Communications
- Space Flight Tracking and Data Network
- Provides tracking, data acquisition and associated support.
- Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System
- Provides continuous global coverage of Earth-orbiting satellites
at altitudes from 750 miles to about 3,100 miles.
- Orbiter Communications
- Transfers telemetry information, commands, documentation and voice
communications.
- Overview
- Information is transferred through hardline and radio frequency
links.
- S-Band System
- Operates in the S-band portion of the RF spectrum of 1,700 to
2,300 MHz.
- Ku-Band System
- Used only when the orbiter is on orbit.
- Ku-Band Rendezvous Radar
- Ku-Band system includes a rendezvous radar that skin-tracks
satellites and other rendezvous targets.
- Payload Communication System
- Used to transfer information between orbiter and its payloads.
- Ultrahigh Frequency System
- Used as a backup fro S-Band PM and Ku-Band voice communications,
primarily for EVAs.
- Audio System
- Interfaces with caution/warning system, UHF, S-Band, Ku-Band,
and tacan systems.
- Instrumentation
- Several camera systems are used by the flight crew to document activities
during the mission.
- Overview
- Used to collect, route and process information throughout the orbiter
and its payloads.
- Pulse Code Modulation Master Unit
- Receives data from MDMs and formats them for transmission to the
ground.
- Network Signal Processor
- Responsible for processing and routing commands, telemetry and voice
between the orbiter and the ground.
- Ground Command Interface Logic
- Also referred to as the ground command interface logic controller.
- General-Purpose Computer and Communication
Interface
- Computers process communication controls and provide a command path
between the ground and orbiter subsystems.
- Master Timing Unit
- A stable crystal-controlled timing source for the orbiter.
- Operational Recorders
- Used for serial recording and dumping of digital voice and PCM data.
- Payload Recorder
- Records and dumps payload data through S-Band or Ku-Band transmitter.
- Teleprinter
- Interim system designed tro transmit written data from the ground
to the crew.
- Text and Graphics System
- Fax scanner on the ground that sends text and graphics to hard copier
in orbiter.
- Close-Circuit Television System
- Used to support on-orbit activities that require visual feedback
to the crew.
- Orbiter Experiments Support Systems for
OV-102 (Columbia)
- Records data obtained through OEX sensors.
- Shuttle Infrared Leeside Temperature
Sensing
- Obtains high-resolution infrared imagery of orbiter surfaces during
atmospheric entry.
- Shuttle Entry Air Data System
- takes measurements required for precise determination of air data
during launch and landing phases.
- Shuttle Upper Atmosphere Mass Spectrometer
- Obtains measurements of free-stream density during atmospheric entry.
- Aerodynamic Coefficient Identification
Package
- A group of senssors palced on the orbiter to obtain experiment measurements
unavailable through the baseline system.
- High-Resolution Accelerometer Package
- Measures low-level aerodynamic accelerations along the orbiter's
principal axed during re-entry.
- Modular Auxiliary Data System
- Measures and records selected pressure, temperature, strain, vibration
and event data.
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