International Space Station EVA Operations–Phase 2 Hardware Lessons Learned

Phase 2 of International Space Station (ISS) assembly is scheduled to be complete by mid 2001. This paper will describe lessons learned by the hardware providers relative to Extravehicular Activity (EVA) operation for that hardware. With the completion of flight 7A scheduled for June 2001, the space station will include the first set of US solar arrays, KU band and S band antennas, Laboratory module, Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS), and Airlock, all EVA assembled. Previously launched hardware will be reconfigured by EVA multiple times to accommodating the changing configuration of the space station to maintain operability. Since the use of EVA is critical to everything from attaching whole segments to installation of external hardware, to reconfiguration of thermal blankets, the EVA operability of this hardware has been an important aspect of the design. Many EVA operations, while well trained for, have not been previously attempted on-orbit. This paper will discuss the hardware lessons learned from completed Phase 2 assembly flights.