Ultrastable Oscillators for Space Applications

The requirements for high-stability ovenized quartz oscillators have been increasing in space applications. These devices provide attractive size, weight, power, and reliability for use in space missions; they also exhibit short-term frequency stability that rivals that of the best atomic-based signal sources. Symmetricom has delivered flight oscillators for the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and other military programs that have demonstrated 1 x 10(exp -13) Allan deviation for time intervals of 10 to 100 seconds and sub 2 x 10(exp-13) stability to 10,000 seconds. The oscillator, the model 9500, which was developed in 1995, has undergone improvements, including the use of higher stability glass-encapsulated quartz resonators to increase performance for current scientific and military applications. Our presentation will describe the oscillator, the measured performance of various units, and data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
See also ADM002186. Presented at the Annual Precise Time and Time Interval (PTTI) Systems and Appliations Meeting (40th) held in Reston, Virginia on 1-4 December 2008. Published in the Proceedings of the Annual Precise Time and Time Interval (PTTI) Systems and Appliations Meeting (40th), p51-56, 2008. The original document contains color images.