During the launch of Discovery in July, the NIST used radars to track and detect debris flying off the shuttle in order to evaluate potential hazards. During the ascent to orbit of the orbiter, it was illuminated by a radar in order to see any pieces that could induce a risk. But that’s not the new part of the study. NASA was concerned that the radar illumination would interfere with the electronics onboard Discovery.

So the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) used the radars to determine how much energy was shielded in key locations of the shuttle. The measurement is two-fold. First, a reference scan was made with captors outside the shuttle. Then, the same captors were put at strategic locations inside the orbiter before the launch and were used to record the intensity of the radar signal. The engineers then compare the two signals to determine the quality of the shielding in the various locations. This data allowed NASA to set safe power levels to the radars tracking the debris during the ascent. The radar used had a large band, so measures were taken at frequencies ranging from 30 MHz to 6 GHz and was tested in Kennedy Space Center on space shuttle Endeavour.

More info on the NIST annoucements webpage.

September 13th, 2005 | General Science, Physics, Technology