ISS-HAM Slow Scan Television (SSTV) Project

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ISS-HAM Slow Scan Television (SSTV) Project

• A joint
• AMSAT-NA
• And
• MAREX-NA
• Project

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Amateur Radio on Human Spaceflight Missions
Since 1983, organizations in the U.S. (SAREX),
Germany (SAFEX) and Russia (MIREX), have worked
with the space agencies to fly amateur radio and
to support Educational Outreach on
ISS
Space Shuttle
Mir
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ARISS Objectives
Spark Students Interest In Science Technology
Promote Interest In Amateur Radio
Crew Family Contacts (Crew Psychological Ops)
Human Spaceflight Awareness
Experimentation
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Development Operations on the International
Space Station (ISS)Working with our
international partners to develop operate
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station
(ARISS)

• ARISS Organization
• Nine international partners thus farBelgium,
  Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands,
  Japan, Russia and United States
• MOUFormed ARISS to represent the amateur radio
  community to the ISS Program
• Rules Bylaws developed with delegates from
  Europe (4), America (4), Russia (2) and Japan (2)

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Next Up SSTV
SpaceCam 1 H/W S/W
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History

• SSTV has flown on the Shuttle four times
  STS-51F,37,50,56
• SSTV Flew on the Mir station for several years

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What is Slow Scan Television?

• SSTV is a system by which pictures can be sent
  over low bandwidth channels such as voice loops.
• A series of tones similar to a modem represent
  the Television signal.
• Amateur radio operators have been using this
  method to exchange pictures around the world
  using their ham radio sets.
• These methods predate the jpeg and Mpeg formats
  by many years.

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Why SSTV on ISS

• Provides a capability for the crew to exchange
  pictures with Ham operators around the world as
  they desire.
• The crew can set up the SSTV to send down
  pictures automatically without crew attention.

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Why SSTV Continued

• Crew can exchange pictures with school groups
  during school contacts.
• Software is relatively inexpensive and therefore
  can have a large audience
• Great morale booster
• Just plain fun for the crew

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ISS-HAM with SSTV added
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What Does SSTV System need to function?

• A Windows computer with a sound card or
  equivalent capability. The interface connects to
  the Microphone input and Earphone output.
• Ability to import pictures either via still
  camera, Video capture or file transfer.
• The existing ISS-HAM hardware.
• The new SSTV software.
• The SSTV/Vox hardware interface.

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Hardware / Software Overview
The ISS-HAM SSTV project will consist of two
components A software application, which will
run on the Station Support Computer (SSC) A
VOX/SSTV Interface module . This system will
add two-way SSTV support to the ISS-HAM VHF and
UHF equipment already onboard the ISS
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SpaceCam1 features

• Slide Show Mode
• Images from disk or camera will be sent
  continuously.
• Repeater Mode
• Earth stations can send to SpaceCam1 and it will
  repeat the image back to any Earth station within
  the footprint.

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SpaceCam1 features continued

• Auto Receive
• SpaceCam1 will automatically receive SSTV images
  (several formats) and save them to disk.
• Slide Show Mode
• Crew can select a single image or multiple images
  to be Repeated over and over again.

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Software Status

• The SpaceCam1 Software development is complete
  except for changes which are required by the ISS
  program.
• Testing with the AMSAT SSTV/Vox audio adapter
  box has been completed.
• There are no, known problems.

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VOX/SSTV Module
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VOX/SSTV Module Schematic
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Hardware Status

• Prototype Hardware completed
• Flight Ready Hardware being built
• Testing in progress on prototype hardware with
  excellent results.
• The SSTV system has been tested with the SSC
  computer in the lab at JSC with no problems noted.

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Hardware Status continued

• A full up configuration test with video interface
  is desireable.
• If the Russian computer is made available more
  testing with it will be necessary to verify
  software and hardware compatability.

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What do we need from this board?

• Approval to manifest the software on the SSC
  computer
• Direction on how and where to store images.

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What downlink/uplink resources do we need

• None ISS-HAM sends and receives its images
  through the ham radio RF links.

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System Requirements

• CPU Usage 20-40, depending on options selected
  (on current SSC)
• Memory Requirements 12mb
• Size of application/files 12mb
• Data Storage Variable, limits TBD
• Hardware resources Video capture and sound
  hardware used

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Usage of SSC

• The ISS-HAM project can use any of the SSC
  computers that can be assigned to the ISS-HAM.
• ISS-HAM plans to request the permanent assignment
  of either a SSC or a Russian computer.

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What do we want the board to manifest for the
SSTV?

• The software as a part of the standard load
• ISS-HAM will manifest the hardware as a part of
  the ISS-HAM equipment.

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Russian Certification

• Since there are no direct interfaces with the
  Russian equipment if we use the SSC, the
  certification should be simple.
• The certification will be incorporated into the
  ISS-HAM certification process presently in work
  with the Russians