While NASA neither explicitly nor implicitly endorses Veracity’s products nor Axis’ products, NASA has chosen to use CAMSWITCH by Veracity as well as the AXIS 207 Network Camera in the Desert RATS Space Suit.

Veracity, the leader in IP connectivity and transmission solutions, has enabled the NASA Desert RATS (Desert Research and Technology Studies) team to power network video cameras located on their researchers’ astronaut backpacks whilst on the move.

Comprised of NASA personnel as well as NASA partners, NASA’s Desert RATS are a NASA-led team who work together to prepare for human-robotic exploration in space. Each year, the team conducts field test demonstrations of extra-vehicular hardware under representative planetary surface terrain conditions in the Arizona desert.

The RATS activities also help develop the necessary levels of technical skills and experience for the next generation of engineers, scientists, technicians, and astronauts who will be responsible for realising the goals of NASA’s Constellation Program.

NASA is using Veracity’s CAMSWITCH Quad to supply power to an AXIS 207 network camera. The camera is mounted on backpacks worn by RATS researchers who are wearing working space suits and the camera provides a forward facing view of the scene ahead. The CAMSWITCH QUAD is located within the backpack itself and was chosen by NASA due to size, rugged construction, and the ability to take DC power.

Veracity’s CAMSWITCH QUAD offers a cost-effective, rugged four plus-one-port 100BaseT Ethernet industrial network switch especially designed for networked video applications. Four of the ports offer Power over Ethernet (POE) for powering network cameras via the CAT5 network cable. The fifth port on the opposite side of the case provides a convenient downstream network link for easy cable management.

Scott Sereboff, CEO of Veracity USA, mentioned “CAMSWITCH’s versatility made it a winner for the folks at NASA. Whether or not the RATS space suit ever winds up on a shuttle or moon mission, the fact that Veracity’s CAMSWITCH is within it is immensely flattering and a testament to the design of the unit and the people who engineered it from drawing to product.”

Alastair McLeod, managing director, Veracity UK Limited, commented:
“CAMSWITCH QUAD is ideal for this application as it can easily be powered by a DC power source and is rugged enough for the most extreme conditions.”