We will be updating the gallery on a regular basis, so please check back periodically. The photos are arranged beginning with the most recent and ending with the oldest. For full size images, simply click on the individual photos.
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XPAA tests at Swales Aerospace. A near field scanner was used to measure the antenna's pattern and electronic pointing performance. This was compared to data collected at Boeing, and would be compared with future measurements taken when integrated with the spacecraft. Here Tom Spangler and Barry Smith prepare the antenna and scanner before making a measurement.
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The XPAA after first integration with the EO-1 spacecraft in the clean room at Swales Aerospace. To the right is the Advanced Land Imager instrument.
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XPAA in the GSFC vibration facility. After the fiber optic connector was replaced, the antenna was vibrated in the vertical axis to verify the workmanship of the repair.
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Taken in GSFC's high-bay clean room with EO-1 on its side, this photo shows the near field scanning equipment ready to measure the XPAA's output power and beam shape.
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A view of the Earth-facing side of EO-1, with the XPAA in the upper left corner.
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XPAA tests at Litton/Amecom. Bit error rate test equipment (left) was used to generate two 52.5 Mbps pseudo-random data streams which were fed to the X-Band RF exciter (right-center). The output of the exciter was fed to the XPAA by coaxial cable.
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XPAA tests at Litton/Amecom. The XPAA mounted on a test plate in the clean room. |
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XPAA tests at Litton/Amecom. Engineer Bill Jupin (left) designed and built the RF exciter. He also wrote the test procedures and performed the measurements. Ken Perko (right) set up and operated the XPAA. |
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The XPAA tests at Litton/Amecom. The XPAA with hat coupler attached and the power supply used for bench operation. |
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The XPAA as delivered to GSFC, showing the power, test interface, fiber optic, and RF connectors. The antenna elements are covered by a radome material with appropriate thermal control properties. |
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The underside of the XPAA, showing the mounting flange with its integral EMI filtering gasket. Inside can be seen the bottom of the RSN board and three Interpoint power converters, which supply the antenna with regulated DC power from the spacecraft 28 Volt bus. |
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Taken at the Antenna Acceptance Review, the XPAA is presented to GSFC by Larry Winslow, Vice President of the Boeing Phantom Works Organization, at left. At right, receiving the antenna on behalf of GSFC, is Kenneth Perko, Associate Head of the Microwave Systems Branch and Contracting Officer's Technical Representative for this procurement. |
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Taken at the Antenna Acceptance Review, this photograph includes team members from Boeing Phantom Works, NASA/GSFC, and NASA/Lewis Research Center. |
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The X-Band Phased Array Antenna Remote Services Node (RSN). This board incorporates a redundant Mil. Std. 1773 fiber optic interface through which the antenna receives pointing commands from the spacecraft, and provides regulated DC power for the antenna from the spacecraft's 28 volt bus. This board was designed and manufactured for the Boeing Phantom Works by Litton/Amecom of College Park, MD. |
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The X-Band Phased Array Antenna in the Thermal/Vacuum chamber at Boeing's Phantom Works in Seattle, WA. The large, silver box structure is the XPAA hat coupler which absorbs RF energy emitted by the XPAA while under test in a laboratory environment. |
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The X-Band Phased Array Antenna physical structure, showing the 64 circularly polarized radiating elements. Also visible is the insertable tray which holds the GSFC developed Remote Services Node (RSN). The RSN receives pointing commands from the spacecraft and generates appropriate phase settings for each of the radiating elements. |
