|
|
|
|
| External UHF Antenna |
| Payload Bay |
| Overview |
|
An external Ultra High Frequency (UHF) antenna will be launched aboard Endeavour on the Spacelab Pallet that also held the Canadarm 2. The antenna will be attached to the station's U.S. laboratory Destiny by space walking astronauts Chris Hadfield and Scott Parazynski during the mission's first space walk. The antenna, on a four-foot boom, is part of the UHF Communications Subsystem of the station. It will interact with systems already aboard the ISS, including the Space-to-Space Station Radio (SSSR) transceivers. A second antenna will be delivered on STS-115/11A next year. Once in operation the UHF subsystem will be used for space-to-space communication (voice, commands and telemetry for the space station). It can support up to five users on the same frequency and provides: --Two-way voice communications between the station and space walkers, the station and orbiter and between the Mission Control Center in Houston and space walkers (using the UHF with the S-band subsystem). --Orbiter commanding of critical station functions such as going to free drift during undocking operations. Commands are encrypted for security. That capability is to be used during Endeavour's undocking on STS-100. --ISS transmission of critical telemetry to the orbiter during undocking operations, again beginning with STS-100 undocking. |
Editorial/Technical Comments: ShuttlePresskit
