Waqar Zaidi, L3Harris; Thomas Kelecy, L3Harris; Weston Faber, L3Harris; Moriba Jah, University of Texas at Austin
Keywords: Space Object Behavior, Digital Forensics, Evidence, Distributed Ledger Technology, Data Provenance, Data Attribution
Abstract:
Digital forensics is defined as the process of preservation, identification, extraction, and documentation of digitally represented evidence which can be used to support or refute a claim. We consider the application of this digital evidence to infer causal space object dynamic behavior based on independently trended prior and post-event observations. Space object dynamic behavior is defined as a combination of the motion induced by conservative (i.e., Newtonian, Keplerian) and non-conservative (i.e., drag, solar pressure, maneuver) forces. Perceived space object motion from an independent observer is a combination of the (1) actual motion, (2) our models of the physics of actual motion, (3) the measurements used to observe the motion, (4) our models of the sensors used to observe the motion, and (5) the inference methods we use to interpret (3) in the context of (2) and (4). Thus, for a debris generating or hostile kinetic event, the perceived motion of a space object becomes increasingly uncorrelated to the breakup based on the non-conservative forces acting on it beginning at the instant immediately following the breakup. Therefore, to infer or contest a causal relationship between a space object dynamic behavior after an event and the event itself, we must independently account for the uncertainties and effects introduced by the non-conservative forces. In this paper we examine the digital and space object forensics required to establish the body of evidence that is not only required to characterize the space objects behavior but also record the evidence digitally, needed to determine data provenance, attribution and quality (i.e. completeness, consistency, timeliness, validity, and uniqueness). Specifically, digital forensics are addressed by organizing space object data requests onto an immutable distributed ledger such that, once consensus of the provisioned data (i.e. agreement between independent data validators) is established, each step related to its request, provision, and qualification is recorded on a transaction block. An endorsement of this transaction block occurs by a regulatory entity before it is chained on to the distributed ledger shared by all participants in a consortium. We will show how we can use distributed ledger technology to obtain the chain of evidence or forensics indicating a 1-to-1 causal relationship between evidence and space object behavior prior to and after a kinetic event. Protocols for using distributed ledger technology for space object forensics are introduced and examples of independent tracking of a space object required to obtain these forensics are explored. The value of this technology to Space Traffic Management will be to provide more accurate quantification of event knowledge and, hence, support information trust and provide a means for prioritization of tasking to reduce event ambiguity.
Date of Conference: September 14-17, 2021
Track: SSA/SDA