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STS-1
PAYLOADS*
First Flight of the Space Shuttle
 | | An
artist's concept view of Space Shuttle Columbia's Payload Bay
with the Development Flight Instrumentation pallet. |
Cargo
Bay
Development
Flight Instrumentation Package
The primary
payload for STS-1 was the Development Flight Instrumentation, or
DFI, package, which contained sensors and measuring devices to record
orbiter performance and the stresses that occurred during launch,
ascent, orbital flight, descent and landing. This package consisted
of three magnetic tape recorders, wideband frequency division multiplexers,
a pulse code modulation master unit and signal conditioners. The
recorders could record 28 tracks of wideband analog data on systems
conditions and performance simultaneously.
Assembly
Configuration and Integration Panel
The
primary objectives of the Assembly
Configuration and Integration Panel, or ACIP,
were:
- To
collect aerodynamic data during the launch, entry and landing
phases of the shuttle.
- To
establish an extensive aerodynamic data base for verification
of and correlation with ground-based test data, including assessments
of the uncertainties in such data.
- To
provide flight dynamics data in support of other technology areas,
such as aerothermal and structural dynamics.
The
Aerodynamic Coefficient Identification Package incorporated three
triads of instruments: one of dual-range linear accelerometers;
one of angular accelerometers; and one of rate gyros. Also included
in this package were the power conditioner for the gyros, the power
control systems and the housekeeping components. The package was
installed co-linearly with the geometric axes of the orbiter and
post-installation measurements were scheduled to be made to establish
the position within 10 arc minutes. The instruments could continuously
sense the dynamic X, Y and Z attitudes and performance characteristics
of the orbiter through these critical flight phases. In addition,
the package could receive orbiter control surface position data
and convert them into higher orders of precision before recording
them with the attitude data.
*The information on this page
is based upon the STS-1 Press Kit.
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