Planning for Orbital Repairs to the Space Station and Equipment

At some future time, on orbit repairs will have to be made to Space Station parts that become damaged, or otherwise lose their functional capabilities. This paper is a summary of the extensive study Grumman performed to define sources of structural and mechanical damage, define tools and fabrication processes for repair, implement prototype tool development, design and construct a mock-up of a Maintenance Work Station (MWS), and perform repairs under simulated “zero G” conditions.

This study program confirmed the premise that repairs must and can be made by Astronauts while in an orbital environment. Since the program only began to investigate and solve the engineering problems of performing repairs in a space environment, adequate planning for engineering design and development is required to provide safe and continued operation of the Space Station.