Engineering Research and Technology Development on the Space Station (1996) / Chapter Skim
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USING THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION FOR ENGINEERING RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT
USING THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION FOR ENGINEERING RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT
Pages 8-20
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From page 8... ...
Chapter 3 explores in more detail nine technical areas (electric power, robotics, propulsion, thermal control, life-support, space environment and effects, structures, communications, and autonomous systems) that illustrate the range of potential ERTD on the ISS.
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From page 9... ...
The presence of the crew will enable the conduct of experiments that require human interaction and will allow other ERTD experiments to be monitored and reconfigured more easily. Moreover, the crew like crews on some Space Shuttle and other missions-may be able to repair malfunctioning experiments.
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From page 10... ...
Third, resupply activities, the presence of the crew, the need to rotate solar a~rays to track the Sun, and the numerous other experiments conducted on the ISS will result in a more contaminated external environment and more disturbances of the microgravity environment than on an uncrewed vehicle. And finally, ERTD experiments will have to be conf~gured to minimize interference with other ISS activities.
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From page 11... ...
Like other experiments in which the ISS itself would be an integral element, this type of research cannot be performed on the ground and could be prohibitively costly to conduct in space if the ISS were not available. Engineering research that does not directly concern the assembly and operation of the station could also be carried out on the ISS.
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From page 12... ...
Other engineering research that could be carried out using ISS facilities include tests of the effects of capillary action on fluids in microgravity in order to improve thermal control devices and in-orbit propellant transfer, and determining the effects of microgravity on the characteristics of battery cells in order to develop better energy storage devices for spacecraft. The continued upgrading of the ISS over the years will offer opportunities to develop new technologies that might later be used elsewhere in space or on Earth.
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From page 13... ...
Robotic systems that can operate outside the space station will be particularly valuable, since EVA time is a precious resource. Numerous advances in external robotics are already being explored for the ISS, including free-flying robots, large robot arms similar to the Space Shuttle remote manipulator system, and smaller robotic arms for precision tasks.
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From page 14... ...
Future designers could use this database to get a better idea of which materials to use to stabilize thermal performance and power generation capability over the life of their spacecraft. Similar data from LDEF experiments showed that both the LEO environment and materials deterioration are much more complex than previous models had suggested.
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From page 15... ...
The most powerful management tool to provide that connection is a technology plan, or, more colloquially, a technology road map. A technology road map can be a highly effective instrument for managing varied and decentralized activities, such as NASA's program for ERTD on the ISS.
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From page 16... ...
and was closely tied to the technology road map could reduce such problems as concentration on one technology to the exclusion of others with a potential for high payoffs, a perception by private and university researchers of bias toward in-house experiments, approval of a portfolio of experiments that do not support NASA' s strategic vision or program goals, and the assignment of experiments to a particular space platform when they might more effectively be performed on a different platform or on Earth. A review process designed to avoid these potential pitfalls should include the following features: · Reviewers from NASA, academia, other government agencies, and the space industry should be included to ensure a wide perspective and to
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From page 17... ...
Strategic Intent: Using the ISS to Drive Technology Development Advances in space technology will be essential to the tasks of significantly cutting costs and improving the capabilities of future space missions. Typically,
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From page 18... ...
NASA also could use the ISS program to "drive" the development of new space technologies for use within or outside the space agency. As demonstrated in box 2-2, development budget constraints have led to a space station design that incorporates relatively little new technology.
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From page 19... ...
Continued upgrading of the ISS, once assembly is complete, could be a source of new technologies for use elsewhere in space or on Earth. To date, however, ISS designers have been reluctant to incorporate revolutionary technology, which has been seen as introducing unacceptable elements of risk.
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From page 20... ...
The map should be distributed widely, revisited periodically, and reviewed by external constituencies. Wherever possible, NASA-funded ERTD research should be peer-reviewed by panels composed of NASA, university, and industry experts, who would use the technology road map for guidance in deciding which expenments would be funded.
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