Space Vehicle Data Acquisition

• Separation transient shocks – 2,000g or more
• Very rapid temperature changes affects sensor measurements; condensation can damage electronics
• Very high energy particles (>10 MeV) cause single event effects possibly leading to damage
• Data acquisition network change during separation

While Space qualified COTS can meet most of these requirements, extra reliability is required due to increased radiation effects. To meet such demands, Curtiss-Wright has developed the Smart Backplane chassis. These rugged chassis have been designed specifically with space-related data acquisition, data processing and recording in mind. Its smart radiation-hardened backplane design allows the use of 100+ plug-in COTS modules in a radiation-intensive environment without the need for those modules to have any in-built radiation protection. This has the advantage of keeping cost much lower than a full radiation hardened design while giving adequate protection for many space vehicle applications.