Instrument Data Processing Unit

The Instrument Data Processing Unit (IDPU), described by Harvey et al. (The FAST Spacecraft Instrument Data Processing Unit), is the electronics package that controls science operations and data collection. The design of the IDPU has allowed FAST to intelligently collect large quantities of different types of data. The IDPU consists of a processor, formatter board, mass memory, electric field and magnetometer signal analysis circuits, and a power subsystem. These items are found in the center of the spacecraft to protect them from radiation.

The IDPU's tasks include (from Harvey, et al): interfacing with the Mission Unique Electronics (MUE) processor, controlling and routing commands to instruments and IDPU electronic boards, controlling the science power system, compiling housekeeping data, directing traffic to the memory, generating packet headers, managing the onboard data using triggering algorithms, and performing one-time tasks such as wire boom deployments.

The formatter board acts as a router directing data from the particle instruments. It forms survey averages of the particle data, compresses the data, and generates particle trigger inputs that are passed to the processor.

The IDPU's software includes engineering subroutines, command management, telemetry management, and instrument control. The software handles instrument power control, time and attitude determination, mass memory control, science instrument control, command distribution, telemetry formatting, and boom deployments.

The memory is a 1 Gbit solid state recorder including a partition for health and safety data. It can be configured to store different data types for FAST's intelligent data collection.

For more information about the IDPU, please see the paper by Harvey et al., The FAST Spacecraft Instrument Data Processing Unit.

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