XA/EVA Project Office Weekly Activity Report March 15, 2001
STS-98 Crew Debrief
The In-Flight Anomaly on an inadvertent release of an equipment hook from the micrometeoroid/orbital debris (MMOD) shield tool board during EVA was discussed and clarified. The hardware was not lost since the crewmember was able to retrieve the tool board before it separated beyond his grasp. Post-flight, a review of the helmet camera video revealed that the equipment hook was never fully closed on the tool board which allowed for the release of the hardware. The IFA will be closed based on this review and the conclusion that the hardware had not failed.
STS-102 Heated Glove Anomaly Recovery Plan
STS-102/5A.1 EVA’s were supported with a “heater-on” duty cycle approach to mitigate any safety concerns with the heater elements in the glove. A interim design fix is being pursued for STS-100 (6A) which will integrate a voltage regulator into the harnessing that supplies the power to the glove heaters. The voltage regulator will limit the total energy at the heater elements and therefore eliminate the overheating concern. The design change is on a success-oriented path which supports shipment of the EMU’s to KSC for the upcoming 6A launch date of April 19, 2001. A permanent solution is also in work that will replace the resistive heater elements on the gloves, thus eliminating any need for a voltage regulator in the line. The lead-time for the parts is three months and will not support near term mission processing flows.
External Stowage Platform 2 (ESP2) NBL Development Test
The first week of the External Stowage Platform 2 (ESP2) development test was completed on March 9, 2001. The test objectives evaluated included removal of the ESP2 to Shuttle power cable, release of the active External Stowage Platform Attachment Device (ESPAD), installation of the active ESPAD onto Airlock trunnion pins and contingency release of the ESP2 flight releasable grapple fixture (FRGF) grapple shaft. Secondary objectives included flight releasable attach mechanism (FRAM) access from the ESP2 swing arm, Orbital Replacement Unit (ORU) flight support equipment (FSE) evaluation and translation around the Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) ORU’s. The final results will be documented in the Crew Consensus Report and the Test Report.
STS-102/5A.1 EVA’s
The STS-102 EVA crew completed two highly successful EVA’s, accomplishing more than the scheduled tasks. Several additional objectives were accomplished, including the engagement of the Port Solar Array 4 Bar linkage, surveys of the Lab Non-propulsive Vent, Service Module Solar Arrays, and the Floating Potential Probe. The EVA 1 crew was back in the Airlock after approximately 6 hours 41 minutes, but remained there, on umbilicals, until the PMA3 relocation task was completed. The EVA 2 crew completed their EVA in just over 6 hours 21 minutes.
Prebreathe Readiness Tiger Team
The EVA Project Office initiated a Prebreathe Readiness Tiger Team in February 2001, to evaluate and establish readiness to implement prebreathe protocols using the Joint Airlock. Protocols under evaluation are the 2-hour Exercise Protocol and 10.2 Joint Airlock Depress (Campout). In addition, backup plans in the event of hardware failure are being addressed; for example, certification of the Shuttle Cycle for prebreathe exercise as a backup for the ISS Cycle during docked operations. The team’s goal is to identify and resolve all open issues before 7A EVA CoFR1 on April 3, 2001. Team members include EVA Operations, Medical Operations, EVA Safety, Flight Director’s Office, and the 2-hour Exercise Prebreathe Principle Investigator. To date approximately 50 action items have been identified in the areas of hazard report closure, hardware manifesting, hardware certification, flight rule approval, operations training, and agency coordination. Approximately ten have been closed. It should be noted that this team is specifically not addressing scientific validity nor recommending any given protocol, but are simply ensuring that every JSC organization is ready to implement any required protocol starting at 7A EVA 3.
Original signed by:
G. Allen Flynt
Deputy Manager
