L-3/IEC's WARRIOR VISIONTM DISPLAYS TO PLAY CRITICAL ROLE ABOARD THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
Flat panel display to be intelligent "eyes" for astronauts assembling space devices
New York, NY, July 20, 2000 - L-3 Communications Corporation (NYSE:LLL) today announced that its Interstate Electronics Corporation division, a leading manufacturer of intelligent ruggedized display systems, has been selected by MacDonald Dettwiler to supply its Warrior VisionTM flat panel displays for the Robotic Workstation (RWS) aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Scheduled for launch on flight 5A.1 in 2002, the displays are used as a visual reference to control the station’s sophisticated robot arm, also known as the Canadarm used aboard space shuttles. The displays help astronauts accomplish formidable tasks such as manipulating large payloads and satellites and assembling projects that are too big to be launched from Earth. Two RWS systems will be located aboard the space station in the U.S. pressurized Lab Module and one in the Cupola, where they can build and perform maintenance on the space station itself.
IEC’s flat panel displays will be integrated into the RWS as visual, real-time image control of the robot arm to manipulate and perform sensitive, difficult and cumbersome tasks in space. Each display will be integrated with special software to provide visual feedback from the Space Station Remote Manipulator System, Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator, Mobile Base System and Artificial Vision Unit.
Ruggedized to accommodate the stresses of launch into space, IEC displays are designed to meet the severe operational and environmental requirements of space and ISS exigencies. Critical to the overall mission for absolute no tolerance for breakdowns, the system has a mean time between failure (MTBF) rating of 13,000 hours. IEC’s Warrior VisionTM displays are lightweight active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) with high quality 640X480 resolution. They provide a required viewing angle while meeting critical space and weight limitations. Key features of these displays are their upgradeability path and the ISS’s requirement of high quality SVGA AMLCD performance in an orbital environment.
"Our displays can be found among the most demanding climates and conditions on Earth," said Steve Jungers, Vice President of I-3/IEC, "and now we’re in space. Our engineers have done a great job extending the operational bounds of COTS based displays, and this application demonstrates our engineering capabilities to go beyond the limits."
"Even though the Space Station is not the most rugged, it still must use some of the most well designed and reliable equipment," continued Jungers. "IEC has a reputation for engineered, quality rugged displays for use in a variety of harsh environments."
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest and most ambitious space program since the Apollo moon landings and the largest scientific joint effort among nations in history. The ISS partners, a global team led by NASA with participating countries including the United States, Canada, Japan, Russia, Brazil and a consortium of European communities under the flag of the European Space Agency. Each of the international partners is providing key elements to the program. The first components of the station were placed in orbit in late 1998.
When occupied, the space station will provide unique laboratories to conduct research in fields such as astronomy, life sciences and materials, as well as locations to assemble satellites and space platforms too large and fragile to launch directly from Earth. The advanced technologies being used to construct the station will find applications in many industries on earth.
MacDonald Dettwiler provides essential information from anywhere in the world for decision making in the workplace. The Company operates its business through two principal groups: the Information Products Group (IPG) and the Information Systems Group (ISG). IPG delivers essential land information products and services in three categories including: legal, asset and geographical information. ISG provides mission critical information systems to three major applications: monitoring activities on the planet, managing mobile assets, and enabling the mobile workforce. MacDonald Dettwiler employs 1700 people around the world through a network of offices, subsidiaries, and distributors.
Based in Anaheim, CA, Interstate Electronics Corporation, a division of L-3 Communications, has been a long-term supplier of critical test instrumentation and missile tracking systems for the U.S. Navy's Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) weapons systems, including the Trident submarine. The Division is ranked as an industry leader in GPS receiver and translator-based products, which are currently in use on multiple aircraft, cruise missiles and precision guided bombs. IEC produces ruggedized displays for military and industrial applications, and provides secure communications on a quick reaction basis for deployed forces in Eastern Europe.
L-3 Communications is a leading supplier of secure communications systems and products, avionics and ocean navigation systems, training systems, microwave components and telemetry, instrumentation, space and wireless products. Its customer base includes the Department of Defense (DoD), U.S. government intelligence agencies, aerospace and defense prime contractors and commercial telecommunications and cellular customers. To learn more about L-3 Communications please visit www.L-3Com.com and IEC at http://www.iechome.com/.
Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Except for historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this news release are forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements set forth above involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from any such statement, including the risks and uncertainties discussed in the company's Safe Harbor Compliance Statement for Forward-looking Statements included in the company's recent filings, including Forms 10-K and 10-Q, with the Securities and Exchange Commission.