Voyager 1 Flight Data Subsystem Emulator Released Online
An online emulator of the Flight Data Subsystem for the Voyager 1 spacecraft has been developed. Operating at a clock speed of 806.4 kHz with 8K by 16-bit CMOS memory, the tool provides insight into the historical hardware architecture. Wichita State University Special Collections preserved the original 1974-1977 Jet Propulsion Laboratory documentation utilized for the project.
Key points
- A digital emulator replicating the Mariner Jupiter-Saturn '77 Flight Data Subsystem used on Voyager 1 has been made available online.
- The modeled hardware features an 806.4 kHz clock rate, executing roughly 400,000 instructions per second with a 2.48 microsecond cycle time.
- System memory consists of an 8K by 16-bit CMOS RAM divided into two 4K banks, alongside 16-bit word architecture.
- Input and output capabilities include 32 serial inputs, 16 serial outputs, and four direct memory access channels running at 115.2 kbps.
- Project documentation is derived from scanned Jet Propulsion Laboratory archives dating from 1974 to 1977, preserved by Wichita State University Special Collections.
A web-based emulator for the Flight Data Subsystem (FDS) of the Voyager 1 spacecraft has been introduced, offering a detailed look into the computing hardware that guides the historic interstellar mission. The simulator models the architecture used during the Mariner Jupiter-Saturn '77 program, capturing the precise operational parameters of the vintage onboard system.
Operating at a clock frequency of 806.4 kHz, the emulated FDS processes approximately 400,000 instructions per second with a cycle time of 2.48 microseconds. Its memory structure comprises an 8K by 16-bit CMOS RAM split across two 4K banks, utilizing 12-bit addresses and a 4-bit opcode. The architecture also incorporates an accumulator register, an auxiliary register, a program counter, and 128 working and special registers alongside a 2.5-millisecond periodic error recovery interrupt.
For telemetry and instrument management, the system features 32 serial input lines, 16 serial output lines, and four direct memory access channels operating at 115.2 kbps. The recreation relies on scanned Jet Propulsion Laboratory technical documentation from 1974 through 1977, which was preserved by Wichita State University Special Collections.
Sources
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