OTTAWA, Canada — September 21, 2007 — Neptec Design Group, a leader in intelligent 3D vision systems for military, manufacturing and aerospace applications, today announced that it has been recognized by NASA for its outstanding performance on the STS-118 Orbiter Mission. In a ceremony held last night at the Houston Space Center, NASA acknowledged the important contribution of the STS-118 Orbiter Project and Engineering Teams.
The STS-118 Crew and Lead Flight Directors selected Neptec's Laser Camera System team to receive an award for its role in the success of the mission, including its exceptional efforts in the development and operation of the Laser Camera System (LCS), which provided the precise tile damage configuration that allowed NASA to clear Endeavour for entry into the Earth's atmosphere. Shawn Ward and Andrew Montpool accepted the award on behalf of the Neptec Laser Camera System team.
Neptec's LCS is part of a suite of sensors located at the end of the 50-foot-boom that connects to the Canadarm and is used to inspect areas of the shuttle that were once invisible to astronauts. The LCS captures accurate 3D measurements that are provided in a variety of formats, including precise, full-scale, three-dimensional models. This information allows astronauts and engineers at Mission Control Center to work together to assess any areas of damage.
A mandatory system since its inaugural flight on STS-114 Return to Flight in 2005, the LCS was designed specifically to answer NASA's need to ensure the safety of future shuttle missions after the Columbia tragedy in 2003. During that flight in February 2003, Columbia and her crew were tragically lost upon the shuttle's re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. Investigations into the accident concluded that the cause of the accident was a piece of foam from Columbia's external tank which struck the leading edge of the left wing during launch.
On STS-118, fifty-eight seconds after the shuttle lift off on August 8, 2007, falling foam from the Endeavour's external tank struck an area of heat resistant tiles near the right main landing gear door. The LCS information provided length, width, depth, area and volume measurements - indicating that the gouge was nine centimeters long and penetrated all the way through to the thermal shielding on the shuttle's belly. This information allowed NASA to run a variety of simulations, evaluating the merits of repairing the damage in orbit as opposed to allowing the Endeavour re-enter the Earth's atmosphere without any sort of repair.
The information provided by Neptec and its LCS data gave NASA's engineering and mission management team the tangible information they needed to make a very confident and educated decision about bringing the shuttle home without filling the damaged area in orbit.
About Neptec
Specializing in intelligent machine vision systems, Neptec maintains a reputation of quality and reliability in the design, manufacturing, installation and support of its products with the Space Shuttle, International Space Station, and other major space programs. With new solutions for the aerospace and defense industries, Neptec, a NASA prime contractor, continues to be a pioneer in the innovative use of intelligent 3D machine vision systems for mission critical applications. For more information please visit www.neptec.com.
For more information please contact:
Cerys Goodall
High Road Communications
416-644-2254
cgoodall@highroad.com