TechSat 21 cluster design using AI approaches and the Cornwell metric

Nichols Research and MIT are exploring the benefits of distributed satellite systems in a joint venture under the Air Force Research Laboratory’s TechSat 21 program. Part of the research is the determination of a cluster design for the planned 2003 flight experiment which will be conducting a space-based radar mission. This paper describes the use of approaches horn artificial intelligence that help in selecting a cluster design thus improving one aspect required for superior radar performance from a sparse aperture radar. The approach is .described and results of several experiments are summarized. The paper concludes with a discussion of alternative designs for clusters that have not yet been