A preliminary spacecraft servicing demonstration plan is prepared which leads to a fully verified operational on-orbit servicing system based on the module exchange, refueling, and resupply technologies. The resulting system can be applied at the space station, in low Earth orbit with an orbital maneuvering vehicle (OMV), or be carried with an OMV to geosynchronous orbit by an orbital transfer vehicle. The three phase plan includes ground demonstrations, cargo bay demonstrations, and free flight verifications. The plan emphasizes the exchange of multimission modular spacecraft (MMS) modules which involves space repairable satellites. Three servicer mechanism configurations are the engineering test unit, a protoflight quality unit, and two fully operational units that have been qualified and documented for use in free flight verification activity. The plan balances costs and risks by overlapping study phases, utilizing existing equipment for ground demonstrations, maximizing use of existing MMS equipment, and rental of a spacecraft bus.
Spacecraft Servicing Demonstration Plan
1984
312 pages
Report
Keine Angabe
Englisch
Unmanned Spacecraft , Manned Spacecraft , Orbital servicing , Service modules , Spacecraft maintenance , Spacecraft structures , Feasibility analysis , Cost analysis , Extravehicular activity , Manipulators , Multimission modular spacecraft , Orbit transfer vehicles , Orbital maneuvering vehicles , Orbital space stations , Propellant transfer , Refueling , Remote manipulator system , Spacecraft docking , Spacecraft modules
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