What are the responsibilities of the Flight Dynamics Officer?
The FDO determines where the shuttle is, where it is going, and where it has been. With the trajectory defined, the FDO also generates, executes, and confirms all translational maneuvers (maneuvers that change the orbit size) to meet specific payload requirements. Once these maneuvers are defined, the FDO is responsible for determining landing opportunities and just as important, evaluate the weather conditions at landing sites around the world. Further, the FDO coordinates with the United Space Space Command at the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station in Colorado Springs to determine if orbital debris poses a threat to the shuttle. Other real time activities that the FDO performs include providing shuttle sighting opportunities (which you can view on the shuttle web site) and state vector postings for a variety of satellites (including Mir) so other people can plot the shuttle ground track on home computers.
