Critical flight communications for the space shuttle occurred at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt as Discovery launched from Florida on Tuesday.
“Obviously communications is of vital importance to the shuttle mission and Goddard is responsible for managing all of the communication between the astronauts on the shuttle and the various support teams that are here on the ground, the most prominent one being the mission control center in Houston,” said Ed Campion, a NASA spokesman at Goddard Space Flight Center.
The Discovery astronauts, along with thousands of people supporting the flight ? designated STS-121 ? depend on Goddard personnel as the shuttle travels to the international space station, the mission?s destination. Goddard?s system, The Spaceflight Tracking Data Network, allows NASA to:
» Monitor shuttle systems
» Send flight commands and navigation instructions
» Relay scientific data
» Support voice communications from astronauts to the mission control center
» Send video and television feeds.
Campion said Goddard utilizes equipment on the ground and orbiting in space. Its ultimate goal is to manage the various networks and pathways to ensure uninterrupted and secure communications. As the shuttle and space station orbit the Earth, the Goddard team monitors and continuously adjusts the communications pathways to make sure that command, tracking, telemetry, video and voice communications are clear and secure.
“It?s a whole network of communications that has been developed over many decades, and it?s constantly being upgraded and maintained, representing a sizable investment and a national resource,” said Campion.
Campion said that several dozen flight controllers as well as several hundred support and maintenance staff facilitate communications between the shuttle and the ground.
“The team here at Goddard went on duty about 24 hours before the launch and will be supporting the mission around the clock until it concludes,” he said.
