Brief descriptions of selected current activities are presented in the following
paragraphs.
SPACE SCIENCES
Data Dynamics' experience in aerospace sciences is related to two principal
areas: aerospace tracking and orbit determination, and satellite system opera-
tions analysis. Of the two, tracking and orbit determination has received the
major portion of contractual support. Consequently, it is in this particular
technical area that DDI exhibits the greatest degree d competence.
AEROSPACE TRACKING AND ORBIT DETERMINATION
The staff of DDI has been actively engaged, for over four years, in developing
tracking programs used in operational support of U. S. Air Force space missions,
The activities for which DDI has been responsible include analysis, design and
programming of general tracking programs, program evaluation, on-site opera-
tional support, operator training, program maintenance, and extensive program
adaption. In conducting these activities, extensive experience has been gained in
the following areas:
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o Satellite ephemeris generation and acquisition prediction
o Precision satellite orbit determination
? Missile trajectory determination
* Data smoothing and editing
* Calibration of tracking instrumentation
* Improved values of physical constants
o Atmospheric drag analysis
? Satellite lifetime prediction
o Optimization of transfer trajectories
o Development and evaluation of operational procedures
o Component failure analysis in spaceborne sensor systems.
Early in 1960, numerous basic system subroutines were developed by the DDI staff
for use at the Satellite Test Center under subcontract to Control Data Corporation.
In 1961, an orbit determination program based on numerical integration of the
Cowell equations of motion was developed and written in 1604 machine language
under Aerospace Corporation contract 61-126.
In 1962, DDI designed and developed the orbit determination and ephemeris modules
for use in operational support of a complex Air Force satellite program. This work
was carried to a highly successful conclusion and has been used operationally since
the summer of 1963. Data Dynamics, in the spring of 1963, was again selected to
provide orbit determination and ephemeris programs for the operational support
of a high-altitude Air Force satellite program. This work was also concluded in
the summer of 1963. Later in 1963, DDI was awarded contract AF 04(695)-502 to
design and develop the computer programs that would provide the Satellite Test Center
with accurate predictions of passive satellites re-entering the earth' s atmosphere
(tracking impact prediction). In fulfilling these contractual requirements, DDI
expanded the capabilities of its tracking program and supported a number of satellite
operations with a high degree of precision and accuracy.
At the beginning of 1964, DDI was awarded contract AF 04(695)-573 to expand the
orbit determination program to solve for maneuver parameters (thrust, pitch, and
yaw). This.work was completed six months later.
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Currently, Data Dynamics is responsible for developing and maintaining the Orbit/
Ephemeris Subsystem for all satellite programs of the Air Force Satellite Control
Facility (AFSCF) under contract AF 04(695)-611. The scope of this work is
summarized as follows:
Plan, design, develop, modify, maintain, test, document, evaluate, and
provide computer programs associated with orbit determination and ephe-
meris generation
* Investigate, design, and document advanced orbit determination models,
mathematical techniques, and operational procedures
o Provide support and/ or training to the Integration Contractor and 6594th
Aerospace Test Wing personnel.
The Data Dynamics programming staff, in conducting its,work with the AFSCF,
has acquired a complete familiarity with AFSCF' s operating systems, program-
ming languages, and procedures associated with the software subsystem. In
addition, the entire staff has undergone intensive training in the JOVIAL language.
The principal product of this extensive effort is the DDI General Purpose Tracking
Program (GPTP) which has provided prime support for numerous satellite missions
and is regarded as a calibration standard for other Air Force tracking systems.
The use of the GPTP permits an accurate early-position location of satellites
during space missions. Look-angle data generated from the DDI tracking programs
is transmitted quickly to tracking radars located throughout the world to obtain
early acquisition of the satellite vehicle and further trajectory refinement. Radar
track data is first edited and calibrated by the DDI programs; then the programs
determine the orbital elements from this data for use in predicting vehicle position
and velocity in both local and inertial coordinates. The DDI computer program
considers such elements as earth-gravity anomalies, attractions due to sun, moon,
planets, aspheric earth with latitude and longitude dependent terms, time variant
atmosphere with solar tides, solar flux, planetary magnetic index, and the powered
segment of the satellite flight. In addition to the design and programming of the
GPTP, DDI has also been responsible for the following:
a Analysis of orbital problems
a Computer program evaluation
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m On-site operational support
* Operator training
o Program maintenance
o Extensive program modification and adaption.
GENERAL PURPOSE TRACKING PROGRAM
The DDT General Purpose Tracking Program is an orbit determination and ephemeris
prediction system. It was designed primarily to provide support for real-time
satellite tracking missions. However, a considerable amount of effort has been
devoted to making the program sufficiently general to be of use in research (non-
operational) as well.
The tracking program consists of a number of program modules which perform
separate (but related) functions during a tracking operation. These modules facil-
itate program maintenance, modification, and adaptability to any operational or
nonoperational sequence.
The majority of input parameters (i. e. , injection conditions, physical constants)
and all intramodule information are stored on a magnetic tape (reset tape). The
reset tape is brought into a common area of core at the beginning of a sequence
of modules and is rewritten when the sequence terminates. The reset tape is
designed to provide the user with many options, allowing the program to be used
for both real-time and nonreal-time applications. The principal program modules
are described in the following paragraphs.
Ephemeris Generation Program Module (KFPHFUN
This module produces listings that describe orbital characteristics for a specified
time period and at specified time intervals. Both a condensed online format and
a detailed offline format are allowed. The condensed format, which produces
one line of output for every time point, contains: time, spherical conditions,
height, longitude, latitude; time of apogee, nodal crossing; and entrance to and
exit from lunar and solar eclipses. The detailed ephemeris produces Cartesian
elements, Kepler elements, altitude, period, node and perigee precession rates,
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perigee altitude, and velocities at apogee and perigee in addition to the information
produced on the condensed ephemeris. The KEPHFUN module, as well as several
other program modules, makes extensive use of the trajectory and orbit calculation
subroutine (KTRAJ) which is described next.
Trajectory and Orbit Subroutine (KTRAJ)
The trajectory calculations required by the DDI tracking program are performed by a
subroutine which numerically integrates the Cowell equations of motion and optionally
integrates a selected subset of the variational equations. The numerical integration
is accomplished with the use of the Gauss-Jackson second summation method employ-
ing sixth differences. A fourth-order Runge-Kutta method is utilized to start inte-
gration. Provisions are made for automatic step-size control to minimize local
truncation error and computing time. Options for controlling precision and speed
are set on the reset tape and allow the user to specify:
c Initial step-size
a Minimum step-size
e Maximum step-size
e Limits for controlling local truncation error
Number of significant digits to be retained at each integrated step
? An option to compute, in only specified terms, the equations of motion and
variational equations during the corrector phase of the integration,
If these options are not specified, nominal values and procedures are used.
Initial conditions may be specified in the following coordinate systems: either
equatorial geocentric Cartesian, equatorial geocentric spherical, Keplerian, or
ecliptic geocentric Cartesian.
The equations of motion include the effects of zonal, sectoral, and tesseral
harmonics up to fourth order of the earth' s potential field. Other differential
equation parameters such as the Gaussian constant, mean equatorial earth
radius, astronomical unit, ellipticity of the earth, and acceleration of gravity
are also specified on the reset tape.
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The effects of atmospheric drag are included in the equations of motion. The
atmosphere model can be specified as either ARDC 1959, Lockheed-Jacchia,
or Paetzold-Jacchia. For low-altitude satellites, tables of CD versus mach
number and CD versus altitude may be used.
Perturbing-body information is taken from a magnetic tape (perturbation tape)
that contains ephemerides for as many as 10 celestial bodies.
Powered-flight segments of the trajectory can be considered. The reset tape
provides for as many as 9 orbit adjusts which are specified by time, duration,
vehicle weight, flow rate, thrust magnitude, pitch relative to the local horizon,
and yaw relative to the orbital plane.
Acquisition Prediction Program Module (KACQTABL)
The KACQTABL module generates a table of rise time, durations, and maximum
elevation angles for a selected set of tracking stations over a prescribed time
interval. This table is used by the station acquisition model to produce the
desired acquisitions and command messages that are transmitted to the tracking
stations.
Simulation Program Module (KSIM)
This module simulates the generation of raw radar tracking data from SCF tracking
stations. The produced data can be used to facilitate the checkout of the data
input and orbit determination programs during the preflight phases.
The user may specify the noise sigmas to be applied to the simulated observations.
Also, to produce more realistic data, bore-sightings, radar lock-off bits, and
occasional outliers are simulated.
Precision Orbit Determination Module (KODM) _
Module KODM accepts and processes tracking data to determine the state of the vehicle
during any part of the mission. Additionally, KODM-can solve for other trajectory
parameters such as drag, orbit adjusts, and tracking station biases. The tracking
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Thrust magnitude
Pitch, relative to local horizon
Yaw, relative to orbital plane
As many as 3 different adjusts may be solved for simultaneously.
data is read from a magnetic tape (observation tape) which is produced by the
data input and smoothing program, KOMPACT.
The orbit determination procedure is basically one of solving the classical
bounded least-squares problem. A linear system of equations is solved to
generate differential corrections for estimated values of selected trajectory
parameters. The coefficient matrix (AT A) is inverted by the bordering method
with inner products computed in extra-precision arithmetic.
To solve for the specified parameters, the program requires partial derivatives
of the observations with respect to the parameters. At present, these partials
are computed by numerically integrating the variational equations. However,
the program and reset tape logic are designed to permit the use of analytic
approximations of the partials.
Options specified on the reset tape allow the user to solve for any subset of the
following parameters:
0 Initial Condition Parameters
Right ascension
Declination
Flight-path angle
Azimuth of velocity vector
Radius
Velocity
Time of epoch
o Differential Equation Parameters
C = Ballistic coefficient (CDA / 2M)
m Orbit Adjust Parameters
T =
P =
Y =
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a, b, c: Parameters associated with residual thrust due to gas leakage,
where the magnitude is given by an expression of the form
T
- Ca 0)
b+ct
a Station Parameters
Biases for range, elevation, azimuth, and range-rate observations
Biases for more than one station may be solved for simultaneously.
The KODM module is so designed that the addition of parameters to be solved
for requires only the expressions for the partial derivatives of the observations
with respect to the additional parameters. Other parameters which could be
added are:
o Initial condition parameters specified in Cartesian or Keplerian coordinates
o Additional geophysical parameters such as earth radius and coefficients in
the harmonic terms of the earth' s potential
c' Station location errors
o Mass ratios of the perturbing bodies.
Station information may be specified on the reset tape for as many as 50 stations.
Included parameters are geodetic latitude, longitude, altitudes, biases for range,
azimuth, elevation, range-rate, and time and sigmas for the four observation
types. The station data record is designed so that other observation types (e. g. ,
Baker-Nunn data) can be accommodated conveniently.
Options of KODM allow the user to specify the following additional parameters:
o A priori estimates of ATA matrix
o Bound values
m Bound expansion and compression ratios
o Maximum residuals for initial iteration (data editing-iteration zero)
o Maximum sigma allowable for residuals (data editing-subsequent iterations)
? Limits and volume of observational data to be used
o Maximum number of iterations.
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Additional options of the orbit determination program allow the user either to
utilize the previous ATA matrix or to ignore the ATA matrix, and to update epoch
to any specified time, revolution, or perigee time. Since the time of epoch may
be any prescribed time, data can be fitted forwards and backwards. Another
module of the tracking system allows the user to update the normal matrix and the
covariance matrix (ATA)1 to an arbitrary time.
An additional option of the program permits a compacted set of observations to
be used from the reset tape rather than from the observation tape. The compacted
data set comprises smoothed points produced by the data input and smoothing
program.
Data In up t and Smoothing Program Module (KOMPACT)
Functions of the data input module KOMPACT are:
o Reading and editing radar data from SCF tracking; stations in the form of
paper tape or magnetic tape (transfer tape). Editing is performed by an
orbital fit which is similar to a six-parameter initial condition fit with
KODM. Radar residuals exceeding a computed value (based on the current
RMS, station sigma, and number of prescribed sigmas allowable) cause
rejection of the measurements.
o Generating a compacted set of data points that produces zero-residuals in
the data fit, and storing-them on the reset tape for optional use by KODM
o Optionally, generating a self-starting vector from radar data. A Herrick-
Gibbs method is used if range, azimuth, and elevation observations are
available. A modified Laplacian method is employed if only azimuth and
elevation are available.
0 Processing SPACETRACK station data on punched cards or paper tape.
(Several additional card formats may also be accepted by the program.)
o Producing a magnetic observation tape for the KODM module. Data is
automatically merged and sorted in time sequence to facilitate orbit deter-
mination calculations.
In a real-time application, the editing program can operate with little or no human
intervention; however, maximum flexibility is provided by allowing some of the
editing procedures to be controlled via typewriter input messages.
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SYSTEM PROGRAM LIBRARY
As part of a combined effort with CDC personnel, DDI contributed the following
programs to the library at the USAF Satellite Tracking Center:
o Generalized output system for editing and preparing reports on a wide
variety of output equipment
* Mathematical subroutines, including trignometrical functions, logarithm
and exponential functions, square roots, matrix inversions, and the solution
of simultaneous equations
o Debugging routines, consisting of core dumps in binary, octal, and floating
decimal format.
TACTICAL WARFARE SYSTEMS
Data Dynamics is continuing to provide scientific and analytical support to the
Tactical Air Warfare Center at Eglin AFB. An on-site staff is working on a
series of current problems confronting the Air Force in the conduct of effective
tactical air warfare. Included are such subjects as command and control,
weapon assignment, analysis of comparative effectiveness of alternative weapon
systems, navigation, reconnaissance, logistics, and basing, The data being
analyzed is derived from field exercises, war games, studies, and current
experience from Vietnam.
To further supplement these analyses, DDI is designing collection and data proc-
essing systems for handling existing and future field test data.
This continuing association has provided DDI with experience in:
o Command and control, analysis, and requirements development
? Development of control functions and operational procedures
o Support of major tests and evaluations
? Operational analysis specifically related to the complex subject of tactical
air warfare.
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COMMAND AND CONTROL ANALYSIS AND DESIGN
Data Dynamics is presently under contract to provide scientific support to USSTRICOM
at MacDill Air Force Base in the development of a command and control system.
We are producing a functional analysis of this command' s command and control
processes, procedures, and requirements, and relating these functions to the design
of the 492-L system. This requires study of military command and management
processes and the development of organizational procedures and semi-automatic
aids for command and control functions.
Also, DDI is developing for the Tactical Air Warfare Center a computer simulation
model for exercising and testing tactical air command and control systems. The
scope of the effort includes development of performance parameters, system descrip-
tions, evaluation factors, and computer language and models.
STRATEGIC SYSTEMS
Data Dynamics is experienced in performing systems analysis, synthesis, optimiza-
tion, and interactive analysis to determine potential system performance and the
trade-offs inherent in alternative configurations of advanced offensive and defensive
weapon systems. Projects in this area have included:
0 Analysis and synthesis of ballistic missile defense systems and subsystems
o Antisatellite systems and penetration aids effectiveness analyses
? Electronic countermeasures and effects upon military forces
* Modeling, gaming, and development of military actions, reactions, and
interactions involved in predetermining the impact of science and technology
on the future posture of forces
o Optimization of space and subspace vehicle launch operations.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
The staff of DDI includes scientific personnel with meteorology training and particular
experience in numerical weather prediction and analytical methods, Recent contracts
have involved building large historical files of meteorological parameters, radio-
logical fallout studies, environmental influences under command control systems,
ballistic wind studies, very high level density studies, and radar refraction studies.
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Currently, the DDI staff is providing support for the U. S. Navy ASWEPS program.
This is largely a computer programming task to fit oceanographic techniques to
a large Navy weather service computer system for near real-time daily operations.
COMPUTER SCIENCES
Data Dynamics has extensive experience and capability in the computer sciences
with particular emphasis in the areas of real-time processing, communications,
operational systems, assemblers, compilers, simulators, and the mathematics
of computation. This capability has been developed not only in performance of
independent contracts, but also in support of projects utilizing DDI' s other tech-
nical capabilities.
An example of this activity is the program developed for the Control Data Corpor-
ation which completely simulates the IBM 1401 computer using the Control Data
3200. This program relieves the problem of customer reprogramming in the
changeover from one computer to another and represents a significant advance
in computer simulation technology.
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