Xref: utzoo sci.space:14871 sci.space.shuttle:3853 sci.astro:5517
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.space.shuttle,sci.astro
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: Galileo Spun/Despun section communications
Message-ID: <1989Oct20.154611.16944@utzoo.uucp>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <515@dftsrv.gsfc.nasa.gov>
Date: Fri, 20 Oct 89 15:46:11 GMT

In article <515@dftsrv.gsfc.nasa.gov> buck@drax.gsfc.nasa.gov (Loren (Buck) Buchanan) writes:
>The question I have is how does the Despun section (the part with most 
>of the instruments) communicate with the Spun section (the part with 
>the main antenna and most of the computers)?

The usual sorts of methods:  slip rings and rotating transformers.  The
latter may not be entirely obvious:  the two halves of a transformer don't
*have* to be in mechanical contact, and with suitable design there can be
a small air gap and the two halves can rotate with respect to each other.

If it were being built with modern technology (remember how old much of
that hardware is), it would probably use optical transmission for data.
-- 
A bit of tolerance is worth a  |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
megabyte of flaming.           | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu