XA/EVA Project Office Weekly Activity Report June 21, 2001
Ranger Telerobotic Experiment Crew Familiarization
The EVA Project Office coordinated a Crew Familiarization visit to the University of Maryland Neutral Buoyancy Research Facility on June 5, 2001, to see the Ranger Telerobotic Experiment mockup, and to observe a neutral buoyancy demonstration of the contingency EVA stow procedure. From the Astronaut Office, crewmembers John Grunsfeld, Rick Linnehan, Jim Newman, and Mike Massimino supported the test. The Ranger Robot Assembly will be mounted to the base of a Spacelab Pallet by a large, single, fixed leg. The robot has two dexterous “arms” and a dexterous camera “head.” The planned flight experiment will simulate the change-out of a typical ISS “black box” orbital replacement unit, and the set-up/tear-down of an EVA portable foot restraint. In summary, the proposed contingency EVA scenario looks good, and the crew provided valuable comments concerning Ranger EVA interfaces, handrail/foot restraint locations, visual markings, and other associated EVA requirements. The Ranger experiment is not currently manifested, but the program managers are pressing forward with flight hardware fabrication in preparation for a possible flight opportunity in the 2003 timeframe.
ISS Maintenance and Contingency Task Requirements List
The ISS-3 Maintenance and Contingency Task Requirements List was baselined at the EVA Project Office CCB on June 8, 2001. It was taken to the IMT 3 on June 12, 2001, for inclusion into the next revision of PP3 IDRD. A maintenance and contingency list that extends through ISS-8 is in work. Documentation of the proposed process for development and finalization of ISS and stage maintenance and contingency requirements is also in work. This process along with the requirements through ISS-8 will be taken to the MIOCB in a month in order to status the ISS Program on the EVA readiness for maintenance and contingency tasks.
Small Suit Delivery
A Class III small planar Hard Upper Torso (HUT) was recently received at JSC. It will be used during manned evaluations of development Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) softgoods in October. Last year, this prototype HUT was used during reach and performance evaluations and Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) runs. As a result of the evaluations, it was decided that several modifications should be made to the small planar HUT, and several small EMU-related softgoods should be developed. Since the evaluations, progress has been made in the preliminary designs of the small planar HUT and associated softgoods. Development softgoods are expected to be complete and ready for evaluation in August. In order to make the manned evaluations of these softgoods and the HUT modifications as realistic as possible, the prototype HUT has been modified to represent the changes being incorporated into the flight hardware.
BMRRM R&R Team Activities
The BMRRM (Bearing Motor, Roll Ring Module) R&R Team continues to develop the R&R procedures in the event the ISS program decides to replace the BMRRM during an upcoming mission. Solar array wing arcing concerns have resulted in recent changes to the original concept that involved also removing the Sequential Shunt Unit (SSU). The team has identified alternate operation concepts and is reviewing them with the appropriate disciplines. The R&R Team is also conducting EVA fit checks of the Vice Clamp Contingency Tool this week to verify it will be ready should there be any difficulties with the Vice Clamp Bolt during a BMRRM R&R. The R&R Team will support further program level discussions at the SSPCB on 6/26/01.
Original signed by
G. Allen Flynt
Acting Manager
