Express Logistics Carrier (ELC), formally called “Express Pallet”, is an unpressurized attached payload platform that has is used by the International Space Station (ISS). It is designed to support external payloads mounted to the space station starboard and port trusses. The ELC provides mechanical mounting surfaces, electrical power, and command and data handling services for science experiments on the ISS. The ELC was a multi-million dollar project and was a collaboration of over 100 engineers between External Payloads Group at Johnson Space Center and the ISS Payload Ground Processing support team at Kennedy Space Center.
RTEMS is run on the “flight controller unit” (FCU) of electrical subsystem. RTEMS and provides the computing and communication resources as an ELC Command and Data Handling (C&DH) system.
Description
ELCs have a deck size that is approximately 14 feet by 16 feet and stretches to the width of the space shuttle’s payload bay. An ELC is capable of carrying 9,800 lbs to orbit and can also be used as parking fixtures for spare hardware. A single ELC is capable to provide scientists with a platform and infrastructure to deploy experiments in space without requiring a separate dedicated Earth-orbiting satellite.
Components
ELC-1
- P3 truss at the UCCAS-2 site.
ELC-2
- S3 truss at the PAS-1 site.
ELC-3
- P3 truss at the UCCAS-1 site.
- Holds spare hardware for station use.
ELC-4
- S3 truss at the PAS-4 site.
The ELC has been featured on a number of space shuttles.
Atlantis
Discovery
Endeavour
