Image stabilizers help NASA monitor launches
Staff -- Test & Measurement World, 11/1/2003
To better understand what happens during a rocket launch, NASA subcontractor Analex (Alexandria, VA) is using three IVS-300 video stabilizers from FOR-A (Cypress, CA) to monitor outdoor launch pads in Cape Canaveral, FL. The video stabilizer electronically removes shakes and shudders from both recorded images and live surveillance in vertical, horizontal, and oblique directions. The stabilizer can correct movements that differ up to 20% from a still picture.
In one installation, cameras that monitor launches are located on top of a building that is approximately 5 mi from the launch pad. The effects of wind and other weather conditions, combined with the weight of the zoom lens, often make the pictures unusable. Routing the live signals through the video stabilizer, however, virtually eliminates all shake and movement. The technicians can then route the signals through a video switcher and distribute them to the facility's closed-circuit TV system for general consumption, public affairs support-production, and satellite uplink. www.analex.com.
