Rockwell Collins looks forward to space exploration

When the space shuttle Atlantis finds its way back to earth, crew members will be using equipment provided by Cedar Rapids-based Rockwell Collins to navigate their arrival.

Rockwell Collins has played a memorable role in NASA's space exploration. When the crew of Apollo 11 landed on the moon on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong's famous words were transmitted over equipment provided by Collins Radio Company, which became Rockwell Collins in 1973. The images from that legendary landing also were taken using Collins equipment.

The Cedar Rapids company built communications equipment for astronauts on the Gemini and Mercury programs, and NASA tapped the innovative minds at Rockwell Collins for its shuttle program, which launched its first mission in 1981.

Kurt Grigg was an engineer at Rockwell Collins in 1992 and part of a team that designed the first global positioning system to be used aboard a space shuttle. Space shuttle Endeavor was the first craft to take flight with Rockwell Collins' 3M GPS equipment aboard, according to Grigg.

“It was sort of a test to see if they would work properly,” said Grigg, who is now a director of communications and marketing for Rockwell Collins. “They did very well. They worked better than expected.”

That early 3M receiver was a precursor to what became a long-term plan to equip NASA's shuttle fleet with “military airborne GPS receivers,” Grigg said. Subsequent shuttles each have been equipped with three of the military GPS units, which also have been sold for use on fighter aircraft.

Grigg said the shuttle equipment hasn't brought in a significant amount of revenue for Rockwell Collins.

“But we were the only one building this sort of equipment,” Grigg said. “We were the leader in terms of building the first of the airborne GPS receivers. It's the prestige of being that guy rather than the magnitude of the dollars.”

When he watches the space shuttle program come to a close, with Atlantis' scheduled 5:56 a.m. landing at the Kennedy Space Center, Grigg said he expects to feel some nostalgia and a bit of fear about what lies ahead.

“It's a little emotional to see something like this come to an end,” he said. “There is something about the space shuttle with people aboard that is unique. I suspect our future missions will be more unmanned crafts.”

NASA has been forthcoming about its plans to continue pushing the boundaries of space exploration. Still, Rockwell Collins doesn't expect the shuttle program's end to halt its own adventures in space innovation, said Rockwell Collins spokesman Josh Baynes.

“We are looking at other possibilities of space exploration,” Baynes said. “We are going to be a part of something going forward. It's just a matter of determining what exactly that is.”

Baynes said he can't at this time disclose details about future projects, but Rockwell Collins is involved in the optics side of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Mission, and other space journeys are in the works.

“We always welcome the opportunity for involvement in any space exploration program,” Baynes said. “And it looks like there are some other opportunities for us.”