STS-75 press kit

Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 17
- while some instruments will measure magnetic fields, others will record particle energies and densities,
and still others will map electric fields.
The Tethered Satellite System Deployer Core Equipment and Satellite Core Equipment, by Dr. Carlo
Bonifazi of the ASI, Rome, will control the electrical current flowing through the tether between the
satellite and the Shuttle, as well as make a number of basic electrical and physical measurements of the
system.
The Research on Orbital Plasma Electrodynamics experiment, by Dr. Nobie Stone of Marshall, will study
the behavior of charged particles in the ionosphere and ionized particles around the satellite under a variety
of conditions. The Research on Electrodynamic Tether Effects experiment, by Dr. Marino Dobrowolny of
the Italian National Research Council, Rome, will measure the electrical potential in the plasma sheath
around the satellite and identify waves excited by the satellite and tether system. The goal of the Magnetic
Field Experiment for TSS Missions investigation, by Prof. Franco Mariani of the Second University of
Rome, will be to map the levels and fluctuations in magnetic fields around the satellite.
The Shuttle Electrodynamic Tether System investigation, by Dr. Brian Gilchrist of the University of
Michigan, Ann Arbor, will study the ability of the Tethered Satellite to collect electrons by determining the
current and voltage of the tethered system and measuring the resistance to current flow in the tether itself.
The Shuttle Potential and Return Electron Experiment, by Dr. David Hardy of the U.S. Air Force Phillips
Laboratory, Bedford, MA, will measure the charged particles around the Shuttle.
How well the Tethered Satellite -- the longest antenna ever placed in orbit -- broadcasts radio signals from
space is the main goal of the Investigation of Electromagnetic Emissions for Electrodynamic Tether, by Dr.
Robert Estes of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA, and the Observations at the
Earth's Surface of Electromagnetic Emissions, by Dr. Giorgio Tacconi of the University of Genoa. The
Tether Optical Phenomena experiment, by Dr. Stephen Mende of Lockheed Martin's Palo Alto Research
Laboratory, CA, will use a hand-held low-light- level television camera operated by the crew, to provide
visual data to help scientists answer questions about tether dynamics and optical effects generated by the
Tethered Satellite.
The Investigation and Measurement of Dynamic Noise in the TSS, by Dr. Gordon Gullahorn of the
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA, and the Theoretical and Experimental
Investigation of TSS Dynamics, by Prof. Silvio Bergamaschi of the Institute of Applied Mechanics, Padua
University, Italy, will analyze data from a variety of instruments to examine TSS oscillations over a wide
range of frequencies. The Theory and Modeling in Support of Tethered Satellite Applications, by Dr.
Adam Drobot of the Science Applications International Corp., McLean, VA, will provide theoretical
electrodynamic support for the mission.
TSS-1R Responsibilities
TSS-1R mission responsibilities are shared between the Marshall and Johnson Centers, with ASI support at
each location. Marshall provides project management, as well as system development, testing and
integration. Science teams work under Marshall direction. Marshall will furnish real- time engineering
support for the TSS-1R system components and tether dynamics. All remote commanding of science
instruments aboard the satellite deployer and the Tethered Satellite will be executed by the Marshall
Payload Operations Control team. Because of the unique interaction between the payload and the Shuttle,
Mission Control in Houston is responsible for the crew's deployment and retrieval of the satellite. Mission
Control also will manage the satellite in orbit and monitor the state of the instrument pallet, the deployer
and the satellite. ASI will provide equipment engineering support during the mission.