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NASA and the Department of Energy Contract ODN, Inc.for
Mars Science Laboratory Launch Support
Saturday, Noember !" at #$%$! AM, a NASA At&as'Centaur
roc(et prope&&ed the most adanced
interp&anetary spacecraft eer bui&t to)ards a
&anding on Mars ne*t summer.
Almost four years ago, we at ODN were contacted by NASA and
Canberra Corporation to develop asatellite system for a new real
time safety network to be tested at Cape Canaveral during the
launch ofthe Mars Science aboratory !MS"#
$he new Mars probe uses a %adioisotope $hermoelectric
&enerator !%$&" to power the roverbecause it is 'uite large
!si(e of a compact automobile" and solar cell power is not
sufficient to providethe necessary on)board electrical
re'uirements# An %$& can run for years uninterrupted#
%$&*spowered the +oyager probes, the first of which was
launched in -.. and that is now in deep space#
As /lutonium /u)012 isotope naturally decays it produces heat
that is transferred to a small electricalsignal , although it has
been rendered safe from e3plosion and is literally bullet proof#
4ecause the%$& contains a large 'uantity of /u)012,
presidential approval is re'uired before launch# $heDepartment of
5nergy and NASA have detailed radiological contingency plans in
place in the event ofan accident during the launch#
$he new advanced safety network uses a special environmental
continuous air monitor robot called an5)CAM# $he 5)CAM was designed
to allow the detection of tiny amounts of radioactive materials
inthe air that could cause harm to people breathing it# $he robot
actually breathes the air and samplesany particles small enough to
be retained by the lungs#
$he obvious long term use of this technology is to warn the
public during events like we saw in 6apan
last summer, when their nuclear reactors were damaged by a
tsunami# %inging the Cape with thesenew 5)CAM robots would ensure
that should the rocket have to be destroyed7 any release
ofradiological materials from the spacecraft would 'uickly be
detected before the public could beharmed#
ODN, 8nc#, with the support of +iaSat 8nc# and its 9ild4lue
satellite broadband service, designed ahardened :a)band +SA$ system
that couples to the 5)CAM sensors, enabling real time monitoring
ofthe devices# 5ach of the 1; 5)CAM units has a matched -2cm
:a)band Surf4eam 0 +SA$ attached toit# $hese +SA$*s feed continuous
data into the %ADCC facility at :ennedy Space Center as well asthe
awrence ivermore National aboratory NA%AC facility in
California#
$he 5)CAMS were a During the launch, all 5)CAMS were operational
and radiological data flowed to and from the5)CAM units as
designed# $hese 5)CAM devices will now be used during any event
re'uiring an earlywarning system for radiological release#
® ?eifner, founder of Columbia, Missouri based ODN
said,
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ODN, 8nc#, located in Columbia Missouri, is one of the leading
firms in the nation using satellitetechnology for critical
applications such as emergency management and restoration of
communicationassets during disasters# More information is online at
www#orbitaldata#net#
9ild4lue is the satellite services arm of +iaSat 8nc# 9ith the
launch of +iaSat), the worlds highest
capacity satellite, the stage is set for accelerated growth,
increased performance, and e3pansion ofthe 9ild4lue service# $he
advanced technology of the 9ild4lue network has elevated the
service'uality of satellite broadband to the point that satellite
can now be a better alternative for broadband8nternet than DS, and
1& ;& wireless offerings for fi3ed home use#
® ?eifner of ODN standing in front of the 1; 5)CAM
detectors and 9ild4lue broadband +SA$ pairsat Cape Canaveral during
a full scale test of the system prior to launch#
