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With the evolution of its GEO Communications product line over the last several years, Orbital Sciences has had an opportunity to develop, evolve and enhance its spacecraft Integration and Test (l&T) suite from paper procedures that used operator driven manual commanding to repeatable, automated test sequences executed with minimal operator intervention. These enhanced procedures have been implemented in such a way that the same core test suite can be used across multiple spacecraft builds with a minimum of changes from one program to the next. This paper specifically reviews the approaches developed to resolve three test problems: 1) telemetry access for command validation, 2) improved setup to simplify execution, repeatability and analysis of attitude control system operational tests, and, 3) implementation of an automated method to simplify spacecraft unique heater and thermistor testing from one spacecraft to the next.

In the Spring semester of 1994, faculty members in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, and in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Iowa State University, located in Ames, participated in an exchange of two courses using two-way television as the medium. Two graduate courses were selected. The equipment was: a compressed video system developed by Compression Laboratories, Inc., (CLI) connected via a T-l grade line that was implemented over the new Iowa Communications Network. In addition to the cameras provided in the CLI equipment, local studio classroom cameras and microphones were used in the activity. In this exchange, students from both campuses participated in the classes and were able to ask questions as they arose. Additional contact through electronic mail, telephone, and facsimile facilitated the learning. "Help" sessions were also implemented over the two-way system.