|
|
|
|
| High-Definition Television Camcorder Demonstration |
| DTO 700-17A |
| In-Cabin |
| Prime: Cady Coleman |
| Backup: Jeffrey Ashby |
| Overview |
|
The objectives of this DTO are to verify that integrating this new capability with the existing system causes no engineering anomalies, determine how well this technology meets NASA's goal and any changes required or desired in the operational hardware, compare the shuttle's current analog video capability and the High-Definition Television (HDTV) format, and provide shuttle HDTV source material to the news media and broadcasters in a format that can be produced in the U.S. HDTV format. The analog-to-digital comparison will be produced by recording the same scenes simultaneously with one of the shuttle analog camcorders and the HDTV camcorder and with a payload bay still camera and the HDTV camcorder. The still camera's images will be recorded on a videotape recorder. Various scenes that are typical sources of video on shuttle missions will be shot with the HDTV camcorder to assess its performance. The goal is to capture images of dynamic events such as a payload deployment or observe lightning and other atmospheric phenomena. After the mission, NASA will compare size measurements of objects from each image format with known standards and make qualitative assessments of color and the ability of an interpreter to distinguish contaminants, damage, and discoloration of external surfaces on the basis of color. Only one flight of this DTO is planned. |
| History/Background |
| The United States is moving from analog television to the digital format adopted by the Federal Communications Commission. In order to provide images in this new format, NASA needs to upgrade its shuttle video system. A minimal upgrade of existing shuttle hardware will be a first step toward giving the shuttle program some digital television capability. |
Editorial/Technical Comments: ShuttlePresskit
