Merritt Island spaceflight tracking and data network station
Encyclopedia
The Merritt Island Spaceflight Tracking and Data Network station, known in NASA
parlance as MILA, was a radio communications and spacecraft tracking complex located on 61 acre (0.24685846 km²) at the Kennedy Space Center
(KSC) in Florida
. The name MILA was an acronym for the "Merritt Island
Launch Annex" to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
, which was how the site was referred to when spacecraft launches were primarily originating from the adjacent military installation. MILA's arrays of antennas provided various communications and data services between spacecraft and NASA centers, as well as tracked and ranged moving spacecraft. In its final years, it served as the primary voice and data link during the first 7½ minutes of Space Shuttle
launches, and the final 13 minutes of shuttle landings at KSC. Though it occupied land at KSC, MILA was operated and managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center
.
The station was decommissioned on July 28, 2011 following the end of the shuttle program. NASA eventually plans to build a new, state-of-the-art station on the other side of the KSC Visitor Complex to support launches of a heavy-lift rocket planned for exploration missions.
to support the Apollo program. It was first used for a Saturn 1B test launch (AS-203
) in July 1966. Training consoles were installed shortly thereafter to train engineers from the Johnson Space Center. During the 1970s, nearby tracking stations such as the Spacecraft Tracking and Data Acquisition Network
station in Fort Myers, Florida, and the Deep Space Network
Compatibility Station at Cape Canaveral were closed, and their facilities moved to MILA. MILA was upgraded in 1980 to allow interfacing with the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS), the first satellite of which was launched in 1983.
s (SRBs) used on the Shuttle vehicle produced large amounts of ammonium perchlorate
in their exhaust plumes, which strongly attenuated the S-band signals transmitted to and from MILA. This adjunct site was designated the Ponce de León Inlet Tracking Annex (PDL), for the Ponce de León Inlet
located nearby.
The PDL site handled the voice and data tracking functions during the time that MILA was blocked by the SRB exhaust plume, which occurred from one minute after launch until 2½ minutes after launch. PDL continued to track the shuttle during the times that MILA was the primary link. Microwave relay towers in Shiloh, Florida
and Wilson, Florida linked the data from PDL back to MILA where it was compared to the MILA tracking data as a redundancy measure.
In 1995, support for shuttle landings from the PDL site was terminated as a cost-saving measure.
. Its most visible function occurred during Space Shuttle launches, when it provided the primary voice and data link for Shuttle communications and systems health checks during the pre-launch phase and initial 7½ minutes of the launch phase. It performed a similar function during the final 13 minutes of a Shuttle landing at the Kennedy Space Center.
In addition to the launch and landing support, MILA provided pre-launch support for Shuttle payloads such as satellites, space station components, and scientific spacecraft, by ensuring their communication systems were fully functional prior to a launch. The facility could also serve as a backup to the TDRSS satellites, and could be employed to track expendable launch vehicles such as the Delta rocket
.
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
parlance as MILA, was a radio communications and spacecraft tracking complex located on 61 acre (0.24685846 km²) at the Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
(KSC) in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. The name MILA was an acronym for the "Merritt Island
Merritt Island, Florida
Merritt Island is a census-designated place in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is located on the east coast of the state on the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2000 census, the population was 36,090. It is part of the Palm Bay – Melbourne – Titusville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area...
Launch Annex" to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is an installation of the United States Air Force Space Command's 45th Space Wing, headquartered at nearby Patrick Air Force Base. Located on Cape Canaveral in the state of Florida, CCAFS is the primary launch head of America's Eastern Range with four launch pads...
, which was how the site was referred to when spacecraft launches were primarily originating from the adjacent military installation. MILA's arrays of antennas provided various communications and data services between spacecraft and NASA centers, as well as tracked and ranged moving spacecraft. In its final years, it served as the primary voice and data link during the first 7½ minutes of Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
launches, and the final 13 minutes of shuttle landings at KSC. Though it occupied land at KSC, MILA was operated and managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center
Goddard Space Flight Center
The Goddard Space Flight Center is a major NASA space research laboratory established on May 1, 1959 as NASA's first space flight center. GSFC employs approximately 10,000 civil servants and contractors, and is located approximately northeast of Washington, D.C. in Greenbelt, Maryland, USA. GSFC,...
.
The station was decommissioned on July 28, 2011 following the end of the shuttle program. NASA eventually plans to build a new, state-of-the-art station on the other side of the KSC Visitor Complex to support launches of a heavy-lift rocket planned for exploration missions.
History
The MILA tracking station was installed in 1966 as part of a worldwide network of 17 ground-based tracking stationsManned Space Flight Network
The Manned Space Flight Network was a set of tracking stations built to support the American space efforts of Mercury, Gemini, Apollo and Skylab...
to support the Apollo program. It was first used for a Saturn 1B test launch (AS-203
AS-203
AS-203 was an unmanned flight of the Saturn IB rocket on July 5, 1966. It carried no Apollo Command/Service Module spacecraft, as its purpose was to verify the design of the S-IVB rocket stage restart capability that would later be used in the Apollo program to boost astronauts from Earth orbit to...
) in July 1966. Training consoles were installed shortly thereafter to train engineers from the Johnson Space Center. During the 1970s, nearby tracking stations such as the Spacecraft Tracking and Data Acquisition Network
Spacecraft Tracking and Data Acquisition Network
The Spacecraft Tracking and Data Network was established by NASA to satisfy the requirement for long-duration, highly-available space-to-ground communications...
station in Fort Myers, Florida, and the Deep Space Network
Deep Space Network
The Deep Space Network, or DSN, is a world-wide network of large antennas and communication facilities that supports interplanetary spacecraft missions. It also performs radio and radar astronomy observations for the exploration of the solar system and the universe, and supports selected...
Compatibility Station at Cape Canaveral were closed, and their facilities moved to MILA. MILA was upgraded in 1980 to allow interfacing with the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS), the first satellite of which was launched in 1983.
PDL
In 1979, an adjunct tracking site was established 40 miles (64.4 km) north of MILA in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, on property owned by the US Coast Guard. This site was required to permit tracking of Space Shuttle launches from differing angles because the Solid Rocket BoosterSolid rocket booster
Solid rocket boosters or Solid Rocket Motors, SRM, are used to provide thrust in spacecraft launches from the launchpad up to burnout of the SRBs. Many launch vehicles include SRBs, including the Ariane 5, Atlas V , and the NASA Space Shuttle...
s (SRBs) used on the Shuttle vehicle produced large amounts of ammonium perchlorate
Ammonium perchlorate
Ammonium perchlorate is an inorganic compound with the formula NH4ClO4. It is the salt of perchloric acid and ammonia. It is a powerful oxidizer, which is why its main use is in solid propellants...
in their exhaust plumes, which strongly attenuated the S-band signals transmitted to and from MILA. This adjunct site was designated the Ponce de León Inlet Tracking Annex (PDL), for the Ponce de León Inlet
Ponce de León Inlet
The Ponce de León Inlet is a natural opening in the barrier islands in northern Florida that connects the north end of the Mosquito Lagoon and the south end of the Halifax River to the Atlantic Ocean. It is the site of the town of Ponce Inlet, Florida and the Ponce de Leon Inlet Light...
located nearby.
The PDL site handled the voice and data tracking functions during the time that MILA was blocked by the SRB exhaust plume, which occurred from one minute after launch until 2½ minutes after launch. PDL continued to track the shuttle during the times that MILA was the primary link. Microwave relay towers in Shiloh, Florida
Shiloh, Florida
Shiloh was a village in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It's the northernmost place in Brevard County. Scottsmoor also shares the title, across the Indian River. However, Shiloh is uninhabited. During the beginning of the Space Age, the village later annexed to John F...
and Wilson, Florida linked the data from PDL back to MILA where it was compared to the MILA tracking data as a redundancy measure.
In 1995, support for shuttle landings from the PDL site was terminated as a cost-saving measure.
Operations
MILA was operated by the Goddard Space Center in Greenbelt, MarylandGreenbelt, Maryland
Greenbelt is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Contained within today's City of Greenbelt is the historic planned community now known locally as "Old Greenbelt" and designated as the Greenbelt Historic District...
. Its most visible function occurred during Space Shuttle launches, when it provided the primary voice and data link for Shuttle communications and systems health checks during the pre-launch phase and initial 7½ minutes of the launch phase. It performed a similar function during the final 13 minutes of a Shuttle landing at the Kennedy Space Center.
In addition to the launch and landing support, MILA provided pre-launch support for Shuttle payloads such as satellites, space station components, and scientific spacecraft, by ensuring their communication systems were fully functional prior to a launch. The facility could also serve as a backup to the TDRSS satellites, and could be employed to track expendable launch vehicles such as the Delta rocket
Delta rocket
Delta is a versatile family of expendable launch systems that has provided space launch capability in the United States since 1960. There have been more than 300 Delta rockets launched, with a 95 percent success rate. Two Delta launch systems – Delta II and Delta IV – are in active use...
.
Facilities
MILA was located on 61 acre (0.24685846 km²) of land at the Kennedy Space Center, 1 miles (1.6 km) southwest of the KSC Visitor Complex. The site had dedicated 250 and 500 kW·h (900,000,000 and 1,800,000,000 ) generators which engaged prior to tracking operations for a launch or landing to ensure a continuous reliable power feed for the facility.Antennas
MILA's antennas included:- Two 30 feet (9.1 m) S-band dish antennas. These were used to track moving spacecraft.
- Two 10 feet (3 m) dish antennas. These were used to interface between the TDRS satellites and the KSC facilities. One was pointed to the TDRS satellite, and the other, mounted atop a 140 feet (42.7 m) tower, pointed towards the TDRS user in the ground facility.
- Two UHF antennas used for voice communications with the Shuttle orbiter. These werer linked to one of the 30 feet (9.1 m) tracking antennas to ensure they werer properly pointed.
- Two 4 feet (1.2 m) dish antennas used for Deep Space NetworkDeep Space NetworkThe Deep Space Network, or DSN, is a world-wide network of large antennas and communication facilities that supports interplanetary spacecraft missions. It also performs radio and radar astronomy observations for the exploration of the solar system and the universe, and supports selected...
vehicles during pre-launch testing. These antennas, one X-Band and one S-band, were mounted near the top of the 140 feet (42.7 m) tower. - One 15 feet (4.6 m) S-band dish antenna, which served as a backup to the 30 feet (9.1 m) antennas, if one were undergoing maintenance or failed during use.
- Two 4 feet (1.2 m) dish antennas located on a tower north of the facility, which were used to calibrate the tracking antennas.
- One 6 feet (1.8 m) microwave antenna located on the tower north of the facility. This was used to link to the PDL tracking station via two intermediate antennas.
- Two UHF discone antennas which monitored the UHF tracking antennas.
- One shortwave antenna to receive the NIST time signal from the WWV Station in Colorado.