International Space Station Extravehicular Activity Maintenance Concept of Operations – Interim Solution

There has been an assembly complete maintenance concept of operations associated with International Space Station (ISS) since the earliest design stages. However, ISS has been and will be at an intermediate stage of completion for several more years, requiring an interim solution to conduct maintenance. The ISS Program's logistics and maintenance plan dictates which spare components are on-orbit already and the order in which new ones will launch. This information dictates what Extravehicular Activity (EVA) maintenance capabilities are expected, which then has to be reconciled with the support equipment available that enables EVA to perform those tasks safely and effectively. The interim solution described is characterized by use of those ISS EVA components and methods that have proven efficient and useful during the ISS assembly EVA's performed to date. Finally, a vision of long term ISS maintenance is provided considering the various factors currently affecting ISS operations planning.