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Mission as a data pipelineThink of a space mission as a chain that moves information from a sensor to a user. A small satellite mission starts with a need, then builds a spacecraft, launches it, checks that it works, collects data, sends that data to Earth, processes it, and delivers it to the people who need it. Each link has its own vocabulary, so learning terms in order is easier than memorizing a glossary.For example, a small Earth-observation satellite might carry a camera as its payload, the instrument that produces the desired data. The rest of the spacecraft is the...