TRW’S Astro Aerospace Awarded Boeing Exceptional Company Performance Award for Work on Mobile Transporter
Astro Aerospace, a
TRW Company , was awarded the Boeing Exceptional Company
Performance Award for its Mobile Transporter (MT), a railcar designed to
install and service equipment for the International Space Station (ISS).
The award was given, according to a Boeing citation, for “performance in
providing high quality, on-time delivery of orbiter subsystems, components and
services used in the International Space Station structures and mechanisms.”
The Supplier Award is an annual NASA Space Flight Awareness award that
honors outstanding performance by hardware, software and service supplier,
contractors, vendors and subcontractors who support NASA human space flight
programs. Eligibility criteria should include consideration of high-quality
products, excellent technical and cost performance, and adherence to
schedules.
“We are proud to be honored for our work on the Mobile Transporter,” said
Chris Yamada, president, Astro Aerospace. “The MT is the successful
culmination of years of dedicated effort at Astro and is a fine example of our
structures and mechanisms capability.”
The Mobile Transporter is a five-foot long mechanized structure built to
move very large objects around the exterior of ISS, with the help of an
attached robotic arm. The MT runs up and down the backbone (truss) of ISS on
a set of rails. The MT and a truss segment were attached to ISS in May 2002.
In a typical operation, the Space Shuttle brings up a new piece of ISS.
Responding to commands from the astronautics, the robotic arm holds the
equipment, and the MT carries it to its new location for installation by the
arm. The MT is powered to travel up and down the rails by an umbilical cable.
However, at a worksite, it plugs into a high-power electrical outlet.
Astro Aerospace designs and manufactures space deployable structures,
including AstroMesh furlable antennas and reflectors, AstroMast truss masts,
telescopic booms, storable tubular extendible members (STEM) and deep truss
structures (www.Astro-Aerospace.com ). TRW, Astro’s parent company, provides
advanced-technology products and services for the global aerospace,
information systems and automotive markets. Information about TRW is
available at www.trw.com .
Boeing NASA Systems is a business unit of Boeing Integrated Defense
Systems and is NASA’s prime contractor for the International Space Station and
responsible for design, construction and integrating the components. The
company also supports NASA in operating ISS.
Presently, ISS has 15,000 cubic feet of habitable volume — more room than
a conventional three-bedroom house — and weighs 335,000 pounds. There are
seven research racks on board, 16 system racks and 10 stowage racks. ISS
currently weighs about 335,000 lbs. and, at assembly complete, will weigh
almost one million pounds.
