NASA is soliciting opinions from industry on its draft requirements for the elaborate video camera system that will be required for the Hubble Space Telescope robotic servicing mission.

To be delivered by July 2006 in anticipation of a December 2007 launch, the Hubble Robotic Servicing and De-orbit Mission (HRSDM) Video Camera System (VCS) will be mounted to the outside of the robotic spacecraft. It will allow controllers on the ground to supervise the on-orbit rendezvous with Hubble and guide the two-armed servicing robot as it supplies the telescope with power and replaces its gyroscopes and primary instruments. The cameras also may be used to feed television coverage by the media, according to NASA spokeswoman Susan Hendrix.

In a draft statement of work released Oct. 14, NASA says the VCS contractor will have to deliver roughly 30 space-qualified low-resolution cameras, five high-resolution cameras and a compression/multiplexing system capable of delivering four channels of high-resolution video and stills in a bandwidth of less than 20 megabits per second. The contractor also will have to provide appropriate lighting systems. Industry comments on the draft requirements are due to the agency by Oct. 28.

The robotic servicing spacecraft will consist of three main elements: a de-orbit module, an ejection module to be built by Goddard Space Flight Center that will carry the replacement parts, and the two-armed dexterous robot. Lockheed Martin received the $330 million prime contract for the mission late last month (DAILY, Oct. 6). MD Robotics of Canada will provide the dexterous robot and a 20-foot robotic arm the spacecraft will use to grapple Hubble.

When servicing is complete, the ejection module will detach and burn up in Earth's atmosphere. The de-orbit module will remain attached to Hubble to safely de-orbit the telescope years later at the end of its life.

Hubble has been serviced by the space shuttle four times. In the wake of the Columbia accident, NASA favors the robotic approach to minimize potential danger to astronauts. The final go-ahead for the robotic mission is expected to take place during the program's critical design review next August or September, Hendrix said.