TELEMETRY DATA STORAGE SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY FOR THE SPACE STATION FREEDOM ERA

Abstract

NASA’S Space Station Freedom and the Earth Observing System, due to be operational in the mid-1990’s, will provide scientists the vehicles to deploy an unprecented number of data producing experiments, including advanced imaging instruments with high spatial and spectral resolution. Peak down-link data rates are expected to be in the 500 megabit per second range, and the daily volume of science data could reach 2.4 terabytes. Such startling requirements have stimulated development efforts in high rate on-board recorders, and inspired an internal NASA study to determine if economically viable data storage solutions are likely to be available to support the ground data transport segment. This paper summarizes the mission and system drivers for telemetry data recording and storage capabilities, and provides an overview of NASA efforts to prototype advanced storage systems.