4
$\begingroup$

What parts and tools are carried aboard the ISS for general repairs and maintenance?

Mechanical: nuts and bolts, screws, drivers? Wrenches, pliers, saws?

Plumbing: rigid or flexible tubing? Heat-shrink fittings? Silicone caulk?

Electrical: wires, wire strippers, soldering equipment (I imagine the fumes and fire hazard would be a non-starter!)

Improve this question
$\endgroup$
6
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ This question space.stackexchange.com/questions/12391/… shows some of the tools. More details on the tools are at the link in the answer. A complete answer to your question would be lengthy. $\endgroup$
    – Organic Marble
    Jul 28, 2016 at 22:42
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @OrganicMarble hm. Perhaps a summary of what there is would be the way to go. If the sorts of repairs that are done or might need to be done are maybe listed, then maybe the sorts of tools and parts that are on hand can be summarized without having to make a long list. It is an interesting topic if we can find a good way to approach it. $\endgroup$
    – kim holder
    Jul 31, 2016 at 21:46
  • $\begingroup$ They actually do have soldering equipment on the ISS; it's been used for experiments but AFAIK it hasn't yet been needed for repair. $\endgroup$
    – pericynthion
    Aug 1, 2016 at 16:27
  • $\begingroup$ Funny enough they have spare parts since few years ago for a robotic arm which has yet to be flown to the ISS $\endgroup$
    – Antzi
    Aug 1, 2016 at 17:32
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @OrganicMarble indeed. I didn't noticed the nuance between parts and units. Hopefully it'll be launched soon, I can't wait to see a video of it in action with its rather unique capability $\endgroup$
    – Antzi
    Aug 2, 2016 at 16:46

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
5
$\begingroup$

This answer assumes that the question does not refer to Orbital Replacement Units.

The definitive reference needed to answer this question for the US side of the ISS is the International Space Station In-Flight Maintenance Book aka the IFM Checklist. Unfortunately the only one I can find online is quite old, December 2000. Johnson Space Center reorganizations have even changed the organization which owns this document. It is now the Operations Support Officer group, not the Maintenance Repair Group.

The Reference section of this document contains tool and hardware lists, too lengthy to reproduce here (especially for an outdated document). Here's the relevant part of the table of contents, and some representative pages.

enter image description here

tool kit list

enter image description here

Spare/diagnostic cabling

enter image description here

The bulk of the document contains procedures for performing maintenance and repair.

A more up-to-date tool list can be found in the links used in the answer to this question.

A link to an updated version of the IFM Checklist would be most welcome.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.