Solid-State Recorders Enhance Scientific Data Collection

Prior to the IAE, most NASA satellites and missions logged data using magnetic tape recorders. In terms of data gathering and storage, these missions were limited to how much these devices could record and how fast. The recorders' mechanical systems also made them vulnerable to failure; backup recorders took up valuable onboard real estate and added to cost and launch weight. In 1983, National Reconnaissance Office pioneer Ray Anderson and son Scott founded SEAKR Engineering Inc., based in Centennial, Colorado. Ray Anderson had recognized that tape recorders represented a life-limiting spacecraft component, and SEAKR set about developing a replacement device that would lower cost while increasing reliability and capacity. The company turned to solid-state technology for a solution.

Transcript

00:00:00 what do spacecraft have in common with your mp3 player more than you might think for decades satellites and spacecraft relied on magnetic tape recorders to record and store data unfortunately tape based recorders have moving Parts which are vulnerable to breakdown in the early 1980s Colorado entrepreneur Ray Anderson teamed up with his sons and started a company to

00:00:25 develop alternative Solutions Seeker engineering's first goal was to develop a replacement data recorder for a weather satellite they came up with a system that was smaller more dependable and used less power than tape-based systems back then the idea was we could replace that tape unit with a solid state equivalent and put lots of these together just like the ram in your

00:00:47 computer and replace these tape drive systems and so it was truly a a novel concept of using solid state to replace a mechanical moving uh device in 1992 the company began working with NASA through a small business Innovation research or sbir award from Godard spaceflight Center Seeker developed a solid state recorder to replace the tape recorder on the Spartan satellite the

00:01:11 partnership resulted in a flash memory unit similar to the type of memory in some of today's modern portable media players which recorded data from an inflatable antenna experiment deployed on the Spartan platform during STS 77 in May 1996 with the expertise gained from designing Solid State record Seeker engineering soon expanded into

00:01:33 other areas of electronics specifically built to withstand the rigors of space flight Hardware from the company has flown on numerous NASA spacecraft including planetary probes satellites space shuttles and the world's largest orbiting laboratory we built a large data router for the International Space Station called the hcore it stands for high rate communication outage recorder

00:01:57 and it actually acts as a large data switch on the high- rate data link bus on station so it allows all the different nodes within the station to Route their science and communication data to one large memory buffer the firm's work in the field of space-based electronics has also LED them to offer more down toe Solutions including solid state flight and data recorders for

00:02:21 aircraft and now Seeker is developing another type of space-based technology to enable voice video and data Communications between satellites using standards developed for the internet the firm is partnering with Cisco Systems on a space hardened router the equipment is being designed as part of a defense department project to test IP routing on satellites by enabling onboard

00:02:43 processors to Route the up and down data links Communications will become faster and more flexible eventually this next generation of space Communications may allow us soldiers to access timely and accurate information in the field as fast as you dial up a playlist of your favorite songs a