SATURN V VEEIICLE ELECTRONICS by H. J.

F i c h t n e r

ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS INTEGRATIOY D I V I S I O i J A S T R I 9X I CS LASORATORY George C. Marshall Space F l i g h t Center

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Saturn V Vehicle Electronics By:

H, J, Fichtner

This p r e s e n t a t i o n i s a review o f t h e e l e c t r i c a l and e l e c t r o n i c s systems of t h e Saturn V launch v e h i c l e , Since airborne and. ground e l e c t r o n i c s cannot be separated a s a system, t h i s p r e s e n t a t i o n w i l l touch upon both t h e a i r b o r n e and ground checkout equipment, Certain a i r b o r n e e l e c t r o n i c items a r e singled out iaa.order t o e l a b o r a t e upon t h e a p p l i ~ s t i o na0 computers f o r checkout and l a m c h , This review covers i n a broad sense such airborne e l e c t r o n i c s as the c o n t r o l comp u t e r , the measuring telemetry and RF systems, the switch s e l e c t o r , t h e d i g i t a l command r e c e i v e r and t h e remote automatic c a l i b r a t i o n system, me ground support equipment e l e c t r o n i ~ ecovered include such equipment a s t h e d a t a l i n k , computer system and d i s p l a y systems, The importance of software i n t h e Saturn V program i s sfresoad by t h e a p p l i c a t i o n of a standard program language through t h e use of acceptance t e s t o r launch language (ATOLL),

SATURN V LAUNCH VEHICLE ELECTRONICS OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION A, INTRODUCTION Launch Vehicle Description Breakdown into Stages Role of Instrument Unit for Launch Vehicle from Systems View Point Combination of Electrical Ground Support Equipment with The Vehicle into One Overall System 4, Typical Launchsite Operation 5, Description of Major Electronic Systems 1 .
2. 3,

B.

VEHICLE ELECTRONICS 1, Switch Selector 2. Digital Command Receiver 3, Exploding Bridge Wire System 4, Measuring, Telemetry, R-F Systems 5. Remote Automatic Calibration System

1. General Layout and Function of GSE Electronics 2. Data Link 3 , Computer System 4 , Display System Do SOFT WARE 1, Programming Effort
2, Standardization of Programming Language 3 Acceptance Test or Launch Language (ATOLL) .

E. CONCLUSION

SATURN V LAUNCH VEHICLE ELECTRONICS

A,

INTRODUCTION

A d i s c u s s i o n of e l e c t r o n i c s with r e s p e c t t o t h e Saturn V Launch Vehicle should include some consideration of t h e launch v e h i c l e c o n f i g u r a t i o n as i l l u s t r a t e d i n P i p m e 1, The Saturn V Launch Vehicle, c o n s i s t s o f t h e t h r e e propulsion s t a g e s and t h e instrument u n i t employed t o l i f t , p r o p e l l , guide and c o n t r o l t h e Saturn-Apollo from l i f t o f f through t h e i n j e c t i o n phase of i t s mission. The f i r s t s t a g e , S-IC, b u i l t by t h e Boeing Company, t h e second s t a g e , S-11, b u i l t by North American Aviation, and t h e t h i r d s t a g e , S-IVB, b u i l t by t h e Douglas A i r c r a f t Corporation, The instrument u n i t i s p r e s e n t l y being designed by MSFC, with t h e h e l p of IBM who w i l l manufacture a l l Saturn V instrument units.

The S-16, S-I1 and S-IVB Stage a r e purposely c a l l e d propulsion s t a g e s , n e i t h e r of which i s e n t i r e l y o p e r a t i o n a l within i t s e l f from a mission standpoint; they a l l must operate i n conj,unction with t h e i n s t r u ment u n i t , The instrument u n i t i s i d e n t i f i e d a s t h e e l e c t r o n i c s t a g e o f t h e launch v e h i c l e , I t contains t h e launch v e h i c l e guidance system, provides c o n t r o l d a t a t o t h e s t a g e s , and f u r n i s h e s a l l sequencing and timing f u n c t i o n s t o t h e s t a g e s ; t h e r e f o r e , it must follow an o v e r a l l scheme f o r t h e e n t i r e launch v e h i c l e system,
This discussion cannot i s o l a t e t h e airborne e l e c t r o n i c s of t h e launch v e h i c l e , s i n c e t h e e l e c t r i c a l checkout and launch equipment i s a p a r t of t h e e n t i r e system, Very e a r l y i n t h e Saturn program i t was decided :

To use a ground computer system i n conjunction with t h e a i r b o r n e d i g i t a l computer, To use t h e s e computers as major system components f o r c o n t r o l l i n g s t a g e and launch v e h i c l e checkout.
To computer c o n t r o l o r automate s t a g e and launch v e h i c l e checkout.

That i n d i v i d u a l s t a g e checkout equipment would n o t be employed a t t h e launch s i t e , s i n c e we d i d n o t want s e p a r a t e computer systems f o r each s t a g e , and from a system standpoint, t h e s t a g e s lose t h e i r i d e n t i t y a f t e r assembly i n t o t h e t o t a l launch veh i c l e ; t h e r e f o r e , one s e t of checkout equipment i s provided f o r t h e assembled v e h i c l e at. t h e launch s i t s . This equipment i s systems o r i e n t e d , such as prapuloian, c a n t r o l , networks, s t e s t e r a , and l a n o t @tag@ ~rienfed, The launch s i t e and p r e f l i g h t - i n %light sheclaut requirenaants ars ths main f a c t o r s used In dseidfnp the sxsct equipment to be used,

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Saturn V does n o t use new designs throughout, Actually t h e Saturn I and I B Vehicles a r e t h e t e s t beds f o r most of t h e e l e c t r o n i c s used i n t h e Saturn V Program. Figure 2 gives you an i d e a of t h e Saturn V launch complex layout and f o r b e t t e r understanding of t h e discussion t o follow, it seems a p p r o p r i a t e t o b r i e f l y describe i t s operation, The v e h i c l e w i l l be assembled i n t h e v e r t i c a l assembly b u i l d i n g and completely checked out t h e r e . Each s t a g e i s v e r i f i e d s e p a r a t e l y and then t h e combination of a l l s t a g e s with t h e instrument u n i t w i l l be checked o u t a s one system. This i s done p r i o r t o moving t h e e n t i r e system from t h e v e r t i c a l assembly b u i l d i n g t o t h e launch pad which a r e s e v e r a l miles a p a r t . During t r a n s f e r of t h e launch v e h i c l e t o t h e pad no umb i l i c a l connections a r e broken between t h e launch umbilical tower and the stages, The f u n c t i o n a l interconnect diagram shown i n f i g u r e 3 p r e s e n t s a t y p i c a l Saturn V launch s i t e with only t h e major a r e a s o f f u n c t i o n a l o p e r a t i o n s shown, The c e n t r a l item of equipment i n t h e system i s t h e computer, Two computers o p e r a t e i n conjunction with each o t h e r b u t a r e s e p a r a t e d by s e v e r a l miles between t h e lLauncher/umbilical tower (LUT) on t h e pad and t h e launch c o n t r o l c e n t e r (LCC) i n t h e v e r t i c a l assembly b u i l d i n g , Data i s t r a n s m i t t e d between both computers v i a c o a x i a l d a t a l i n k s , I n conjunction with t h e computer system, we make f u l l use of a d i g i t a l d a t a a c q u i s i t i o n system providing p r e f l i g h t t e l e m e t r y i n t h e proper format t o be used by t h e computer system,
A remote automatic c a l i b r a t i o n system i s u t i l i z e d t o provide a f a s t means by which t o address t h e many s t a g e measurements t o be c a l i b r a t e d , A s mentioned before, t h e launch s i t e checkout equipment i s n o t s t a g e o r i e n t e d b u t i s systems o r i e n t e d , consequently, operation and monitor s t a t i o n s a r e provided f o r such systems a s :

Navigation Networks Propulsion Measuring E RF Ordnance Emergency Detection Mechanical Ground Support
A c o n t r o l system and cathode r a y d i s p l a y employing t h e com-

p u t e r , provides t h e o p e r a t o r s of t h e above mentioned s y s t e n s with both t h e s t a t u s o f t h e system under t e s t and a means of c o n t r o l l i n g t h e t e s t s o r a l t e r i n g a program when i t becomes necessary. The Launch Vehicle T e s t D i r e c t o r and t h e Overall Launch D i r e c t o r i s a l s o provided with t h i s c o n t r o l and d i s p l a y system a s an a i d f o r d e c i s i o n making and s t a t u s monitoring,

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VEI-JICLE ELECTRONICS

Time does n o t permit a d e s c r i p t i o n of a l l t h e e l e c t r o n i c elements i n t h e Saturn V launch v e h i c l e ; t h e r e f o r e , t h i s p r e s e n t a t i o n w i l l be l i m i t e d t o t h e e l e c t r o n i c packages i n d i c a t e d i n c o l o r on t h e c h a r t (Figure 4 ) . 1, Switch S e l e c t o r

A switch s e l e c t o r i s located i n each o f t h e s t a g e s and t h e instrument u n i t , Based on t h e d e c i s i o n , mentioned e a r l i e r , t h e a i r b o r n e d i g i t a l guidance computer w i l l be used on every f l i g h t . A t t h e same time*, it was a l s o decided t o u t i l i z e t h i s computer f o r o t h e r f u n c t i o n s , Since t h e e n t i r e Saturn V timing system d e r i v e s from t h e a i r b o r n e computer, a switch s e l e c t o r was developed t o i n s u r e compatib i l i t y between t h e computer and t h e s t a g e s , The switch s e l e c t o r is b a s i c a l l y a s e r i e s of low power switches; t h e input of which i s i n d i v i d u a l l y s e l e c t e d and c o n t r o l l e d by a coded s i g n a l from t h e computer, The switch s e l e c t o r decodes i n t e r n a l l y from an $ - b i t word and f u r n i s h e s an output from one of t h e 112 function r e l a y d r i v e r o u t p u t s , The block diagram shown as f i g u r e 5 d e p i c t s i t s u t i l i z a t i o n i n a l l s t a g e s , me computer i s programmed t o c o n t r o l t h e v e h i c l e c i r c u i t s by addressing t h e switch s e l e c t o r s i n t h e r e s p e c t i v e s t a g e s , During f l i g h t , a d i g i t a l command r e c e i v e r can be employed t o address t h e computer which i n t u r n addresses t h e s t a g e switch s e l e c t o r s , This system permits command of an i n f l i g h t v e h i c l e from t h e ground through t h e command r e c e i v e r computer l i n k , Through t h i s l i n k , t h e switch s e l e c t o r may be addressed from t h e ground e i t h e r manually o r a u t o m a t i c a l l y using t h e ground comp u t e r system,

The d i g i t a l command r e c e i v e r mentioned i n connection w i t h t h e switch s e l e c t o r i s another e l e c t r o n i c item of s p e c i a l importance a s an a i d t o orb,ital, checkout, The d i g i t a l command r e c e i v e s w i l l p l a y a v i t a l r o l e during t h e Saturn V missions again u t i l i z i n g t h e a i r b o r n e d i g i t a l computer, A s p a r t of i t s mission Saturn V w i l l p l a c e t h e Apollo Spacecraft a f f i x e d t o t h e S-IVB s t a g e and t h e instrument u n i t i n t o e a r t h o r b i t , Due t o t h e requirements of t h e Apolllo S p a c e c r a f t guidance system, from one t o t h r e e o r b i t s a r e necessary with t h i , ~ combination o f s p a c e c r a f t , S-IVB Stage and instrument m i t , During t h e s e o r b i t s t h e S-IVB s t a g e and instrument u n i t w i l l be conducting a number of e l e c t r i c a l , electro-mechanical and e l e c t r o n i c o p e r a t i o n s ; some of which must be c o n t r o l l e d by r a d i o command from t h e ground t o t h e a i r b o r n e d i g i t a l computer i n t h e instrument u n i t , The r a d i o command " ~ p - l i n k ' ~ performing t h i s communication t a s k i s c a l l e d t h e Saturn V IU command,

The block diagram (Figure 6) shows t h e FM command r e c e i v e r with i t s antenna connected t o t h e instrument u n i t comand decoder, This decoder i s connected through t h e d a t a adapter t o t h e a i r b o r n e d i g i t a l computer. The ground computer i s connected t o t h e ground o p e r a t i o n a l support system (GOSS) network f o r data up-dating and gives commands through t h e coding and modulating u n i t to t h e t r a n s m i t t e r which sends c o r r e c t i o n o r command s i p s l s t o t h e o r b i t i n g equipment, Another function of t h e d i g i t a l csmarnd system during t h e Saturn V missions nay be a command o r commands ( m d e f i n e d a s y e t ) ad t h e time of t h e s e r v i c e module docking maneuver, This w i l l occur about 15,880 N . miles from e a r t h , What a r e t h e requirements f o r such a command system? Thg function o f t h e system i s t o a c c u r a t e l y and r e l i a b l y r e c e i v e information from t h e ground d i g i t a l coding u n i t , transmit t h i s information t o t h e veh i c l e and p r e s e n t i t t o t h e v e h i c l e d i g i t a l connputer, The e n t i r e system anust be r e l i a b l e over t h e 15,000 N, miles (slant-range) t o t h e o r b i t i n g v e h i c l e , This system must u t i l i z e e x i s t i n g ground o p e r a t i o n a l support system (GOSS) network equipment and be compatible with t h e AN/
F R W - 2 transmittt..; ,

The system must e x h i b i t a very low p r o b a b i l i t y of presenti n g erroneous i n f o m a t i o n t o t h e computer, The command format chosen uses a word length output of 35 b i t s (175 s u b - b i t s ) , The 35 b i t s a r e divided i n t o :
a,
b,

Vehicle Address Launch Vehicle Data Adapter Control

c , Synckironi zation
d,

Interrupt Priority Interrupt

Mode

e,
f,

To a s s u r e c o r r e c t n e s s s f t h e received versus t h e trarnsmittal command, an automatic v e r i f i c a t i o n made i s employed u t i l i z i n g onbsard PCM telemetry b e f o r e commands e n t e r t h e computer s t o r a g e ,

The Exploding Bridgewire (EBW) System is another a r e a of e l e c t r o n i c equipment design pursued i n t h e e a r l y Saturn Program which w i l l be used e x c l u s i v e l y on t h e Saturn V vehicle. The EBW system includes t h e e l e c t r o n i c s needed t o f i r e t h e v e h i c l e ordnance items, The exploding bridgewire system, n o t a c t u a l l y a new system, was designed and i s used i n Saturn f o r launch v e h i c l e d e s t r u c t , f o r r e t r o and u l l a g e rocket i g n i t i o n , u l l a g e rocket j e t t i s o n , and f o r s t a g e s e p a r a t i o n , A t o t a l o f 18 f i r i n g u n i t s are'employed throughout t h e Saturn V launch v e h i c l e , A s s t a t e d before, t h e exploding bridgewire system i s n o t new b u t t h e problem of d e l i v e r i n g high power short duration pulses is unique t o Saturn because of t h e long transmission l i n e s , Figure 7 i l l u s t r a t e s t h e major components of t h e exploding bridgewire system. The exploding bridgewire f i r i n g u n i t i s a standard component of t h e ent i r e v e h i c l e system and i s used on a l l s t a g e s a l i k e , In p r i n c i p a l , t h e f i r i n g u n i t r e c e i v e s 28 v o l t s DC and converts i t i n t o a 2,300 v o l t DC charge which i s s t o r e d i n a one microfarad c a p a c i t o r . The EBW f i r i n g u n i t provides a t r i g g e r t o discharge t h i s s t o r e d energy i n a s h o r t d u r a t i o n p u l s e i n t o a r e l a t i v e i n s e n s i t i v e explosive detonator or i n i t i a t o r , The advantages o f t h e exploding bridgewire system over t h e standard 28 v o l t ordnance systems a r e :

1,

Less s e n s i t i v e t o physical environment, temperature, shock, e t c , S i m p l i f i c a t i o n o r elimination of s a f e t y and arming devices. Less s e n s i t i v e t o e l e c t r i c a l s t r e s s e s such a s r a d i o frequency f i e l d s , s t r a y currents, cross talk, o r transients, Provides f o r t h e use o f l e s s s e n s i t i v e explosives f o r detonators o r i n i t i a t o r s ,

2,
3,

4,

The e l e c t r o n i c s discussed t h u s f a r a r e d i r e c t l y connected with t h e f u n c t i o n a l operation of t h e Saturn V launch v e h i c l e . Other major uses of e l e c t r o n i c s i n t h e v e h i c l e a r e i n t h e a r e a s of measuring, telemetry and RF.

Relative t o t h e measuring program f o r t h e Saturn V launch v e h i c l e , it must be kept i n mind t h a t we a r e concerned with a r e s e a r c h and development program, and considerable d a t a must be evalua t e d b e f o r e we can c a l l t h e launch v e h i c l e o p e r a t i o n a l , I t i s through t h e measuring systems t h a t t h e d a t a i s obtained t o make t h e s e e v a l u a t i o n s ,

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Measuring devices such a s transducers a r e used i n t h e Saturn V Program and have one general function which i s t o sense conditions and r e p o r t t h e s e conditions by an e l e c t r i c a l output, During most of t h e s e measurements, t h e transducer output i s sampled a t appropriate i n t e r v a l s and routed t o a telemetry channel. There a r e more than 2000 measurements made throughout t h e e n t i r e Saturn V launch v e h i c l e , A appropriate n combination of t h r e e b a s i c telemetry techniques i s used i n Saturn V t o provide t h e required transmission capacity and c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s , These a r e FM/FM, SS/FM, and PCM/FM. Each of t h e s e systems has char a c t e r i s t i c s appropriate t o handle s p e c i f i c c a t e g o r i e s of d a t a , I n combination t h e y form an e f f i c i e n t , r e l i a b l e and f l e x i b l e d a t a gathering system, The t a b u l a t i o n i n f i g u r e 8 o u t l i n e s t h e use of t h e d i f f e r e n t t e l e m e t r y systems i n Saturn V launch v e h i c l e , Shown by s t a g e s a r e t h e telemetry systems, number of RE l i n k s , channels a v a i l a b l e , t r a n s m i t t e r frequencies and t r a n s m i t t e r power, I t i s p r e s d n t l y a n t i c i p a t e d t h a t 21 RF l i n k s w i l l be employed by t h e Saturn V launch v e h i c l e , I n a d d i t i o n t o t h e t e l e m e t r y requirements, RF systems a r e employed f o r o t h e r needs of t h e v e h i c l e , These RF systems a r e l i s t e d i n f i g u r e 9, and include Mistram, ODOP, AZUSA Glotrac, C-Band Radar, Radar Altimeter, Minitrack, Television, Guidance Command and Range S a f e t y Command,

Remote Automatic C a l i b r a t i o n System The tremendous s i z e of t h e measuring program made it necessary t o f i n d a quick way t o c a l i b r a t e t h e 2000 o r more transducers f o r an immediate a n a l y s i s of t h e e n t i r e measuring program p r i o r t o v e h i c l e l i f t o f f , To implement t h e quick c a l i b r a t i o n , a remote automatic c a l i b r a t i o n system i s being developed. Figure 10 shows a s i m p l i f i e d block d i a gram o f t h e ground support equipment t i e d i n with t h e v e h i c l e measurements, Using t h e ground c o n t r o l panel, s e l e c t i o n i s made of: t h e measuring rack t o be addressed i n t h e v e h i c l e , t h e t e l e m e t e r channel, and t h e c a l i b r a t i o n mode, Since t h e ground computer can and u s u a l l y addresses t h e v e h i c l e a s pre-programmed, manual operation from t h e control panel w i l l be used only f o r c e r t a i n s p e c i a l addresses t o a s p e c i f i c transducer, The v e h i c l e has t h e equipment required f o r measuring rack and channel s e l e c t i o n , ar,d t h e equipment f o r s i g n a l conditioning through which t h e channel c a l i b r a t i o n l e v e l i s s e l e c t e d , t h e transducer t o be addressed and c a l i b r a t e d , The remote automatic c a l i b r a t i o n system ena b l e s t h e t e s t engineer t o determine t h e s t a t u s o f t h e e n t i r e instrument a t i o n network, The system provides t h e a b i l i t y t o command any i n s t r u mentation p o i n t t h a t r e q u i r e s s i g n a l conditioning from a "runw t o a "high" o r m l o w ~ a l i b r a t i o n condition, This system, a s i n d i c a t e d b e f o r e , c can be operated manually o r automatically through t h e ground checkout computer, The use of a binwry c s d ~ d i g n a l , decoded i n t h e vehicle, s l a r g e number o f points t o be c o n t r a l l s d by using o n l y a f e u t, address wires, T h i s saves tine during instrumentation c h e ~ k ~ u allows checkaut j u s t beforb Irrmch r9hlch was n o t p a e s i b l e before, and allaws
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f o r c a l i b r a t i o n of instrumentation required during launch countdown which should occur j u s t p r i o r t o computer evaluation. Last minute c a l i b r a t i o n allows f o r f l i g h t adjustment which w i l l r e s u l t i n increased accuracy and confidence, Another s i g n i f i c a n t use of t h e telemetry systems i s f o r pre-launch v e h i c l e monitoring. Pre-launch v e h i c l e monitoring functions a r e i n t e g r a t e d i n t o t h e v e h i c l e s t a g e telemetry design i n such a way t h a t no s i g n i f i c a n t i n c r e a s e i n telemetry hardware i s needed. This pre-launch monitoring i s performed by equipment used a l s o f o r i n f l i g h t s t a g e monit o r i n g ; t h e r e f o r e , no v e h i c l e assemblies can be s p e c i f i c a l l y i d e n t i f i e d a s a d i g i t a l d a t a a c q u i s i t i o n system, For convenience, t h e v e h i c l e s t a g e telemetry system w i l l be r e f e r r e d t o a s t h e D A output, DS The d i g i t a l d a t a a c q u i s i t i o n system output of t h e veh i c l e i s r e f e r r e d t o i n conjunction with t h e telemetry system because power i s s u p p l i e d t o t h e p o r t i o n s o f t h e v e h i c l e such a s telemetry multip l e x e r s , PCM/DDAS assemblies, e t c , f o r pre-launch monitoring, The D A DS may then s e r v e a s a u t i l i t y l i n k any time d a t a i s needed from t h e s t a g e , i n c l u d i n g s t a g e preparation and checkout.

C,

GROUND SUPPORT EQUIPMENT ELECTRONICS

1.

General Layout and Function of GSE , E l e c t r o n i c s

The major item of ground. support equipment t o be d i s cussed i s t h e computer system used f o r launch s i t e checkout and launch, Some of t h e t y p i c a l functions t h e computer system must perform a r e : Systems Lest, evaluation and monitoring o f :
a.

F l i g h t Guidance Computer and Signal Processor S t a b i l i z e d Platform Control Computer Azimuth Positioning System F l i g h t Telemetry System I n v e r t e r and Power System Emergency,Detection System Radar Altimeter

b. c. d.
e.

f, g.

h.

i, Remote Automatic C a l i b r a t i o n System

j,

Ground Equipment Test S e t Stage I n t e r f a c e T e s t S e t Countdown Clock Stage E l e c t r i c a l System

k,
1.

m.

The Saturn V ground computer system c o n s i s t s of two computers, One on t h e launch - u m b i l i c a l tower (LUT) and one i n t h e launch c o n t r o l c e n t e r (LCC) ,
2.

Data Link

Serving a s a l i f e l i n e between both t h e s e computers i s t h e data l i n k which t e r m i n a t e s at each computer complex and each l i n k t e r m i n a l i s s e r v i c e d by an i n p u t d a t a channel o f t h e o p e r a t i o n a l computer, The purpose o f t h e d a t a l i n k i s t o provide programmable communications between t h e two computer systems which may be a s much a s 7 m i l e s a p a r t . Two t y p e s o f information may be t r a n s f e r r e d over t h e d a t a l i n k between t h e computers: a,
b.

Data r e l a t i n g t h e experimental r e s u l t s o f programs, Commands i n t h e form o f r e q u e s t f o r t e s t s and acknowledgement o f t h e command t h a t t e s t s be run, o r t h a t data be transferred,

The most s i g n i f i c a n t system parameters a r e : a. b, c,

d.

Commands a r e f u l l y duplexed, Data words a r e h a l f duplexed, Information i s t r a n s m i t t e d s e r i a l l y by computer word with complete e r r o r checking o f each word, Distance between t e r m i n a l s may range from 1500 f t . t o seven m i l e s . Nominal e f f e c t i v e i n f ~ r m a t i o nc a r r y i n g c a p a c i t y i s 133,000 b i t s / s e c e n d . Gross t r a n s m i s s i o n r a t e w i t h redundant b i t s of 250,000 b i t s / s e c o n d , Output r a t e ~f t h e t r ~ n s m i t t l n gl i n k i s determined by t h e r e c e i v i n g system,

e,
f,

g .

h,

Each t e r m i n a l has s i m u l a t i n g c i r c u i t r y t h a t can ba usad for self checking purgssas in a disconnect mode,
13

Each computer i s a g e n e r a l purpose d i g i t a l computer w i t h i n t e r n a l l y s t o r e d programs, employing process c o n t r o l , and designed s p e c i f i c a l l y f o r r e a l - t i m e c o n t r o l i n i n d u s t r i a l a p p l i c a t i o n , The comp u t e r s y s t e m a s mode o f o p e r a t i o n i s p a r a l l e l t r a n s m i s s i o n , s e r i a l a r i t h metic; i t s l o g i c i s s i n g l e address; i t s word s t r u c t u r e i s 9 b i t i n s t r u c t i o n , 3 b i t a d d r e s s m o d i f i e r and 12 b i t a d d r e s s f i e l d ; and it h a s 24 b i t s d a t a . The computer has s i x index r e g i s t e r s , 15 b i t s each, I t has a magnetic c o r e memory s t o r a g e o f 32,786 words, Access t o t h e 32,786 word memory i s accomplished through t h e u t i l i z a t i o n o f an index r e g i s t e r f o r purposes o f a d d r e s s m o d i f i c a t i o n , The computer clock r a t e i s 936 KC, The computer h a s a drum memory of 32,786 words with a p r i o r i t y i n t e r r u p t possibility, Figure B l i s a block diagram o u t l i n i n g what t h e computer can do, Shown on t h e l e f t of f i g u r e 11 a r e t h e 300 analog i n p u t s ; clock i n p u t s p r e s e n t e d i n e a s t e r n s t a n d a r d time, t i m e r i n p u t s and countdown clock connections; d i s c r e t e i n p u t s , a i r b o r n e computer i n p u t - o u t p u t r e g i s t e r s and input-output r e g i s t e r s o f t h e payload o r s p a c e c r a f t ground support equipment , Shown on t h e r i g h t o f f i g u r e 11 a r e t h e d i g i t a l o u t p u t s , d i g i t a l - a n a l o g , d i s c r e t e o u t p u t s , lOO8 on-off commands, remote o p e r a t i o n s i n p u t - o u t p u t r e g i s t e r s and d i g i t a l t e l e m e t r y i n p u t r e g i s t e r s , Inputo u t p u t s may be recorded by e l e c t r i c t y p e w r i t e r , magnetic t a p e o r punch t a p e , Data s t o r a g e may be accomplished by connecting t h e magnetic t a p e equipment, A f u r t h e r connection i s made t o t h e d i s p l a y system o p e r a t i n g i n conjunction with t h e computer,

Operator d i s p l a y s a s s o c i a t e d with t h e Saturn V launch v e h i c l e program can be d i v i d e d i n t o t h r e e groups: Those t h a t r e c e i v e t h e d a t a p r i m a r i l y from DDAS, t h o s e t h a t r e c e i v e d a t a from t h e computer t o o p e r a t e c o n t r o l and d i s p l a y consoles and t h o s e t h a t r e c e i v e s a f i n g d a t a v i a hardwire, The S a t u r n o p e r a t i o n a l checkout computer u t i l i z e s an i n t e r n a l l y s t o r e d program and t h e r e f o r e h a s an i n h e r e n t a b i l i t y t o accumulate l a r g e volumes o f d a t a i n a v e r y s h o r t time, Evaluation o f t h i s d a t a i s c o n t i n g e n t upon t h e methods employed t o d i s p l a y arad communic a t e t h i s d a t a t o t h e t e s t e n g i n e e r , Means a r e provided t o f a c i l i t a t e r a p i d e v a l u a t i o n o f t e s t d a t a t o determine c o r r e l a t i o n s and t o support t r e n d a n a l y s i s , malfunction and timing o f e v e n t s , To achieve t h e degree o f c o n t r o l and monitoring c a p a b i l i t y t h a t i s r e q u i r e d by t h e t e s t o p e r a t o r , i t was n e c e s s a r y t o provide a d i s p l a y system composed o f many i n d i v i d u a l c o n s o l e s , opposed t o one c e n t r a l d i s p l a y , With t h i s type of d i s p l a y and

i t s a s s o c i a t e panel, experimentation was undertaken t o (1) determine t h e e x t e n t o f automation, (2) methods t o improve man/machine r e l a t i o n s h i p s and (3) t h e development of techniques f o r remote s t a t i o n c o n t r o l o f t h e o p e r a t i o n a l computer, The most economical approaches were of c o n s i d e r a b l e importance i n making t h e s e determinations.

The Saturn V d i s p l a y system w i l l c o n s i s t of s e v e r a l equipment racks which w i l l contain t h e c e n t r a l s t o r a g e , l o g i c , and t h e d i s t r i b u t i o n equipment capable of d r i v i n g up t o 20 cathode r a y tube (C,R,T.) d i s p l a y consoles, The p r e s e n t plan c a l l s f o r 10 t o 12 C,R.T, Consoles i n t h e Launch Control Center (LCC), This d i s p l a y system w i l l b e a r e f r e s h type, thereby having t h e a b i l i t y t o d i s p l a y a page of d a t a i n d e f i n a t e l y , The tube w i l l have t h e a b i l i t y t o d i s p l a y any combination o f 62 c h a r a c t e r s i n c l u d i n g a l l standard alpha numeric a s well a s a d d i t i o n a l s p e c i a l c h a r a c t e r s . The communication l i n k s between t h e computer system and d i s p l a y w i l l u t i l i z e a s i x b i t code f o r c h a r a c t e r s and a n i n e b i t code f o r graphic p r e s e n t a t i o n , The speed a t which information can be accepted f o r , d i s p l a y w i l l be approximately 250,000 c h a r a c t e r s p e r second, A keyboard, f o r input and c o n t r o l of information t o t h e computer, includes a l l c h a r a c t e r s a v a i l a b l e f o r d i s p l a y by t h e tube. Additional c o n t r o l s a r e a v a i l a b l e f o r : power-on-off, c u r s o r s enable c o n t r o l , i n t e n s i t y and c o n t r a s t c o n t r o l , s e l e c t i v e d a t a e r a s e , manual e r a s e , d i s p l a y s e l e c t i o n and hard copy c o n t r o l ; t o name a number of t h e more important c o n t r o l s . The d i s p l a y system i s one of t h e p r i n c i p a l methods f o r o p e r a t o r on-line communications with t h e computer system, I t provides a means t o r e q u e s t d a t a from t h e computer, d i s p l a y t h e d a t a i n t a b u l a r o r graphic form and allow a q u a l i f i e d o p e r a t o r t o e d i t o r c o r r e c t t h e d a t a f o r i n s e r t i o n i n t o t h e computer f o r processing, Each o p e r a t i o n a l a r e a w i l l be furnished a t l e a s t one d i s p l a y console, Computer a t t e n t i o n i s a t t a i n e d through e x t e r n a l , automatic p r i o r i t y i n t e r r u p t , P r i o r i t y assignment o f consoles i s accomplished by i n t e r n a l program p r i o r i t y methods, The t e s t conductor and s e v e r a l o t h e r d i s p l a y a r e a s can look i n on any o t h e r d i s p l a y p r e s e n t a t i o n a t t h e i r d i s c r e t i o n , From t h e few examples presented t h u s f a r , it is obvious t h a t something e l s e i s needed b e s i d e s t h e hardware o f t h e Saturn V system; t h i s , of course, being t h e Software program,

<

D.

SOFTWARE
1,

Programming

The software of t h e Saturn V i s a b i g item and must be e s t a b l i s h e d well within t h e schedule, Conceptual design, development and c o n t r o l of computer programming f o r space v e h i c l e operation have r e s u l t e d i n very broad problems during t h e l a s t two years, Systems engineers and computer programmers have observed the conceptual dsvelopmsnta with niewldarstandings snd loosely defined parameters, Even after tha methods o f conveying ideas ass understood, seldom are two i n d i v i d u a l s

i n agreement a s t o e x a c t l y t h e b e s t approach. This l a c k of conceptual agreement a c t u a l l y c r e a t e d an environment from which a more s t a b l e and expedient concept h a s evolved, 2. S t a n d a r d i z a t i o n of Programming Language

The Saturn V program has adopted a s t a n d a r d , t e s t o r i e n t e d programming language t o which a l l Stage Contractors and MSFC adhere. This s t a n d a r d programming language i s s p e c i f i c a l l y o r i e n t e d toward automatic checkout and launch t e s t i n g o f s t a g e s and vehicles, The acronym "ATOLL" (Acceptance t e s t o r launch language) i s used t o e x p r e s s t h e s m r d programming language, ATOLL was developed t o s e r v e t h e following needs: a, Provide a language f o r use i n automatic checkout and launch t e s t i n g o f a s t a g e o r v e h i c l e completely independent from l o c a l i t y considerations, To u t i l i z e t h e knowledge o f t h e launch v e h i c l e t e s t engineer f o r automatic checkout and testing. To e s t a b l i s h c r i t e r i a f o r t h e development of a s i n g l e document t o s a t i s f y t h e f o l l o w i n g needs :

b.

c.

(I)

Serve a s a d e t a i l e d t e s t procedure, when automatic checkout and launch t e s t i n g i s conducted. Serve a s a t e s t program f o r i n p u t i n t o t h e automatic checkout and launch t e s t system. Serve a s a t e s t review and e v a l u a t i o n document f o r p l a n t r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s o r Project s t a f f s , Serve a s a c h e c k l i s t f o r government i n s p e c t i o n teams, v e r i f y i n g c o n t r a c t o r performance o f automatic t e s t s ,

(2)

(3)

(4)

What a r e t h e c r i t e r i a f o r such a s t a n d a r d programming language? a.

b.

I t must be c l o s e enough t o s t a n d a r d t e s t nomenclature t o be e a s i l y t a u g h t and used,

I t must be capable of e x p r e s s i n g a simple t e s t function.

c,

I t must be f l e x i b l e enough t o permit t e s t engineers t o e a s i l y group a s e r i e s o f simple t e s t functions i n t o a comprehensive t e s t procedure expressing more complex t e s t functions,

d.

The format must be d i r e c t l y t r a n s l a t a b l e

i n t o necessary computer operating i n s t r u c t i o n s required t o perform t h e indicated functions o r tests,

e,

I t must conform with t h e general philosophy of automatic checkout and t e s t i n g ,

Figure 12 shows t h e ATOLL system, I n i t i a l l y , t h e t e s t engineer w r i t e s an English language t e s t program and t r a n s l a t e s it i n t o t h e ATOLL format, From t h i s format, t h e program i s t r a n s f e r r e d t o a punch card, Through-source process r o u t i n e s , t r a n s l a t o r s , compilers, t h e machine program i s e s t a b l i s h e d and w i l l be a v a i l a b l e on magnetic tape, punch card o r p r i n t o u t s , With t h i s machine program, t h e checko u t computer w i l l be loaded t o address t h e launch vehicle through t h e proper i n t e r f a c e , The test conductor can operate t h e program through semi-autornatic c ~ n t r o l s ,o r address t h e computer through executive rout i n e s t o rearrange t h e programs a s needed, Using ATOLL, t h e programs o r p o r t i o n s of t h e programs created by t h e s t a g e c o n t r a c t o r needed f o r s t a g e checkout can be taken m d u t i l i z e d f o r o v e r a l l v e h i c l e checkout a t t h e launch s i t e , The various sub-routines w r i t t e n i n ATOLL can be used and assembled i n t h e proper sequence f o r t h e launch s i t e , and t h e executive r o u t i n e s can be w r i t t e n t o combine t h e sub-routines i n t o t h e proper launch sequence,
E , GONCLUSION

To draw a conclusion from t h e few examples described, one must agree t h a t t h e Saturn V launchvehicle r e l i e s heavily upon i t s e l e c t r o n i c equipment, These e l e c t r o n i c systems must be t r u s t e d and t h e success o f t h e Saturn V program depends upon them, I t i s n o t a question a s t o wheather t h e equipment works during a p a r t i c u l a r t e s t , b u t it must work repeatedly with the same accuracy and a t a l e v e l of confidence during a l l t e s t , checkouts and launches, Simple design, extreme r e l i a b i l i t y , redundancy where necessary i n c r i t i c a l c i r c u i t s and extreme q u a l i t y c o n t r o l t o harden t h e confidence w place i n t h e e l e c t r o n i c s of Saturn V, These a r e t h e main e parameters t h a t must be kept i n mind t~ make Saturn V s u c c e s s f u l ,