ERNOBOX
Research Area: Communications and Navigation
Expedition(s): 23-ongoing
Principal Investigator(s): ● Sven Rakers, EADS/Astrium Space Transportation,
Bremen, Germany
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
The primary objective of the ERNOBox control computer, is to assess the in-orbit performance
of newly developed components. The secondary objective is to transmit environmental data
such as vibration, acoustic noise, and temperature of the computer in order to analyze the
computer reliability.
RESULTS
The ERNOBox was installed in March 2008 and
ran successfully during the planned 6 months,
sending its telemetry regularly. In order to
correct a software failure and prepare for its
future role as data relay hardware for the
Vessel Identification System experiment, a new
software version had to be loaded. However,
the ERNObox suffered a hardware failure, which
following analysis, pointed to a defective
memory chip, a manufacturer design flaw.The ERNOBox was returned to Earth on shuttle
mission STS-127, repaired, and the new
software was installed. The refurbished hardware was returned to the International Space
Station on STS-132 in May 2010 and activated in Columbus in May 2010. The research is
currently ongoing as part of the Vessel ID System.
This investigation is ongoing and additional results are pending publication.
The ERNOBox. ESA image.