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Return to Flight

Vehicle Upgrades: Enhanced Shuttle-Based Camera Views

In the Orbiter Processing Facility, United Space Alliance worker Craig Meyer fits an External Tank (ET) digital still camera in the right-hand liquid oxygen umbilical well on Space Shuttle Atlantis.
In the Orbiter Processing Facility, United Space Alliance worker Craig Meyer fits an External Tank (ET) digital still camera in the right-hand liquid oxygen umbilical well on Space Shuttle Atlantis. NASA is pursuing use of the camera, beginning with the Shuttle's Return To Flight, to obtain and downlink high-resolution images of the ET following separation of the ET from the orbiter after launch. The Kodak camera will record 24 images, at one frame per 1.5 seconds, on a flash memory card. After orbital insertion, the crew will transfer the images from the memory card to a laptop computer. The files will then be downloaded through the Ku-band system to the Mission Control Center in Houston for analysis.

Where the orbiter attaches to the external tank, there are a number of connections where the fuel and oxidizer coming from the tank go to the engines. There is a camera installed in that area that looks at the bottom of the external tank. As the vehicle separates from the tank, the camera takes pictures during separation and allows us to look for missing insulation on the tank that might have hit the orbiter. The new digital camera is much more accurate as it can relay pictures to the ground in real time whereas previously the film had to be processed after the orbiter returned. Boeing supported integrating this camera into the vehicle and provided the capability to provide imagery to the ground. Boeing also helped to integrate a video camera that is located on the ET. These cameras, in addition to one installed on the solid rocket boosters, provide NASA and the industry team with real time data and high-resolution images during the launch. The cameras increase the capability to monitor the ascent environment, including debris, and verify the health of the Shuttle's Thermal Protection System and the redesigned portions of the External Tank.