Invocon produced a wireless temperature system that was incorporated into the Reentry Breakup Recorder (REBR), a design that was conceived and constructed by The Aerospace Corporation engineers. REBR is a basketball-sized device that is launched into orbit aboard a larger spacecraft and then intentionally deorbited when a host spacecraft returns to Earth. The REBR gathers data as its host vehicle reenters and transmits the data to the ground for analysis. The data can be used for reentry hazard prediction studies, reducing risks, improving planning for spacecraft that eventually must deorbit, and generally expanding our understanding of reentry breakup and related phenomena. The new REBR-W (wireless) is an enhanced version of this capability that utilizes remotely mounted units with high temperature sensors that are located throughout the host spacecraft. The remote sensors measure and transmit temperature data from various locations on the reentering vehicle to the REBR-W unit, which stores and later transmits the data to the ground. Invocon’s responsibility was defining, producing, and testing a suitable system solution that could be used effectively with REBR on various spacecraft that dock with the International Space Station and later reenter Earth’s atmosphere and burn up.
Invocon has developed more than 25 different wireless sensor system designs that have been used by NASA to measure temperature, vibration, shock, pressure, etc. on the Shuttle and the International Space Station. The company is pleased to be a contributor to this project and leverage its wireless sensor experience into this system.