simplified the communications interface to the ISS for real-time health monitoring, telemetry,
and control of resident sensors or experiments. With over 40 months of spaceflight operation,
the CIB successfully supported 2 sets of flight experiments: 1) the silicon carbide junction gate
field-effect transistor (SiC JFET) is a high-temperature component that is used throughout a
spacecraft including health monitoring in extremely hot environments. 2) the second Forward
Technology Solar Cell Experiment (FTSCE II) demonstrated solar cell health monitoring on the
ISS with real-time telemetry enabled by the CIB. The CIB accomplished this by acting as a bridge
between the ISS low-rate telemetry (LRT) bus and the sensors that allowed for 2-way command
and telemetry data transfer. The CIB, currently operating in flight on the ISS, also enabled
future materials, software, and device development, which lead to further use in health
monitoring systems.
PUBLICATION(S)
Krasowski MJ, Prokop NF, Flatico JM, et al. CIB: An improved communication architecture for
real-time monitoring of aerospace materials, instruments, and sensors on the ISS. The Scientific
World Journal. 2013;2013(185769):12 pp. doi: 185769.
This investigation is ongoing and additional results are pending publication.
Photograph of the flight Communications
Interface Board circuit board. This image was
taken prior to delivery, during functional
testing of the circuit board, and prior to the
insertion of the flight MIL-STD-1553
transceiver. NASA image.