Application of XML technologies to telemetry Data management in test equipment for scientific Satellite missions

The development of a space mission requires the implementation of several Test Equipments which simulate data flows for a specific payload. This paper describes a project involving the adoption of XML-related technologies in the management of those data flows arranged into telemetry packets. The project is mainly made up of three parts: the creation of an XML database containing the packet descriptors (requiring the definition of an XML Schema); the development of an interface between preexisting software modules and the new XML database; the implementation of a QuickLook module which processes packet data converted into the XML-based FITSML format developed at NASA/GSFC. The final result is a set of interacting software modules that implement a demonstrative but fully operational prototype.