The Earth Viewing Module of Applications Satellite Technology 6 (ATS-6) supported the spacecraft's thirty-foot diameter parabolic reflecting antenna and was configured into three separate sections. The "bottom" of the module contained experiments and antennas which required a continuous view of the Earth for communication. Three-axis stabilization ensured that the module always pointed in this direction. The middle section of the spacecraft contained house-keeping systems--attitude control, propulsion, telemetry, and power. The upper portion consisted of communications equipment, principally transponders and antenna feeds designed to work in concert with the thirty-foot antenna located above.
This artifact is a back-up spacecraft structure, partially outfitted with equipment and instrumentation. NASA transferred it to the Museum in 1978.
Transferred from NASA