XA/EVA Project Office Weekly Activity Report July 26, 2001
Temporary Equipment Restraint Aid (TERA) Base TERA and CDR
The Temporary Equipment Restraint Aid (TERA) Base Critical Design Review (CDR) and Tool-Head Preliminary Design Review (PDR) were held jointly on July 17, 2001. No new issues were identified during the design review. TERA is currently undergoing structural and functional design changes required to accommodate the increased size of the Flight Releasable Attachment Mechanism (FRAM) and the Orbital Replacement Units (ORU’s) that will populate the FRAM’s. The tool head of the TERA, currently a ball-socket configuration, is being redesigned to a swing arm design. Due to the mid-September TERA delivery schedule for integration on the S0 segment, the change is being performed in two steps. The Ball-Socket joint will be cut off of the TERA Base and replaced with an EVA compatible socket. The TERA Base will be delivered in mid-September and launched on S0 as scheduled on STS-110/8A. On a future flight, the new swing arm tool-head design will be launched and installed into the EVA socket on the TERA Base to form the complete TERA. The tool-head redesign is currently scheduled to be complete by the end of February 2002.
STS-132/2J/A Cupola NBL Verification Test
The Cupola NBL verification test was conducted the week of July 16, 2001. EVA assembly, maintenance, and contingency operations were tested per the requirements documented in the Cupola Bilateral Integration and Verification Plan (BIVP). No major hardware issues were identified. The Crew Consensus Report will officially document all the issues. A review of the flight blankets is planned to ensure they meet EVA requirements.
EVA Technical Interchange Meeting (TIM)
Representatives from NASA and Energia met in Moscow at an EVA Technical Interchange Meeting (TIM) to conduct a design review of the Russian-proposed fairlead hardware for use on the Russian Segment (RS) of the ISS. Installation and use of fairleads will mitigate Russian concerns about NASA’s safety tether entangling with or damaging RS sensors, arrays, antennas, targets, etc., during EVA’s. The agenda for the design review included topics related to optional hardware configurations, recommendations for design improvements to meet safety or utilization concerns, the approach to testing and certifying the hardware, integration of the proposed hardware on the Russian segment, proposed locations, various launch options, a proposed production schedule to meet launch options, and a forward action plan. The fairlead design is on schedule for deliveries the first quarter of fiscal year 2002.
STS-104/7A EVA Status
STS-104/7A crew successfully performed EVA 3 from the ISS Joint Airlock. This 4 hour 1 minute EVA installed the fourth high-pressure gas tank and demonstrated that the ISS airlock is a working base for ISS EVA operations. The new exercise Prebreathe Protocol was successfully performed prior to STS-104/7A EVA 3 on ISS. Support equipment from the ISS ECLSS and CheCS systems performed nominally.
Prior to EVA 1 of the mission, one of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Increased Capacity Batteries (ICB) had leaked Potassium Hydroxide. Four ICB’s, including the leaking ICB, were returned on STS-104/7A, two were left on ISS. The conditions believed to have caused the failure do not exist for the ICB’s being flown on STS-105/7A.1. EMU batteries of the previous design are available to support 7A.1 in the event the planned ground testing of the 7A ICB uncovers an unexpected problem.
Original signed by:
G. Allen Flynt
Acting Manager
