AASC Plays Critical Role in Deep Impact Mission
01/12/2005
On January 12, 2005, with the launch of the spacecraft, the Deep Impact Mission was underway. The six-month mission will reach its climax when an impactor, released by the craft, will crash into the Comet Tempel 1.
The impact is expected to leave a crater in the side of the comet allowing scientists to study the makeup of a comet and ultimately give insight into the creation of solar systems. AASC is proud to have participated in the mission by providing a critical part of the spacecraft, the High Gain Antenna (HGA). In order to capture the event, the spacecraft is carrying the most powerful camera to ever fly into deep space according to Dr. Michael A’Hearn, Deep Impact’s principal investigator (deepimpact.jpl.nasa.gov). Once images are captured they will be transmitted back to Earth via the HGA perched on top of the spacecraft.
High Gain Antenna Assembly
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The High Gain Antenna assembly was successfully qualified and delivered to Ball Aerospace in 2002. AASC designed, fabricated, assembled and tested the HGA, which includes the 1-meter stressed skin dish, feed support, waveguide and shell platform. AASC also integrated and aligned the Ball furnished feed assembly. The complete antenna assembly weighs less than 6 lbs and has a surface accuracy of less than 1.5-mil RMS. The Deep Impact high gain antenna was the first stressed skin reflector designed by AASC. The stability and mass requirements of Deep Impact dictated a non sandwich and non rib reflector design. AASC also used it’s proprietary copper lined composite waveguide for one of the Deep Impact feed support struts. AASC developed and patented the design in conjunction with Custom Microwave Inc of Longmont Colorado.