3-D: 43.5 x 27.3 x 19.1cm (17 1/8 x 10 3/4 x 7 1/2 in.)
Type:
EQUIPMENT-Test
Country of Origin:
United States of America
Summary:
Geostationary communications satellites, once launched and in orbit, need to operate for years with high reliability. To achieve such performance, satellites undergo a rigorous process of testing during manufacture to ensure that each spacecraft component and system can withstand the rigors of launch and the extremes of the space environment.
This artifact--a Gimbal Drive STE (Special Test Equipment)--is a component of the satellite check-out station for Intelsat VIIIA (805) communications spacecraft, built by Lockheed Martin and launched in 1998. The checkout station was a suite of testing devices used to simulate and assess a broad range of spacecraft functions after final assembly. Technicians tested the satellite at the factory and then again at the launch site.
The Gimbal Drive STE was designed to simulate one such function: The operation of gimbals that allowed the spacecraft's solar arrays to adjust position. Solar arrays needed to be repositioned to align with the sun and collect the greatest amount of solar radiation.
This artifact was donated by Lockheed Martin to the Museum in 1998.
