The basic engineering approach used in the Saturn instrumentation system has evolved to provide a highly reliable design for short periods of operation. The airborne measuring and telemetry systems including preflight tests, inspection, documentation, and feedback between the users and designers are discussed. The apparent differences between the practice and theory of reliability are rationalized. Some consideration is given to new problems in designing systems that must operate in hostile environments for long periods. The potential contribution of redundancy as a design concept is discussed.; This paper is concerned with the airborne measuring and telemetry systems; it does not attempt to treat the entire Saturn instrumentation system which consists of tracking devices including optical, radar, and Doppler, plus television, film cameras, and a myriad of instruments connected with factory checkout, ground test, and launch.
