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UA9FBV > SAT 04.05.03 17:16l 145 Lines 5854 Bytes #999 (0) @ AMSAT
BID : ANS-124.06
Read: GUEST
Subj: Boeing Studies Keep ISS Humming
Path: DB0ZKA<DB0FSG<DB0PV<DB0MRW<OK0PKL<DB0GRL<SR6BOX<OK0PHL<OK0PPL<RZ6HXA<
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Sent: 030504/1409Z @:UA9FBV.PRM.RUS.AS #:34559 [Perm] GATEWAY $:ANS-124.06
From: UA9FBV@UA9FBV.PRM.RUS.AS
To : SAT@AMSAT
AMSAT News Service Bulletin 124.06 From AMSAT HQ
Silver Spring, MD. May 4, 2003
To All Radio Amateurs
BID: $ANS-124.06
Boeing engineers have provided a number of studies to help NASA keep the
International Space Station (ISS) viable for the foreseeable future, rely=
ing
upon Russian vehicles, Soyuz and Progress, to transport cargo to the
station.
Engineers at Boeing NASA Systems in Houston, many from the ISS Vehicle
Integrated Performance and Resources (VIPeR) team, studied ways to mainta=
in
a safe and operable ISS.
The team was asked by NASA immediately after the space shuttle Columbia
accident to study a number of options, taking into account the delay of t=
he
unique cargo ferrying capabilities of the space shuttle.
The Boeing ISS team's primary assessment effort focused on a smaller ISS
crew size and assessed the consumables used by the station and its crew a=
nd
the need for spare hardware.
The ISS team is relying upon the Russian vehicles as the only means of
transporting cargo to the ISS until the shuttle returns to flight and/or =
the
European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle is available.
The team tracked the primary consumables used by the station and its crew
and worked closely with NASA's ISS Mission Integration group. Boeing
conducted various analyses to minimize ISS supply and return requirements
while optimizing the ISS vehicle performance and research.
The VIPeR team first focused on the issue of propellant on board the
station, which is used to keep the ISS in the proper orbit and orientatio=
n
and has been one of the most critical consumables in past studies. They
concluded that currently planned Progress launches would meet propellant
re-supply needs.
The next critical consumable is the water necessary to support the crew a=
nd
system needs. Each crewmember uses about two kilograms of water a day for
drinking, food and oxygen generation. The team looked at how water could =
be
brought up while also examining ways to reduce water needs.
"We looked at how long we could leave three crewmembers up there and when=
we
would go to two crew members," said Neil Lemmons, senior systems engineer
with the Boeing VIPeR team.
"Without the space shuttle, it was quickly determined by all involved tha=
t a
three person crew could not be sustained," said Bob Korin, manager of the
Boeing VIPeR team. Keeping a crew on the ISS was important, he added,
because it would "give us a set of eyes, hands and creative thinking
capability to respond to things that arise."
Although there would be some limits, a two-person crew could also continu=
e
to do scientific research. The Boeing teams, including a strong effort by
the safety community, looked at the risks associated with a smaller
two-person crew and concluded that there were no significant safety
concerns.
A two- person crew not only keeps research going but also maintains suppo=
rt
for preventative and corrective maintenance, anomaly investigation and
response, and other ISS System Operations needs that can best be done by =
an
on-orbit crew.
Boeing and NASA engineers have studied the impact of a two-person crew on
future science research. "The focus has been on new samples and consumabl=
es
for the science and research apparatus already on board the ISS that requ=
ire
minimal space and weight," said Rick Golden, program manager of ISS paylo=
ad
integration.
"Our group (Boeing and its subcontractors, Teledyne Brown Engineering and
United Space Alliance) ensures that interfaces between the science
experiments and the space station are compatible," said Golden.
"A lot of our focus has been working the safety aspects to fly U.S. paylo=
ad
hardware on Soyuz and Progress launches," Golden explained. "We are
positioning a select number of payloads at the Baikonur launch site in or=
der
to be able to take advantage of any space that becomes available on the
upcoming Progress flights."
The Boeing ISS team reassessed the manifests for several planned shuttle
launches. "We had to support system maintenance which may have required
changing out filters, valves, bags and things along those lines or other
items to support system repair," said Korin.
The team came up with a prioritized shopping list and looked at what they
could take up without the space shuttle. The NASA/Boeing ISS team evaluat=
ed
the amount of propellant, water, gas, and dry cargo that is needed to the
support the ISS and its crew.
The ISS subsystem teams, including the logistics and maintenance team,
played a critical role in defining the shopping list of needed items.
The Environmental Control and Life Support System group identified the
selector valve and filter for the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly and the
Internal Thermal Control System group identified the Pump Package Assembl=
y
as essential spares to be manifested on the upcoming Russian Soyuz and
Progress flights.
The Soyuz is the ISS crew escape vehicle used in case of emergency and is
certified for 200 days of life and is rotated every 180 to 190 days. They
are normally taken to ISS by a "taxi crew" who then bring the "old" one
back.
The Progress vehicle is unmanned and carries crew supplies and hardware
spares to help maintain the life of ISS. There are normally 3 Progress
flights a year.
"The Russians have given us about 30 kg allocation for US items to be
launched on Soyuz 6S, so we have been working very hard with NASA to make
sure all these items are certified to be launched on a Russian vehicle, a=
nd
the Russians properly stow them for launch," according to Ray V. Gonzales=
,
Boeing launch package manager for Russian vehicles.
"We are also working to get these items to Moscow and then to Baikonur,
Khazakstan where they will be launched."
[ANS thanks Space Daily for the above information]
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