Questions tagged [in-space-repairs]

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With independent control of attitude and thrust direction, could JWST be kept pointing in a “safe” direction during "towing"?

Context: JWST is considered un-repairable in its current L2 location for a number of reasons: Diagnosis is difficult since JWSR has no “selfie” capability. This makes planning for any repair mission (...
Woody's user avatar
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Does NASA document what it contemplates? "NASA had already been contemplating a costly and risky robotic refueling mission" for JWST

Ars Technica's All hail the Ariane 5 rocket, which doubled the Webb telescope’s lifetime says: Because ten years seemed like a fairly short operational period for such an expensive and capable space ...
uhoh's user avatar
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3 answers
946 views

How would a repair of the JWST proceed if it were ordered regardless of the cost and technical hurdles, depending on when/how it fails? [closed]

I have heard people speaking about how, unlike Hubble, the James Webb Space Telescope is "one of a kind", "not designed to be repaired", "not serviceable", and the like, ...
Grant Hartlage's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
366 views

Which S-Band ISS antenna stopped transmitting to TDRS and was replaced during the recent 2021-12-02 EVA?

CNN's says: Marshburn and Barron began their spacewalk at 6:15 a.m. ET, and it's expected to last for about six and a half hours. The team will replace a malfunctioning communications antenna. Live ...
uhoh's user avatar
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24 votes
3 answers
9k views

If you release a tool outside the ISS in space will it remain at the "same" place forever?

If an astronaut doing a repair outside the International Space Station (ISS) gently lets go of a tool into space, will it keep "flying" (orbiting) at the same spot relative to the ISS where ...
André Dias's user avatar
7 votes
0 answers
189 views

Is the Hubble Space Telescope on its last legs, or "back to normal"?

Hubble was designed to accommodate regular servicing and equipment upgrades while in orbit. Instruments and limited life items were designed as orbital replacement units. Five servicing missions (SM 1,...
uhoh's user avatar
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7 votes
1 answer
292 views

Suppose Hubble needed to be fixed by replacing an accessible module again and NASA called for help, what are the most likely mission proposals?

Background Hubble has had at least a few troubling issues that were resolved from the ground in recent years, a summary can be found in Engadget's NASA struggles to fix a Hubble Space Telescope ...
uhoh's user avatar
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7 votes
2 answers
443 views

What have astronauts used rolls of Kapton tape for?

An image (also below) in an answer to the question "How often is duct tape used during crewed space missions?" shows a roll of the gray stuff next to a roll of Kapton tape, aboard the ...
DrSheldon's user avatar
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12 votes
2 answers
740 views

How was the Skylab 'parasol' deployed?

The parasol shield set up by the first Skylab crew was deployed through a scientific airlock. How did they control this when the inner hatch of the airlock must have been closed?
GordonD's user avatar
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9 votes
2 answers
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How does MEV use its "ion thruster on a stick" technology?

I was reading Politico's Biden’s space policy: One giant leap for climate change and some algorithm embedded a "Learn more about MEV; Northrop Grumman" advertisement in the story. (...
uhoh's user avatar
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14 votes
3 answers
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How are the Mars Rovers maintained?

I am really curious in finding out how the Mars Rovers are maintained. The communications with the software could be done as long as there are no connection malfunctions, and I suppose they have a ...
Polar Bear's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
224 views

How badly would commodity handheld power tools, with cheap "duct tape" modifications, work in (EVA) space?

Popular articles about the handheld power tools used on EVA by astronauts usually focus substantially on how much specialized engineering goes into making these tools. And there definitely are a lot ...
ikrase's user avatar
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18 votes
1 answer
3k views

Are there any ISS component failures that could cause irreparable harm to the station?

What component, if any, would cause irreparable harm ("total") the ISS if it were to break or require replacement? If this component exists, when is it going to reach its end-of-life? By "total", I ...
Dragongeek's user avatar
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4 votes
0 answers
98 views

Why dwell when checking for leaks on AMS-02?

On spacewalk 4/4 of the AMS-02 repair mission, Luca discovered a leak in one of the spliced coolant lines. They then had to wait an hour after a repair before re-testing the joint; a 'mandatory dwell'....
0xDBFB7's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
102 views

What is the most likely range of orbits for on-orbit servicing satellite?

An on-orbit servicing satellite (OOS) is one what would be use for servicing, refueling, assembly in space. Would there be any specific orbit or standard orbit or at least most-likely range of ...
do_b's user avatar
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3 votes
0 answers
120 views

Speculative assumptions about ISS end of life vs. physical limitations

Is it possible to modernize ISS, replace parts one by one and it will still work, or is there a set of components which can't be replaced and will therefore come to a non-extendible "hard" end of life ...
J. Doe's user avatar
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16 votes
2 answers
2k views

What (if any) replacement parts have been 3D printed on the ISS and then installed?

The Phys.org article Six degrees of nuclear separation contains the following sentence in the introduction paragraph for background Astronauts now print their own parts in space to repair the ...
uhoh's user avatar
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53 votes
5 answers
11k views

How often is duct tape used during crewed space missions?

It seems Apollo missions carried some variety of gray tape, likely Duct Tape or similar. There's the scene in the movie Apollo 13 and the reality behind it discussed in the video below. Question: How ...
uhoh's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
322 views

How to slow a spinning spacecraft externally?

I came accross the is question What are the consequences to breaking the ISS? and wander how would a spacecraft be made to stop spinning from the outside? Scenarios might include (but are not limited ...
Muze's user avatar
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9 votes
2 answers
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Would recovery from these three problems on the ISS each require astronauts on board?

YouTube auto-played this to me after Scott Manley. I don't really recommend this channel as there are a lot of small errors due to the speaker's unfamiliarity with the science and mis-speaks like ...
uhoh's user avatar
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8 votes
1 answer
627 views

How many leaks have been fixed on the ISS, roughly?

Leaks come in all sizes. Very small ones might be ignored or remain undetected, slightly faster ones might be identified and dispositioned; if they are slow and going to remain stable, they might not ...
uhoh's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
265 views

Power requirements for NASA's Variable Power Laser Welding Torch

NASA uses a Variable-Power Handheld Laser Torch for their welding in space operations and fixing things in orbit. I've got several questions about this system. Is this system currently available/in ...
Dragongeek's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
216 views

Is satellite retrieval still relevant given the progress of in-orbit service?

The downmass capability was one of the US Air Force's requirements in the Space Shuttle design. It was planned that the shuttle would retrieve spy satellites from orbit for refurbishing. This ability ...
Mys_721tx's user avatar
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18 votes
2 answers
4k views

Are satellite repairs in orbit still being performed nowadays?

The list of Shuttle missions contains quite a few of in-orbit repairs of commercial satellites. Meanwhile, Soyuz is about exclusively resupply/crew exchange missions to space stations, and this is ...
SF.'s user avatar
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10 votes
2 answers
860 views

Besides HST, JWST and stations, are there any examples of satellites designed for service in space?

update: I've just read these intriguing first sentence in the recently published (and paywalled) Aviation Weekly article No Second Chances On Webb Telescope Deployment: NASA has no plans to service ...
uhoh's user avatar
  • 149k
3 votes
1 answer
322 views

Space maintenance after Space Shuttle Program Shutdown

I was wondering, what if one of the satellites that were previously serviced by the space shuttle, like the Hubble Space Telescope, needs repairs now that the shuttle program is off? Are there other ...
99teko's user avatar
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3 votes
3 answers
557 views

Can a cubesat in orbit be operated like a R/C airplane in real time?

I was thinking about the answers and comments I got to this question (Can a cubesat be used to qualify parts in space?) and came across one that said satellites can't be fixed once launched into orbit ...
user11377's user avatar
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