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Aug 25, 2005
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Return to Flight
Video keeps watch over latest NASA launch
by Mark J. Pescatore
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The primary objective of STS-114 was to transport a Logistics Flight 1 Launch Package to the International Space Station and install it. But the actual scientific objectives were secondary to most observers (if they were even known at all). For most, last month’s mission from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center was to make sure that the space shuttle program got back on track after the Columbia disaster in 2003.
NASA itself also kept a very watchful eye on its Discovery spacecraft, integrating recommendations it received from the Columbia Accident Investigation Board into its use of video and film cameras to track the shuttle’s launch and booster separation. In fact, at press time NASA engineers were analyzing imagery from the launch to evaluate two debris “events.” Plus, while the space agency stepped up its imaging efforts for its engineers, it also recruited a cable/satellite network to help bring a better view of the mission to viewers.
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| As journalists watched the space shuttle Discovery launch on July 26, NASA engineers were recording the event using more than 100 film and video cameras from a variety of angles. |
Applied Standards
NASA officials introduced a number of imagery improvements for STS-114. The July 26 launch (delayed by almost two weeks due to a faulty fuel gauge) was covered by more than 100 ground and aircraft-based cameras, including almost 40 SD and HD video cameras, plus 16mm, 35mm, 70mm, and high speed digital video cameras.
The most cameras ever used by NASA for a space shuttle launch, the setup included several new and upgraded sites in an effort to provide “a minimum of three useful views of the Space Shuttle from liftoff to at least Solid Rocket Booster separation, along any expected ascent azimuth,” per the CAIB report. While most cameras were used specifically for engineering image analysis, additional cameras offered feeds for operational television and public affairs.
Film cameras provide the best visual information for NASA’s image analysis personnel, but it takes at least a day to process the footage at an off-site facility and have it returned to NASA. In comparison, video footage can be collected and distributed within a few hours. As a result, many of the HD cameras are co-located with the film cameras to provide “quick look” capability for analysis.
The launch pad itself hosted 30 cameras, while the launch pad perimeter and short-range tracking sites added another 16 sources. Many of these cameras were tasked with keeping watch over specific portions of the shuttle during countdown and liftoff.
Six medium-range sites (between one and six miles away) provided coverage as the shuttle began its ascent. Another 11 long-range sites (between four and 40 miles away) tracked the shuttle as long as the spacecraft remained visible. Many of the sites included more than one camera, often a combination of film and video.
Discovery was also tracked in the air using two WB-57 Ascent Video Experiment (WAVE) aircraft. Equipped with Panasonic AK-HC900 HD cameras and other cameras, the planes were tasked with recording video from 60 seconds after liftoff to 15 seconds after booster separation.
Shots From The Shuttle
Image acquisition was dramatically improved on the ground, but the space shuttle itself received a video makeover, too. As part of the Enhanced Launch Vehicle Imaging System, also known as ELVIS, the shuttle was outfitted with a number of video cameras in an effort to give engineers even more views of potential damage from launch debris. NASA has also committed to adding more cameras for future missions.
According to Ray Banks, engineer for Space Shuttle Television, a modified Sony XC-999 lipstick camera kept watch over Discovery’s external fuel tank. It’s similar to the RocketCam that was used on the Atlantis space shuttle in 2002 (see Government Video, November 2002), though the camera position was moved to improve visibility. Banks said the camera’s feed is transmitted via two S-band antennas that are positioned away from potential debris.
Other video cameras were added to the solid rocket boosters. Cameras had been used in these positions on past missions and were reinstated for Discovery. According to NASA, each booster will be outfitted with two additional cameras on future flights. While these cameras won’t provide real-time views during launch, on-board recording devices will allow the images to be reviewed when the rockets are recovered.
The shuttle also sported a new electronic still camera on its underside. It replaced a 35mm still camera because its images can be fed to a laptop in the crew cabin and then downlinked to Mission Control for analysis. Inside the shuttle, there were a handful of cameras in the payload area, and the crew had access to handheld digital still cameras and at least one camcorder as well.
Bring It Home
For the viewing audience at home, Kennedy’s own video department, KSC-TV, provided an inside look at the space shuttle for NASA-TV. According to producer Amber Marek, there were two cameras inside the shuttle cockpit while the astronauts boarded the shuttle. Once the astronauts were ready to go, the cameras were pulled out.
KSC-TV provided live coverage of launch day activities for NASA-TV. Marek, who produced the coverage on both the original and actual launch dates (July 13 and July 26, respectively), said the broadcast included footage from 12 cameras.
With the exception of the cockpit cameras, the NASA-TV images were downconverted from HD images provided by HDNet cameras that covered the event. NASA approached the national network to see if it was interested in working with the space agency on HD coverage of the launch. The company agreed in exchange for exclusive use of the HD footage for 30 days.
HDNet brought in a Grass Valley Kalypso switcher for its production (temporarily relocating an edit suite in the process), while KSC-TV used a Grass Valley 3000 in its on-site control room for its own coverage. Other equipment included a mix of HDNet and NASA gear, including Viper and POV transceivers from Telecast Fiber Systems, as well as D/A equipment from Snell & Wilcox, Leitch, Evertz, and AJA Video.
The launch marked the first time that the Kennedy Integrated Communication Services, a NASA contractor that supports the space shuttle and other programs, worked with HD equipment. Bill Rauckhorst, manager of KSC-TV, said the experience also worked as a kind of trial run for KICS, providing an opportunity to learn about potential infrastructure problems and plan for KSC’s eventual HD upgrade.
HDNet used a variety of HD cameras with Canon lenses for the launch. A Sony HDC-900 with a 72x lens was positioned on the Vehicle Assembly Building roof, while another HDC-900 with an 86x lens provided an off-site tracking view. A Sony HDC-950 with an 65x lens watched over the shuttle, while a second HDC-950 covered the astronaut’s walk from the Operations and Checkout Building with an 11x lens.
Panasonic HD cameras with 11x lenses were locked down at the rear of the Firing Room (to get a look at the launch team) and where the astronauts ate breakfast. A Thomson LDK 6000 with a 25x lens provided a view of the launch clock from the KSC press area. There were also two Ikegami HDL-40 box cameras near the launch pad and providing another view of the Firing Room, each with a Fujinon 18x lens. Even a Sony HDV-FX1 HDV camcorder was in the mix, locked down in the White Room (from which the astronauts enter the spacecraft).
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