The Story of Mode S

6.933 - Fall 2000 Emily Chang, Roger Hu, Danny Lai, Richard Li, Quincy Scott, Tina Tyan

Introduction

Background
Mode S Design Aftermath Conclusion

The Project History

Traces the history of Mode S (1968-1975), an air traffic control technology developed by Lincoln Labs

Our Focus
Aviation Community Influences Key Concern: Interoperability Mode S Design Decisions

Theme: Successful technologies are not developed in isolation Key example: Interoperability with the existing system drove the design of Mode S

Our Focus
Aviation Community Influences Key Concern: Interoperability Mode S Design Decisions

Theme: Successful technologies are not developed in isolation Key example: Interoperability with the existing system drove the design of Mode S

Our Focus
Aviation Community Influences Key Concern: Interoperability Mode S Design Decisions

Theme: Successful technologies are not developed in isolation Key example: Interoperability with the existing system drove the design of Mode S

Our Focus
Aviation Community Influences Key Concern: Interoperability Mode S Design Decisions

Theme: Successful technologies are not developed in isolation Key example: Interoperability with the existing system drove the design of Mode S

Scope of Research
Lincoln Labs - interviewed researchers and project leaders, read over 40 technical reports FAA - interviewed current and past administrators General Aviation - contacted AOPA communications dept. and other spokespeople Read Air Traffic Control history books, magazine articles, and web sites

Introduction

Background
Mode S Design Aftermath Conclusion

Early Air Traffic Control

The current choking of the federal airways and traffic control systems[was] forecast in detail...during the past decade. But nobody really did anything about it. - Robert Hotz, editor, Aviation Week (1968)

Addressing the Problem

Newly-formed Department of Transportation (1967) wanted reassessment of Air Traffic Control Formed the Air Traffic Control Advisory Committee (1968)
decided old system, the Air Traffic Control Radar Beacon System (ATCRBS) was inadequate made several recommendations for a new system

When new blood takes over, [the FAA]...seek[s] new rules and regulations, different licensing procedures, and heaped-on layers of government control. - Max Karant, AOPA Pilot founding editor

Meanwhile...
Herb Weiss, head of Lincoln Laboratorys Radar Division, flew regularly between Boston and D.C.
Flights were often delayed, especially in bad weather He pushed for funding to examine ways to improve air traffic control (1968) I knock[ed] on the door of the FAA and kind of introduced myself. - Herb Weiss, LL

Mounting Pressure
DoT Forms FAA Reorganizes
LL Defense Budget Cuts FAA Budget Cuts

Reassessment of ATC
LL Interest in Non-Military Controller Overwork Development of New ATC Technology

Vietnam War

Combining Forces
LL Expertise in ATC (SAGE, Radar, Communications)

ATCAC Research and Recommendations

Opportunity for Collaboration

The LL ATC Group

Small group (5-6) recruited from different parts of LL, led by Paul Drouilhet (1970) Charter: prove that a new system could be completely interoperable with existing ATC Initially, FAA provided little funding and a short timeframe

Why Interoperability?
Hard to achieve 100% penetration at once Ground stations also take time to deploy Every aircraft in an airspace needs to be tracked Have to make sure that a hybrid system will allow this to happen

With air traffic control technology, there is no instantaneous reset. - Jonathan Bernays, LL

Super Mode Beacon S

FAA and LL started the Discrete Address Beacon System (DABS) project, later renamed Mode S Enable two way ground-air data transmission S = Select: Uses discrete addressing to interrogate just one aircraft

Introduction

Background
Mode S Design Aftermath Conclusion

The Players
MIT Lincoln Laboratory (Lincoln Labs) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) General Aviation community
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA)

Other parties: commercial and cargo airliners, military, transponder companies

Overview

reply interrogation

Mode S

Interoperability Issues
Transparency: Mode S must not break existing systems Backwards-compatibility: Existing systems must still see Mode S equipped planes
other aircraft existing signal existing ground station Mode S ground station

Mode S equipped

new signal

Frequency
New frequency: difficult to allocate Same frequency as old system (1030/1090 MHz): interoperable, but may cause interference
300 MHz VHF
1030 MHz 1090 MHz

UHF

3000 MHz SHF

The neatest technical solution would have been to put it on its own [frequency] band. - Paul Drouilhet, LL

Sharing Frequencies
Find an invisible signal
experiment with different signal characteristics

Interoperability: both systems share the same channel without causing problems to each other
MHz
1000 1030 (interrogation) 1090 (reply) 1120

Transponders
There seemed to be a very strong correlation between cost and consistency of the transponder....the cheaper [ones] were all over the place....'' - George Colby, LL

Flaw in FAA National Standard: doesnt specify what ATCRBS transponders should not do:
549 transponders on the market Each had unique behavior

The Hack
aircraft 3

aircraft 1

- Existing ATCRBS transponders used sidelobe suppression

INTERFERENCE!!!

ground station

aircraft 2

The Hack
aircraft 3

aircraft 1

- Existing ATCRBS transponders used sidelobe suppression

A1

P1

P2

ground station

A2

P2 P1 P2

aircraft 2

Hacking the Hack

- Purposely send a small P1 and large P2
- Disables ATCRBS transponders - Use the time to cram in Mode S data blocks - Limited number of bits can be sent in this window

P1

P2

Mode S data block

35 microseconds

Mode S Design
Frequency Choice

INTEROPERABILITY

Signal Design

Transponder & Sensor Design

Introduction

Background
Mode S Design Aftermath Conclusion

Slow Adoption
Lincoln Labs spec delivered to FAA in 1975, first commercial transponder manufactured in 1980 FAA slow to install Mode S ground stations, but still tries to mandate it being used
The spec we wrote went to the FAA in 1975they went to study itwe call [this] the handholding period, where a couple individuals stayed onboard [to advise the FAA]... Thomas Goblick, LL

What Changed Things

Mid-air collision in 1986 Congress passes a law mandating that all commercial aircraft be equipped with a Traffic Collision and Avoidance System (TCAS) by 1993
TCAS uses Mode S TCAS is now an international standard

Mode S technology is now commercially available

Mode S Today
108 of the U.S.s busiest airports have Mode S ground stations Majority of aircraft landing at these airports have Mode S transponders Without Mode S, the 1030/1090 Mhz band would be completely overloaded Mode S used in TCAS and many other applications

Introduction

Background
Mode S Design Aftermath Conclusion

What We Learned
Its all about INTEROPERABILITY! Aviation community is conservative
Interoperability allows long transition periods Interoperability allows a system that everyone can use, since there wont be 100% compliance

Interoperability had an effect on almost every design decision

The Big Picture

Successful technologies are not developed in isolation.
Aviation Community Influences Key Concern: Interoperability Mode S Design Decisions

Comments? Questions?