The orbiter Ku-band system includes a rendezvous radar that skin-tracks satellites or payloads in orbit to facilitate orbiter rendezvous with them. For large payloads that must be carried into orbit one section at a time, the orbiter will rendezvous with the payload segment currently in orbit to add on the next section. The gimbaling of the Ku-band antenna permits it to conduct a radar search for space hardware. The Ku-band system is first given the general location of the space hardware from the orbiter computer; then the antenna makes a spiral scan of the area to pinpoint the target.

Radar search for space hardware may use a wide spiral scan of up to 60 degrees. Objects may be detected by reflecting the radar beam off the surface of the target (passive mode) or by using the radar to trigger a transponder beacon on the target (active mode).

During a rendezvous operation, the radar system is used as a sensor that provides target angle and range information for updating the rendezvous navigation data. The operation is similar to using the crewman optical alignment sight or star trackers except that the radar provides target data in addition to angle data. Angle tracking maintains appropriate antenna pointing to keep the target within the antenna beam. Range tracking is accomplished by electronically measuring the time between a transmitted pulse and a return pulse from the target. The return pulse may be reflected from a passive (skin-tracked) target or cooperative target transmitter that is triggered by the radar-initiated pulse. The latter provides a longer range capability.

Angle tracking can be accomplished in two ways: computer or manual designations or automatic (auto) servo. During manually or computer-designated tracking, the antenna beam angle is positioned by services external to the Ku-band system. Computer tracking provides designated angle data based on combined target and orbiter state vector information. Manual tracking applies manually initiated rates to the antenna control system from switches at the orbiter aft flight deck station.

Automatic angle tracking applies error rates to the antenna control system from a receiving station that measures the target position relative to the antenna beam center. This closed-loop servosystem, internal to the Ku-band system, ignores external computer or manual designations.

Range tracking is always automatic, although computer-designated ranges are applied to the Ku-band system until automatic tracking is achieved. In the automatic tracking mode, the Ku-band system provides actual antenna angle, angle rate, range, and range rate data through an MDM for rendezvous and proximity operations. Data routed to panel A2 represent hard-wired azimuth, elevation, range and range rate information, which is not processed by the GPCs.

The Ku-band radar system has four steering modes for locating and tracking a target: crew-controlled; automatic; manual antenna steering, with programmed spiral search routines for angular acquisition; and range tracking (previously mentioned). In addition, there are two antenna stabilization modes.

Before any radar mode is used, the orbiter is normally maneuvered to an attitude with the minus Z axis pointing at the GPC-calculated target location. In all modes, therefore, the radar antenna is normally maneuvered around the minus Z axis.

The Ku-band system provides for antenna steering modes, each with a different combination of capabilities for acquiring and tracking a target: GPC, GPC designate, auto track and manual slew. All are mutually exclusive and crew selectable.

The GPC mode is fully automatic in all phases of target acquisition. Two GPC CRT commands are required before this mode can be initiated. One CRT command enables target position data to be routed from the GN&C; to the SM antenna management program through the intercomputer data bus. The antenna management program converts the target position to antenna pointing angles and estimated orbiter-to-target range data. Another CRT command enables the antenna management program to send designated antenna pointing and range data to the Ku-band system through the payload 1 data bus and the payload forward 1 MDM.

When the GPC mode is selected, the antenna points to the commanded angles and adjusts the ranging system to the specified range. If a receive signal is detected, the automatic closed-loop system tracks the target in angles and range and provides data for the SM and GN&C; computers and panel displays. If the target is not detected, the antenna is automatically commanded to search around the designated point. The antenna is inertially stabilized during the search operation.

The GPC designate mode provides the same designated pointing as the GPC mode without angle search or angle-tracking capabilities. No closed-loop angle tracking is provided. The designated angles are updated every two seconds. Range search and tracking are automatic. The antenna may be either inertially or body stabilized.

The auto tracking mode begins with manual antenna control, including a manually initiated search and inertial stabilization during the target acquisition phase. Once the target is detected, automatic angle and range tracking is initiated and manual control is inhibited until auto tracking is broken.

The manual slew mode allows manual control of antenna movement with maximum automatic range search. Once the target is detected, an automatic range track is initiated, but angles are still under manual control. No angle search is available in this mode.

The search mode involves a programmed antenna movement that causes the radar beam to describe a spiral pattern starting at the designated angles. The beam angle spirals out to a maximum of 30 degrees from the designated angle. In the GPC steering mode, the variation of the maximum angle of search from the designated point is inversely proportional to designated range. The smallest search spirals outward to a maximum of 6.2 degrees from the designated point for ranges from 145 to 300 nautical miles. At minimum ranges (zero to 8 nautical miles), the spiral search is the maximum 30 degrees from the designated point. If the antenna drive system detects but overshoots the target during a spiral search, a miniscan program is automatically initiated near the point of detection. The miniscan searches to a maximum of 9 degrees from the starting point in one minute. In the auto track steering mode, only the manually initiated main 30-degree scan is available.

In addition to angle search, the Ku-band system provides a range search. The process includes electronically varying the timing within the range system until it coincides with the time interval between the transmitted and received radar pulses. Once the intervals coincide, radar tracking is established and the range data output represents the range between the target and the orbiter. The crew can read the range and range rate values as panel and CRT parameters.

The crew is provided with two controls associated with range. Transmitter power output is automatically varied in proportion to range when a target is being tracked to keep the return signal relatively constant, regardless of range. If, however, the track is lost and the range system begins to search, the transmitter may transmit maximum power during the search. The crew can limit the maximum transmitter power by using an aft station panel control. The other control is a CRT command that limits the range search in GPC steering mode to 2,400 feet.

The Ku-band system has body and inertial antenna stabilization modes. When the body is stabilized, the antenna beam remains in a fixed relationship to the orbiter X, Y and Z axes during orbiter attitude changes. When the system is inertially stabilized, the antenna beam remains aligned to a point in inertial space, regardless of the orbiter attitude changes. Both of these modes are effective only when the radar angle-tracking system is not tracking a target. In the target angle-tracking mode, the system aligns the antenna beam to the target, and antenna movement is independent of orbiter attitude changes.

Each antenna steering mode has a specific stabilization mode except the designate mode. The designate mode selects either body or inertial stabilization on the basis of a real-time GPC command (not available to the crew). Since the designate mode provides range tracking only, inertial stabilization is effective during target tracking.