Dynamic Environment Communications Analysis Testbed (DECAT) and Its Applications to Dual Use Space Technology

The Communication System Simulation Laboratory (CSSL) at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/Johnson Space Center (JSC) provides a facility for analyzing simulating space communication systems. The CSSL has simulation tools that model NASA communication systems and the environment in which they operate. One of these tools is a radio frequency coverage analysis tool called the Dynamic Environment Communications Analysis Testbed (DECAT). This paper focuses on DECAT and its applications to the Space Station and Space Shuttle programs.