computer science

HERMES-A/MINOTAUR

HERMES-A/MINOTAUR is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand HERMES-A/MINOTAUR rather than just read about it. In short: HERMES-A/MINOTAUR is an Internet-to-Orbit gateway (I2O) which is a device capable of routing information between information processing systems in earth orbit and information processing systems (like computers) connected to the public planetary network (internet) via radio waves or even laser signals. It became online since June 6, 2009, and was presented in the UN-OOSA Symposium of Small Satellites for Sustainable…

Key takeaways

HERMES-A/MINOTAUR belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect HERMES-A/MINOTAUR to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of HERMES-A/MINOTAUR from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

HERMES-A/MINOTAUR is an Internet-to-Orbit gateway (I2O) which is a device capable of routing information between information processing systems in earth orbit and information processing systems (like computers) connected to the public planetary network (internet) via radio waves or even laser signals. It became online since June 6, 2009, and was presented in the UN-OOSA Symposium of Small Satellites for Sustainable Development in Graz, Austria on September 8, 2009. It was built and operated by the Ecuadorian Civilian Space Agency on Ecuadorian territory, has a reported reception range of 6.000 km centered around the coordinates Lat: 2° 09' 28" S Long: 79° 53' 08" W

OSI model compliance HERMES has no Terminal Node Controller (TNC), its main job is to convert protocols from one network in the ground (internet) to another network or device in orbit by routing and translating the radio or laser waves to a protocol that can be understand for user-end TNCs, it also has full remote ground station operation capabilities, but in modes like Delta, no control interface is needed. HERMES will serve transport, session and presentation layers, application layer will remain on the user side.

Operation The HERMES-A/MINOTAUR gateway can operate in 5 modes, digital and analogical:

MODE A (Alpha): Reception of data from orbit and relay through Internet, full ground station remote control MODE B (Beta) : Uplink/downlink full duplex connection between computers on the Internet and orbiting spacecraft, full ground station remote control MODE C (Gamma): Half duplex voice conversation between any computer on the Internet and crewed spacecraft, automated MODE D (Delta): Automated APT/HRPT signal relay from weather satellites to any computer on the Internet MODE E (Epsilon): Automated live video/audio signal relay from crewed/uncrewed spacecraft to any computer on the Internet. The MINOTAUR antenna array is the primary sensor, it is a 36 feet tall dual polarity, variable frequency resonator operating from 1.2 MHz to 5.8 GHz, is reported to have a 320 dB gain, while the GORGON-B is the secondary array operating in VHF narrow band. The MINOTAUR array has 2 ip cameras, one on-board and one outside, pointing to the array at http://minotaur.exa.ec/

Use On February 5, 2010, the near miss between an Iridium 33 debris and the pico satellite Swisscube made evident the need of this kind of devices when the HERMES-A/MINOTAUR gateway was used by the Ecuadorian Air Force and the EPFL team controlling Swisscube to track the satellite signal over the internet in real time to monitor if the collision was to happen, due the coordinates of the would-be collision point was under HERMES-A range of operation. A novel use of this device is the A SATELLITE IN CLASSROOM program which makes use of the Delta operation mode for giving access to meteorological satellites to elementary schools via internet so students can work the satellite images in real time. The ground station main function is to serve as the controlling space flight center for the first Ecuadorian satellite the NEE-01 Pegasus

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with HERMES-A/MINOTAUR

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what HERMES-A/MINOTAUR claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to HERMES-A/MINOTAUR before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about HERMES-A/MINOTAUR ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of HERMES-A/MINOTAUR

In research: HERMES-A/MINOTAUR appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses HERMES-A/MINOTAUR in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: HERMES-A/MINOTAUR is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Ground stations, Internet architecture, Internet in Ecuador, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for HERMES-A/MINOTAUR outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study HERMES-A/MINOTAUR in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what HERMES-A/MINOTAUR means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain HERMES-A/MINOTAUR out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is HERMES-A/MINOTAUR in simple terms?

Why does HERMES-A/MINOTAUR matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study HERMES-A/MINOTAUR?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on HERMES-A/MINOTAUR.