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1.4 Technical Objectives

Historically, shuttle space is reserved for large-scale multimillion dollar projects designed to forward to international space exploration and science. Ten years ago, it was unthinkable for middle school students to have real-time access to such professional resources. The evolution of information and commercial imaging technologies allowed KidSat to integrate and enhance several of these resources, thus enabling real-time digital photography from the shuttle.

The technical objectives for KidSat were to: 
   aquire color digital images and video of 
     the Earth's surface,
   command the KidSat instrument from 
     classrooms across the country using the 
     Internet and the KidSat Mission Control 
     Gateway,
   provide the image data to classrooms across 
     the country during and after the mission 
     using the Internet and the KidSat Data 
     System,
   provide tools that would allow students to 
     do image analysis in their classrooms, 
     and
   obtain data that could be used to design 
     future KidSat instruments on the 
     International Space Station,a permanently 
     manned platform.

There were several new technologies that made KidSat possible in the mid 1990s. These included the Internet, the Kodak digital still camera, improved shuttle communication systems, and computers that could handle large image files and were cost-effective for schools.

1.5 Pilot Program

NASA funded a three-year research and development program to build the infrastructure and develop and evaluate the curriculum needed for a large operational program. To make the program more appealing to young students, a partnership between the astronauts and the students was desired. The KidSat camera was therefore mounted on a iloted platform. There were three possible platforms: the NASA space shuttle, the Russian Mir Space Station and, when built, the International Space Station(ISS). For the pilot program, the shuttle was the best available option because it provided the appropriate command and data interface and waws available for missions in the pilot program years. The Mir station was also considered, but limitations on data downlink prohibited the use of imaging systems on this platform. The shuttle used for all KidSat pilot missions was Space Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis, the fourth Orbiter to become operational at Kennedy Space Center. Atlantis was used for all nine Mir Docking missions in preparation for the International Space Station. To link interest and learning, the program included hands-on participation in mission operations, exploration with the images, data availability through the Internet, teacher training on how to incorporate KidSat into daily classroom studies, curriculum content that met loca, state, and national education standards, and continuous evaluation and improvement.

In 1995, the first pilot program year, the KidSat team developed the instrumentation and infrastructure necessary to carry out the first mission. In the second pilot program year, the first KidSat mission flew onboard shuttle missions STS-76 on Atlantis. STS-76 was a mission to dock the shuttle with the Mir Space Station. These missions were selected because the orbit inclination that was needed to rendezvous with Mir was 51°. This inclination provided viewing to all of the United States except Alaska, therefore providing opportunities for students to image their "own backyards." Pictures were taken during the pre- and post-Mir docking period when the shuttle was flying in a payload-bay-to-Earth attitude and the camera, which was mounted in the overhead window, could view the Earth. The three participating middle schools took 326 pictures of the Earth.

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