Status Report

XA/EVA Project Office Weekly Activity Report March 22, 2001

By SpaceRef Editor
March 22, 2001
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Phase VI Glove Heater Anomaly Recovery

A Phase VI glove design review was conducted to review the design modifications to the 12V heater system necessary to support STS-100/6A. Representatives from all the EVA disciplines evaluated the design which will control the amount of energy to the heater elements in the Phase VI gloves. A plan was developed to address three technical issues: EMI concerns, thermal build up in the Voltage regulator in the event of a failure in the system, and fit of the Voltage regulator within the confines of the EMU envelope. In the event this modification can not be successfully implemented for STS-100/6A, a backup plan similar to that used by the 5A.1 crew will be implemented, using a “heater-on” duty cycle.

EVA Technical Interchange Meeting (TIM)

NASA, RSC-Energia, GCTC and Zvezda representatives conducted an EVA Technical Interchange Meeting (TIM), at Energia facilities in Korolev, Moscow Region, Russia from March 5-16, 2001. The purpose of the TIM was to discuss a variety of topics concerning the EVA capability from the Russian Segment and Joint Airlock aboard the International Space Station (ISS). NASA representatives included personnel from the EVA Project Office, the Engineering Directorate, Mission Operations Directorate, and SR&QA. During this EVA TIM, NASA and Russian representatives agreed on the rewording of the Safety Tether Non-Compliance Report (NCR), and the rewording of Generic Groundrules, Requirements and Constraints. In addition, the representatives agreed that, without an Orlan SAFER, Russians would need to submit an NCR addressing SSP41163 requirements for self-rescue. Russian representatives indicated significant interest in establishing Orlan-based EVA’s from Joint Airlock as quickly as possible, and suggested using Increments 3 and 4 to establish the capability. Participants agreed to continue discussions during a follow-up EVA TIM in Houston, currently proposed to occur in late April or early May.

CETA Cart Technical Interchange Meeting

The EVA Project Office participated in a 2-day TIM to assure a complete integration and verification plan exists for the integrated system, including the CETA Cart, MT, MT Energy Absorber, MBS, and inboard/outboard rails. During the course of the TIM, ICD’s covering the above mentioned hardware were compared for compatibility and accuracy. Required testing/fit checks were brainstormed and recommendations were formulated to be presented to the ISS Program Office. Weekly integration meetings will be held until issues are resolved.

EMU Audit

Representatives from NASA and USA conducted a joint audit of Hamilton Sundstrand Space Systems International (HSSSI) on the week of March 19, 2001. The audit was conducted in two phases. Phase 1 consisted of a self-audit performed by HSSSI on perceived quality issues and concerns noted by the COTR over the last 12 months. Phase 2 of the audit included a formal review of the results from Phase 1, an ISO 9001 compliance audit, and a compliance review of unique requirements within the USA specification #MTO802-101. Findings included one minor non-conformance and six observations. The minor non-conformance was due to a failure to completely document closure of actions from a previous audit. Corrective action plans and closure rationale is expected on all observations and non-conformances.

Original signed by:

G. Allen Flynt

Deputy Manager

SpaceRef staff editor.