Author Topic: Some STS Teleprinter Information & A couple questions. (Read 10797 times)

Kyra's kosmos · « **on:** 01/19/2023 07:42 am »

The Shuttle Interim Teleprinter System was flown on over 50 missions, printing out over 1000 pages in space and was quietly replaced by TIPS (Thermal Impluse Printer System - a Raytheon printer used commonly in maritime operations) and supplimented since the Return To Flight era by TAGS (Text and Graphics System) that had a reputation for working great until it jammed. The teleprinter would then come to the rescue.

The teleprinter could print up to 66 lines per "page", which really was a meaningless point as the messages would continue to print off a spool of yellowish paper that would fill the mid-deck. The messages were composed typically by the Flight Activities Officer (FAO) at MCC.

Early on I had read it was a modified Baudot printer, but really it seems closer to ITA-2. During a conversation with an insider in the 1980's it was implied it was related to then in-use DoD printing devices and the US Navy. It was obviously not in itself classified, but NASA preferred to keep the specifics about it less than obvious.

Last year a complete unit was sold at auction, so its been released into the wild. Close up reveals boards with chips on them so its not the kind of teleprinter commonly aquired by collectors of classic telegraphy and telex type devices.

My questions are: What was the specific charecter modifcation? (Clues in the graphic below)
What model is this teleprinter (Who made it)? (Teletype Corporation, Raytheon, IBM, Harris?)

Kyra's kosmos · « **Reply #1 on:** 01/19/2023 08:09 am »

The cue card flown for Activation & C/O.

AnalogMan · « **Reply #2 on:** 01/19/2023 01:09 pm »

Not sure if this will be of help to anyone who cares to pitch in with this, but here is a link to the auction website with lots more photos of the sold teleprinter in question.

https://www.rrauction.com/auctions/lot-detail/345627506349596-space-shuttle-teleprinter/?cat=491#mz-expanded-view-896160792883

Kyra's kosmos · « **Reply #3 on:** 01/19/2023 08:58 pm »

That is the one that is in the wild. I've studied those pictures and found the printing mechanism/assembly 3A1A5A1 is also used in the AN/UGC-74 series of military teletype terminals. MFR:24384 The STS teleprinter is related to this family, minus the transmit hardware and keyboard.