Space Shuttle Orbiter Processing, Monitoring, and Telemetry Systems

Abstract

The transportation vehicle for launching personnel and payloads into earth orbit during the 1980's and subsequent years will be NASA's space shuttle. The space shuttle flight system consists of an orbiter, an external tank, and two solid rocket boosters. The orbiter, a key element of the Space Shuttle, is launched into space like a conventional launch vehicle, performs on-orbit payload missions, enters the atmosphere, and lands much like a conventional commercial jet aircraft. This paper provides an overview of the Space Shuttle avionics with prime emphasis on how the orbiter's on-board processing, monitoring, and telemetry systems function during the on-orbit mission phase. Included is a description of the S-band and Ku-band RF transmission link and its relationship to the ground systems, payload interfaces, and support equipment. Also discussed are the flexibility of its instrumentation system (including capability to provide formats), features of the on-board monitoring systems (dedicated displays, cathode-ray tubes, and caution and warning systems), and methods for storing and processing data (recorders, mass memory, and on-board computers). The orbiter's avionic services to the payloads and the future growth of the Space Transportation System and the orbiter are also discussed briefly.