Spacecraft Assembly

Telemetry, Tracking, and Command Subsystem

February 7, 2008

The LRO team continues to make good progress with the integration of the Orbiter. The Gimbal Control Electronics and the Propulsion & Deployment Electronics are electrically integrated with the system, and we have run their functional tests. Yesterday, we installed and connected the Miniature Inertial Measurement Unit (MIMU). The MIMU senses spacecraft motion, and the Orbiter uses that information to precisely control the spacecraft's pointing. The MIMU is so sensitive that it can detect the rotation rate of the earth - we use that measurement to verify proper performance of the unit. Today, we are integrating the Telemetry, Tracking, and Command (TT&C) subsystem. The TT&C provides radio communication with the ground, and we will use measurements of the radio signals to provide information critical to the tracking of the Orbiter.

Al Lacks performs the incoming inspection of the Telemetry, Tracking, and Command subsystem.

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