Right now, three years after its launch, the Mars Rover "Spirit" still explores the Red Planet, capturing geologic and atmospheric data and acquiring spectacular photographs, in search of clues to past water activity on Mars. The International Space Station orbits the Earth, as Shuttle crews continue construction to make the station a lab on how people live and work in space, as a precursor to further manned space exploration. Meanwhile, satellites provide us with weather information, television programming and all forms of communications.
What all these platforms have in common is the need for sophisticated electronics – in particular, semiconductors -- that can perform critical tasks flawlessly in extremely harsh environments. These semiconductors are in large part provided by Arrow/Zeus Electronics, the division of Arrow Electronics specializing in meeting the highly demanding needs of military and aerospace customers.
How harsh are the environments these electronics work in? "Anything leaving our atmosphere goes through degrees or levels of radiation, depending on whether the device is in low, medium, or high orbit," said Bill Toumey, director of supplier and strategic programs for Arrow/Zeus. "If you take a laptop into space, it's subject to radiation coming through a space capsule or window and can freeze up and fail to function. So you have to build semiconductors that are either radiation tolerant for lower radiation levels or radiation-hardened to function in deep space where radiation levels are significantly higher." Radiation isn't the only issue. On Mars, for example, after landing, the Rover had to withstand surface temperatures ranging from –100°C (148°F) to 0°C (-32°F) and surface winds of up to 80 mph (40 meters per second).
Now, consider the critical functions that these electronics must perform flawlessly, such as life support and guidance system control for the Space Shuttle. On Mars, all tasks are unmanned and depend on sophisticated robotics to precisely control mechanisms without failure, since no person can be dispatched to make repairs.
As a distributor, Arrow/Zeus doesn't make these space-age electronics. Arrow is, however, a vital liaison between electronics suppliers and end-user customers. "We bring to bear our understanding and expertise in this field to ensure our customers have access to products that meet the stringent quality and performance requirements of in-space operation," said Mike Wilkens of Arrow/Zeus, which represents over 350 manufacturers, including those whose major focus is in space applications. "We partner with those manufacturers and offer customers technical assistance," said Mike Mills, field sales representative for Arrow/Zeus. "We also help our suppliers learn what space customers are looking for so that they can design products accordingly."
Mills notes that Arrow/Zeus provides complete, detailed documentation of every electronic component they provide, so that if a rare malfunction occurs, that product can be traced to the day it was produced and the lot it came from.
Not all electronics used in space are manufactured to be radiation tolerant, hardened, or otherwise conditioned for space. It would be cost-prohibitive for customers to rely solely on such products, which is why they also seek off-the-shelf components (COTS) that can withstand the rigors of space. These products must be tested and screened to certify they can function properly in space. That's a specialty of one Arrow/Zeus customer – Aitech -- a leading supplier of rugged computer systems optimized for harsh environments. Aitech has supplied space-qualified computers and sub-systems for the Space Shuttle, the International Space station and other space programs. About 60% of the electronic components Aitech uses come from Arrow/Zeus.
Aitech is currently working on some fascinating programs, such as the Orbital Express Space Operations Architecture Program from DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). "Our electronics help control various spacecraft maneuvers, including docking," said Anthony Lai, Vice President Space Systems, for Aitech. "This is the first successful demonstration of docking two spacecraft autonomously, with no human intervention and no communication with anyone or anything on the ground. It's all done by software." The program also validated the feasibility of robotic in-orbit refueling and reconfiguration of satellites. "What this does is extend the lifetime of a satellite in space, which is very important," Lai said.
Another significant project involves the International Space Station. Any object orbiting the earth needs to maintain orbit, or else it will fall into the atmosphere and be destroyed. The station's current liquid propulsion system will run out of fuel in less than three years and cannot be refueled in space. Aitech is supplying electronics to control the next-generation plasma propulsion system, which not only solves the refueling problem but is safer than the liquid hydrogen propulsion system currently in use. The plasma system will be ready for a 2008 demonstration launch and, if successful, will help save the International Space Station. Arrow/Zeus supplied many of the components Aitech incorporated into their plasma propulsion control system.
So, the next time you view photos from Mars on the Internet, or see news of a Space Shuttle launch, or simply watch satellite TV, remember that Arrow/Zeus provides the rugged yet sophisticated electronics that help make it all possible.
For more information about the following, log on to:
Arrow/Zeus: http://www.arrow.com/media_center/news/2005_zeus_spotlight.html
Aitech: http://www.rugged.com
The Mars Rover: http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html
The International Space Station: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/
