Hobbies And Interests
Development
Flight pioneers such as Robert Goddard and Konstantin Ziolkovsky laid the foundation of rocketry more than 100 years ago. While engine designs and payload capabilities get most of the attention, eventually the use of telemetry became and is still an indispensable part of rocket research. As a subfield of aeronautics, rocketry is by necessity a very exacting endeavor, so being able to collect and analyze data from rockets has been key to the success of space programs.
NASA
The United States space program, led by NASA, has used telemetry to conduct research into the characteristics of its various spacecraft designs. Unmanned satellites, probes, manned capsules and shuttles all reach orbit sitting on rockets, so it is important to keep track of the rocket's speed, altitude and position as it enters orbit. The data are also used to identify and execute corrections in the spacecrafts' orbital path and verify the proper function of onboard equipment.
Commercial Rocketry
With the retirement of NASA's shuttle program, the private space industry will have an opportunity to take the lead on manned missions into Earth's orbit. Telemetry will be important for resupply and personnel retrieval missions to the international space station as craft must maneuver to the station and dock with it. Reliable navigational data is crucial for commercial space flights that promise to ferry civilian passengers into low-earth orbit on short sight-seeing trips and and return them safely to Earth.
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Amateur Rocketry
College students and hobbyists design, build and launch their own custom rockets. These small machines have tiny engines and payloads compared with their giant cousins like the Saturn V rockets that propelled the astronauts to the moon. Model rockets are reminiscent of the early rockets launched by pioneers in the field such as Goddard. Despite their diminutive size, amateurs use telemetry to track their rockets in flight and analyze their performance.