Engineering Research and Technology Development on the Space Station (1996) / Chapter Skim
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POTENTIAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AREAS
POTENTIAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AREAS
Pages 21-47
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From page 21... ...
Rather, the chapter explores a few areas that seem to have particular promise and appear well-suited to space station experimentation. Other groups have highlighted other promising areas for ERTD on the ISS, including electronic performance, fluid behavior, information systems, and microgravity measurement (SSTAC, 1987; NASA, 1987)
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From page 22... ...
. Value for the Space Station Lessons learned from power systems ERTD could be used to improve the ISS power system, reduce maintenance costs, and provide additional power for ISS operations and experiments.
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From page 23... ...
Another advantage is that it will be possible to return experiments to Earth for further tests and evaluation. Energy storage devices like batteries and phase change materials, for example, could be tested in the microgravity environment to provide data on depth of discharge and subsequently returned to Earth for the thorough examinations needed to determine failure modes and effects.
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Potential Demand on ISS Power The electric power requirements for power component testing on the ISS should be relatively small. Complete systems normally generate their own electricity, and component testing typically requires very small power levels to check out individual components.
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would increase the benefits of tests of new power systems. Provision for attaching a large additional solar power generation device to the station also would be desirable.
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Other Uses in Space Much of the robotic technology developed for the ISS could be relevant to other crowed space platforms. Improved ground-based control of remote robotic systems would also enable "manipulation" of equipment on uncrewed space platforms.
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Disadvantages of ISS Testing The fact that robots move and contain energy storage devices could make them a danger to both astronauts and nearby equipment. The potential risks would have to be minimized, and analyses, tests, inspections, and documentation would have to be performed to meet the ISS's stringent safety requirements.
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From page 28... ...
Attached applications, such as the use of specialized end-effectors on the space station remote manipulator system, would make use of power, attachment, and computer capabilities that are already part of the design. Required Hardware Modifications Special tracks or support structures would be required to allow robots to move around both inside and outside the station.
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From page 29... ...
Other Uses in Space Low-thrust technology developed and tested on the ISS would be widely applicable both to orbital transfer stages and to other spacecraft. Advanced propulsion systems would make it possible to use smaller and cheaper transfer stages and could greatly improve spacecraft reliability and lifetime.
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may have power requirements in the kilowatt range. Potential Demand on ISS Crew Tests of propulsion systems would require crew involvement (including EVAs)
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Deployable/retrievable test units might also require a capability to store propellants but would not require unique accommodations. THERMAL CONTROL The ISS could serve as a site for the testing and evaluation of thermal control components, such as transport, storage, and refrigeration devices (including heat pipes, phase change materials, thermal electric devices, and cryogenic coolers)
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From page 32... ...
Research that produced a better understanding of the causes and rates of degradation of thermal control components could result in lower operation and maintenance costs for the ISS. In addition, research and development activities devoted to advanced thermal control matenals and components could further reduce ISS operation and maintenance costs and improve thermal performance.
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From page 33... ...
Disadvantages of ISS Testing Some of the information on environmental effects gathered in the ISS's low Earth orbit would not be applicable to spacecraft in higher orbits. In addition, potential risks to the station and crew would have to be minimized, meaning that additional analyses, tests, inspection, and documentation would have to be performed to meet safety requirements.
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Other Uses in Space Any future long-duration crowed space missions (including future space stations and missions beyond Earth orbit) would benefit from reductions in resupply requirements achieved with the help of CELSS experiments.
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In addition, the operation of the ISS life support systems will be an experiment in itself in which unexpected problems and solutions are likely to arise. Disadvantages of ISS Testing Potential risks must be minimized, and additional analyses, tests, inspection, and documentation would have to be performed to meet the ISS' s stringent safety requirements.
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From page 36... ...
Potential Demand on ISS Logistics Initially, developmental and then operational hardware for life support experiments would have to be delivered to the ISS. Because of the scaleable nature of the hardware, the logistics requirements could vary from transporting a single experiment rack to launching a complete logistics module.
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From page 37... ...
Advantages over Ground Testing Experiments designed to explore the environment of space and to verify models of the space environment must, by definition, be performed in space. The long-term combined effects of the solar, radiation, atomic oxygen, and thermal environments on materials must also be performed in space because they cannot be simulated accurately on Earth.
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Tests to simulate arcing and other plasma effects might have higher power requirements. Potential Demand on ISS Crew Crew duties might include occasional assessments of environmental effects.
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Deployable structures, including inflatable, foam and other rigidized, gossamer, and tethered structures, also could be investigated. The station itself could be used by researchers to verify structural dynamics models and as a test bed for investigating controls/ structures interaction (CSI)
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From page 40... ...
In addition, because the ISS is a very complex structure, the verification of structural dynamics models would require careful analysis of the data gathered. Potential Demand on ISS Power The amount of power needed for smart structure testing would be small for sensors and moderate to high for vibration inducers.
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From page 41... ...
Research on expendable and deployable structures should not be particularly expensive either, although the robotics development that would go hand-in-hand with erectable structure development could be costly. Required Instrumentation/Facilities Strain gauges, acoustic sensors, vibration inducers and pickups, thermocouples, laser targets and length measurement devices, accelerometers, video cameras, radar equipment, capacitance sensors, and other items, would all be needed for ERTD in this area.
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From page 42... ...
A site for attaching a "backstop" would also be needed. COMMUNICATIONS The ISS could serve as a test bed for technology development issues of importance to commercial communications satellites, including phased array antenna deployment and testing, on-orbit radio frequency environment characterization for electromagnetic interference, high-data-rate communications, complex on-board processors for asynchronous transfer mode signal processing, optical communications, and deployable (including inflatable)
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In addition, potential risks to the station and crew would have to be minimized, meaning that additional analyses, tests, inspection, and documentation would have to be performed to meet safety requirements. Potential Demand on ISS Power Communications experiments should have no unique power requirements.
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From page 44... ...
Instrumentation for measuring experimental communication system performance, such as antenna gain, receiver performance, and bit error rates, would be needed for some research, as would transmit/receive hand-off hardware to tie into either commercial satellite links or other high data rate satellite links (e.g., Ka-band, Ku-band, 60 GHz, optical communications)
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From page 45... ...
Advantages over Ground Testing The major reason for developing and testing autonomous control systems on the ISS is that the station would benefit greatly from them through the reduction in the amount of expensive monitoring and support needed from both the crew and ground control. Although there would be no particular advantage in testing autonomous technologies in space, the space station could act as a "driver" in the quest for more autonomous operations.
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From page 46... ...
they are designed to monitor. Potential Demand on ISS Logistics After the initial deployment of advanced computers and "smart" sensors and wiring, it should be possible to reduce logistics resupply of station systems equipment because of increased system reliability and better predictions of hardware lifetimes.
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From page 47... ...
1987. Space Station Phase I In-Space Technology Experiments Model Source Book.
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