About the ISSAC Exhibit
Using an interactive and educational approach, multiple artifacts and elements have been brought together to tell the ISSAC story.
WORF Model
The WORF Model uses signage, caution labels, and other artifacts representative of the actual WORF on orbit on the ISS. The internal volume of the WORF Model was originally built by UND students and was used by NASA astronauts on the campus of UND to conduct usability testing of ISSAC. This provides an accurate depiction of the on-orbit home of ISSAC when it was installed and operational, and includes a representation of the ISS Science Window at the back of the volume.
ISSAC Model
The ISSAC camera and its associated cabling, labeled ISSAC Sensor Assembly, is installed inside the ISSAC Sensor Frame, and is the actual flight hardware that was flown in space. Most of the remainder of the components inside the WORF model are components of the ISSAC Trainer. The ISSAC Trainer was built to train astronauts on the ground at the NASA Johnson Space Flight Center how to install and remove ISSAC from the WORF before they got on orbit. Although not fully functional, the trainer model's physical installation and cabling connections are identical to the actual flight hardware that was flown on orbit. Here is a list of ISSAC components as can be seen installed in the WORF Model:
Base Mount Pointing Assembly (BMPA): Provides a firm attachment to the payload shelf of the WORF internal volume, and centers the ISSAC sensor over the Science Window. The Imaging Pointing Assembly (IPA) gearbox is integrated into the BMPA, which can rotate the sensor to point off-nadir by up to 30 degrees port or starboard, as commanded from the ground. The BMPA incorporates a slide mechanism, allowing the astronauts to install ISSAC closer to the WORF opening, then slide it closer to the window for operation.
Imaging System Assembly (ISA): Attaches to the BMPA, and consists of the ISSAC Sensor Assembly and ISSAC Lens mounted inside the Sensor Frame, which is a passive vibration isolation dampening system.
BMPA and ISA
Power Data Controller (PDC): Attaches to the aft wall (right side) of the WORF. Included electronics to distribute 28 VDC electrical power from the WORF to the various ISSAC components, implement ground commands and collect payload health and status data, and receive and process image data to transmit it to the ground.
PDC, Laptop, and Laptop Power Supply
Laptop: On orbit, NASA supplied an official ISS laptop (at the time, an IBM Thinkpad T61) for use by ISSAC, which is attached to the PDC using Velcro. In the Exhibit, a contemporary T61 provides representative system interconnectivity.
ISSAC Flight Software: The student-developed software was loaded on the laptop by astronauts prior to installation and use. A separate large software system for the ground Science Operations Center Software was also built and later operated by UND students.
Cabling: Specialized power and data cables were built by students to connect the ISSAC components together.
ISS Videos
There are several ISS video feeds shown at the exhibit, including both live camera and computer simulations. You can get these ISS video feeds and more for your own use, either at home or at school, from ISS Above.
Earth View: Visible on the monitor located behind the Science Window inside the WORF Model, this shows a live video feed from the ISS in orbit, looking down at the Earth's surface (Note: the ISS camera that sends us this is not looking directly through the Science Window, but rather is installed elsewhere on the ISS; part of the ISS can be seen in this camera view). The ISS orbits the Earth in about 90 minutes, and about half of each orbit is in Earth's shadow. Accordingly, about half of the time, the portion of the Earth that you see on the monitor is in daytime, and half the time it is in nighttime. Thus, if you see an (almost) dark screen, wait a while - you will see a sunrise from orbit!
ISS Ground Track: The path over the ground that the ISS is taking is shown in a computer simulation on the large overhead monitor. Although complex due to Earth's rotation and the speed of the ISS, it can be easily computed and displayed such that the simulation shows not only where the ISS is right now, but also where it has recently been and where it is going. The Earth View in the WORF should match the ISS location shown in the Ground Track map.
The Science of ISSAC
Also on the large monitor at the exhibit is a presentation of some of the imagery taken by ISSAC, and the scientific benefits gleaned from them over the years. This presentation was produced by the UND Earth System Science and Policy (ESSP) Department. Learn more about ISSAC imagery and Earth remote sensing (coming soon!).
ISS Mimic
Resting on top of the WORF Model is an "ISS Mimic." This is a scale model of the ISS as it exists on orbit. Produced by the UND Space Studies Department using 3D printing technologies, it incorporates movable solar arrays that track the ISS on orbit configuration in real-time. If your school has a 3D printer, you and your classmates can build one yourself!
Student Roster
Nearby the exhibit is a framed listing of UND students who contributed to the design, assembly, testing, and operation of ISSAC over an 11 year period.
ISSAC Montage
Nearby the exhibit is a framed montage of photographs and imagery that tells the story of ISSAC from launch to on-orbit operations. Here is a descriptive key about each of the photos in the montage:
Top Row (Left To Right)
Shuttle STS-131: Time-lapsed photo of Space Shuttle Discovery on mission STS-131 as it launched the WORF to the ISS at dawn on April 20, 2010.
Top: Alan Poindexter, Commander of STS-131. Bottom: An astronaut conducting Crew Earth Observations photography through the Science Window on the ISS (before WORF was installed).
WORF Patch: This mission patch, along with others, was flown in space aboard STS-131 and returned to Earth.
Top: A second photograph of the WORF launch on STS-131. Bottom: The ISSAC "First Light" image of Port Charlotte, FL, obtained June 10th, 2011 at 11:43:22 EDT. This image represents the first usable image obtained following on-orbit checkout of ISSAC. Overlain on Google Earth imagery, the ISSAC image is 11x15 mi (18x25 km) in size with 10m pixels. Green, red, and near-infrared bands are shown as a false color composite (where red colors largely represent vegetation).
WORF Rack: A photo of the WORF rack following successful installation aboard the ISS.
Second Row (Left to Right)
ISS: A photograph of the ISS when ISSAC was installed in 2011.
ISS Destiny Module: A photograph of the Earth-side of the US Destiny module of the ISS. Shown in the photo is the ISS Science Window, with a reflection of the Earth visible in the darkened glass. Attached to the Science Window is the round white external shutter, shown in its open configuration (this was closed to protect the window when not in use).
ISSAC Installed: A photograph of ISSAC in front of the Science Window with the Earth below, following successful installation into the WORF.
Science Window Ground Test: Shown looking through the Science Window while it was under ground testing is the team principally responsible for getting the Science Window and WORF added to the design of the ISS, and seeing them through design and implementation. Left to right: Mario Runco (Astronaut, Earth Scientist, NASA Spacecraft Window Optics and Utilization Lead), Dr. Karen Scott (Optical Scientist, at the time with The Aerospace Corporation), Dr. Dean Eppler (NASA Program Scientist, at the time with SAIC). As program scientist for the WORF, Dean earned the moniker "Mogh, Father of WORF," after the character of the same name from the Star Trek Series.
EarthKAM Mission Patch: The Sally Ride EarthKAM (Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle school students) is an ongoing NASA project designed to help teach Earth Science to middle-school students. At times EarthKAM and ISSAC were installed together in the WORF (ISSAC was designed to use only the forward half of the Science Window in order to accommodate simultaneous use).
Third Row (Left to Right)
STS-126: Launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-126 as it launched ISSAC at night to the ISS on November 15, 2008.
KSC Shuttle Processing Facility: A photo of the Shuttle Processing Facility (SPF) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), showing the contrails from the STS-131 WORF launch lit up in the dawn sky.
Discovery: A photo of Space Shuttle Discovery landing at Kennedy Space Center at the conclusion of the STS-131 mission.
Fourth Row (Left to Right)
STS-131 Mission Patch: Shows the payloads and ISS components launched on the mission, including the WORF.
AgCam Mission Patch: ISSAC was originally known as simply "AgCam," for Agricultural Camera. The name was changed to resolve a trademark issue with an existing company and product of the same name. This superseded mission patch was included since legacy information published by NASA can still be found using the AgCam name.
Presentation Signature: Signed by Mike Suffredini, Program Manager for the ISS during the time of ISSAC launch and on-orbit operations.
ISSAC Mission Patch: Designed by students and faculty, the mission patch iconically represents the dual purpose of ISSAC, education and agriculture, and indicates the collaborative research organization of the Upper Midwest Aerospace Consortium (UMAC), a forerunner of the ESSP Department at UND.
WORF Mission Patch: Another representation of the mission patch.