Inventory of Communications Interface Equipment (CIE)

This subseries contains materials related to the development of the Communications Interface Equipment (CIE) unit, from 1981 to 1985. The primary function of the CIE was to provide a flexible, onboard two-way communication interface between attached and detached payloads, the orbiter communications and tracking and data subsystems and future Orbiter payload work station (OPWS) in terms of signal routing, format handling and command/telemetry handling. Its two basic functions were command (to direct operations) and telemetry (to monitor operations). The provenance of this collection is the Avionics Project Office (EH13) of the Avionics Division in the Engineering Directorate. The names of Steven Nance and Dave Tadlock appear on the majority of the documents. The collection needed only slight rearrangement for a chronological presentation. Two introductory folders on the functions and purpose of the CIE begin the subseries. The ensuing documents concern various aspects of the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) and the Critical Design Review (CDR). The collection ends with some documents relating to payloads and the OPWS.