A strategy for residual acceleration data reduction and dissemination

A data reduction plan is being developed to efficiently process residual acceleration data from orbiting space laboratories. Implementation of the reduction plan will result in a useful, manageable accelerometer data base which can be readily employed by principal investigators during post-flight analysis of experimental results. The data reduction plan will also assist in the characterization of the acceleration environment of orbiters, which is important for the planning of future experimental missions. Prototype versions of the reduction plan are being tested using accelerometer data recorded during the Spacelab 3 (SL3) mission. Transient disturbances caused by shuttle and experiment operations and crew activities are being cataloged. The magnitudes of such disturbances can be as much as 0.01 g, but are rarely sustained for more than a fraction of a second and tend to vary greatly in orientation. It is found that the recorded frequency components of the SL3 disturbances do not exceed tolerance limits determined from modeling for a selected experiment set.