MIR Solar Array Returned Experiment

(SARE) Archive System

NASA Langley Research Center
Hampton, Virginia

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SARE Image CD

Upon completion of the initial examination and inspection of the MIR solar array, a CD was produced containing all of the photodocumentation acquired during the examination and documentation activities that took place within the Spacehab facility. The photographs contained on the compact disk were obtained during the initial photodocumentation of the solar array panels following their arrival at the Spacehab facility. The contents of the CD can be viewed below by following the various links in the Image Index. Please note that the on-line versions of the images contained on the CD have been drastically reduce in size and resolution so that they will easily fit on the screen using typical resolution screen settings (i.e., most are <640 pixels wide), as well as to minimize download time.

Image Index
Contamination   Back Front Photos  Panel 1   Back Front Photos  Panel 2   Back Front Photos  Panel 3   Back Front Photos	Panel 4   Back Front Photos  Panel 5   Back Front Photos  Panel 6   Back Front Photos  Panel 7   Back Front Photos	Panel 8   Back Front Photos  Photos   M&D Activities Miscellaneous Panel Photos Unpacking Array Handrail On Orbit  Scales   Cells M&D Activities Panels

The data/images on the disc were collected from various sources that include hand-held cameras (35 mm & Haselblad), digital camera (Kodak DC120), and a Sony 3-Chip CCD camera that was mounted on a moveable microscope system.

During the scientific examination of the Returned Russian Solar Array, photographers from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida acquired approximately 300 Haselblad images of the solar array and the activities associated with its examination and documentation. The Meteoroid & Debris (M&D) Team acquired approximately 200, high-resolution digital images of various - predominantly impact - features, from seven of the eight individual solar panels that comprised the solar array. Panel 8 was removed prior to the M&D Team having the opportunity to count and photograph impact or other features. The reminder of the images were acquired via hand-held 35 mm or digital cameras. Prints from the various hand-held 35-mm cameras were scanned via an Hewlett Packard 4C scanner at a minimum 100 dpi to generate the digital format that occurs on this CD.

The negatives of the images taken by KSC photographers were sent to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas (JSC) where they were assigned a JSC photographic archive number (98E03008 - 98E03311) and scanned/digitized. Future requests for any image contained on this disk with a filename of the type 98e03156 should reference that number directly. However, not all of these images appear on this disk, as many were either duplicate images of another frame, or were too bright or too dark. A list of the original KSC numbers and the associated JSC archive number can be found in the file pic_num.txt or pic_num.doc. Proof/Contact sheets of the original KSC images can be found in the Photos\KSC_mast directory of the CD.

The M&D Team assigned filenames (e.g., 2_13_16.jpg) to images based on a numbering scheme that was design to relate the image filename to the location of the object being photographed on the solar array. For example, 2_13_16.jpg would relate to a feature located on Panel 2, Column 13 (from left to right), and Row 16 (from bottom to top), looking at the solar-cell side (i.e., front) of the array. Please see image Photos\Panels\cell_id.jpg for details.

Several images on the CD can be utilized to guide the user in the use of this numbering scheme.
1) Photos\Panels\panel_id.jpg - Shows the panel numbering scheme utilized by the M&D Team.
2) Photos\Panels\p_id2_sm.jpg - Same as (1), but at smaller image size.
3) Photos\Panels\cell_id.jpg - Show the coordinate system utilized by the M&D Team.
4) Photos\Panels\cellsize.jpg - Shows the dimensions of an individual solar cell.
5) Photos\Panels\H-scale.jpg - Shows the height of an individual solar panel. The scale is in feet, with the smaller division equaling 1/10 foot (0.1 feet).
6) Photos\Panels\W-scale - Shows the width of an individual solar panel. The scale is in feet, with the smaller division equaling 1/10 foot (0.1 feet).

The same images can be found in the various folders under the Scales folder. In addition, the Scales\impacts folder contains images of the various scales associated with the high-resolution images acquired by the M&D Team.

For further information, contact:
Thomas H. See
Lockheed-Martin
C23, 2400 NASA Road 1
Houston, Texas 77058-3711
Phone: (281) 483-5027
Email: thsee@ems.jsc.nasa.gov

The following information was taken from the inside cover of the CD:

The contents of this CD are arrange in a manner as to make it easy for the user to locate files/images of interest. Photographs related to contamination features found on the solar array are located in the "Contamination" folder, while images taken on-orbit of the MIR Space Station and solar array are located in the "On_orbit" folder, and so on.

Under each of the eight (8) panel folders (i.e., Panel_1 - Panel_8), as well as the "Contamination" folder, there are three (3) sub-folders labeled "Back", "Front", & "Photos". The "Back" folders contain images of features (i.e., impact or contamination) found on the back side of a particular panel, while images located in the "Front" folders will be of features documented on the front (i.e., solar-cell side) of the solar array. General photography images of a particular Panel (front or back) are located in the "Photos" folders.

The root-level "Photos" folder possesses five (5) sub-folders, "KSC_Mast", "Met_Deb", "Miscell", "Panels", & "Unpack". "KSC_Mast" contains digital versions of the KSC photography proof sheets. A cross-reference of the KSC photograph numbers and the JSC numbers can be found in the "pic_num.txt" or "pic_num.doc" files located in the root folder of this CD. Images related to the Meteoroid & Orbital Debris activities can be found in the "Met_Deb" folder, while photographs taken during the unpacking and opening of the solar array for examination are located in the "Unpack" folder. The "Miscell" folder contains images of various activities related to the week-long inspection process of the solar array. The "Panels" folder includes some of the same images found under each of the Panel_1-8 folders discussed above, in addition to images that were taken by various individuals using hand-held 35-mm and digital cameras.

The "Scales" folder contains three (3) sub-folders: "Cells", "Met_Deb", & "Panels". Images found in these sub-folders can aid the user in understanding the numbering scheme utilized by the M&D Team in assigning names to the various images, as well as provide information on the size of individual panels and solar cells. For more information on this topic, please see the "Readme.txt" or "Readme.doc" file located in the root folder of this CD.

The "Viewers" folder contains two image-viewing programs capable of opening all JPG images on this CD, should the user not possess another program for this purpose. Information on these two programs can be found in the "Readme" files.

All users are encouraged to review the "Readme.txt" or "Readme.doc" file located in the root folder of the CD. Information found in these files includes a list of U.S. and Russian Investigators, a background as to the solar array panel's exposure and documentation, information about the origins of the included images, and requirements for the use of either of the two image-viewing programs.

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