The usefulness of a Universal Work Station (UWS) for performing extravehicular tasks is addressed in this paper. EVA productivity is limited by associated overhead penalties, one of which relates to the need for multiple trips to and from work sites to retrieve tools and other work aids. The significance of the UWS in reducing these costs, and its inherent contribution to logistics resupply savings and crew safety is discussed.
Design requirements for a UWS are determined by the variety of work sites and the multitudinous tasks that must be conducted on EVA to meet the goals of the Space Station program. EVA missions/tasks have been examined at Grumman in order to derive parameters such as EVA duration, job performance requirements, work envelope considerations, and translation times. The development of a design reference mission and a typical EVA scenario is discussed with regard to the utility of a UWS.
As a result of mission analyses, several design recommendations are made for the EVA UWS system. Setup and breakdown time at the work site can be vastly reduced by implementing dedicated work stations at areas of frequent EVA. Controls located on the UWS allow the astronauts to position the UWS, to maneuver the handling and positioning aid which the serviced payload is mounted, or to maneuver other mobile arms, as desired, Tools stored on the UWS and procedures accessed via a display system allow the astronauts to perform the required tasks productively and autonomously.