Chester A. Ruszczyk
Research Scientist VLBI instrumentation development, signal chain builds, IVS VGOS observations, and instrumentation for polar researchI obtained my Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Boston University, Massachusetts, in 1998. My career has crossed between hardware and software development at start-ups, telecommunication firms, DoD, and research corporations.
At Haystack, I work on instrumentation development for Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) (e-VLBI, recorders, digital backends, cable delay measurement systems) used for both the geodetic and astronomy groups. I am also the Project Manager for the NASA Space Geodesy Project, and lead the buildout, verification, commissioning, and evaluation of a 2–14 GHz broadband signal chain for NASA stations. We have presently deployed operational systems for Kokee Park Geophysical Observatory (KPGO) in Hawaii (first light in February 2016) and the McDonald Geophysical Observatory (MGO) in Texas (first light in September 2019); currently, we expect to deploy two more in Brazil and Tahiti. This process is not only about instrumentation verification but also involves the end-to-end verification of the VGOS observing process that continues today.
Besides working with NASA stations, I also work with the International VLBI Service (IVS) to include, verify, and aid with compatibility tests between the new VGOS systems coming online, while helping to transition stable stations into the core observing VGOS network. I also manage the instrumentation builds, verifications, and deployments for polar research.
SIDEx: Sea Ice Dynamic Experiment
Measuring ice in the Arctic Circle.
Advancing VGOS
The Haystack VLBI Geodetic Observing System (VGOS) signal chain has been in development since 2007 and in service since 2010. It was developed for NASA and has been installed in Texas and Hawaii.
Mark 6 VLBI data recording system
The Mark 6 VLBI data recording system is used by the VLBI community to record data onto hard disk drives at the high data rates—up to 16Gbps—required by cutting-edge applications such as the EHT and VGOS.