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Power Distribution Unit

STEREO technicians at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), in Laurel, Md., prepare the STEREO "B" observatory (the one that will be placed behind Earth in its orbit around the sun) for future integration of its power distribution unit (PDU). This device, when installed on both STEREO spacecraft, distributes power to all spacecraft systems; provides power to devices aboard each spacecraft used to separate them from each other after launch; and is used to deploy both spacecraft's solar arrays.

Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory