New answers tagged iss
24
The suits used in the NBL are Class III "training only".
The Display and Control Module (control panel on the chest), the life support backpack, and the SAFER self-rescue unit are mocked-up.
Breathing air is supplied via an umbilical and bouyancy weigh-outs are added to the exterior of the suit.
So: the soft goods (arms, legs, gloves, boots), the helmet, ...
8
One could determine the planned locations of the crew during any given time by referring to the Flight Plan. For the reboost event described in the earlier answer https://space.stackexchange.com/a/39552/6944, we can look at where they were:
At the initiation of the reboost, the shuttle commander would have been in the Orbiter, presumably with another ...
4
I'm interpreting this question as "Did adjustments have to be made to the shuttle Digital Autopilot (DAP) while it was controlling the mated stack (shuttle + ISS) - i.e. was a maneuver tried, the results of the trial evaluated, and the DAP settings changed based on the results of the trial during the same shuttle mission?"
If that interpretation is correct, ...
10
No propellant was ever transferred from the Orbiter to the ISS.
Shuttle reboosted ISS using the Reaction Control System (RCS) jets.
The small 24 lbf vernier RCS jets were used.
The steps for executing the reboost were called out in the Flight Plan. Here's an example from STS-130. Note that it was done at the very end of the docked phase (straddling the ...
2
The ISS, Shuttle, and Mir have all had hand-held fire exinguishers. Mir actually used them. Shuttle also had built-in fire extinguishers in the avionics bays that were discharged remotely.
ISS portable fire extinguisher
Shuttle portable fire extinguisher
I think you over-estimate the difficulty of using them. Their nozzles are not optimized for maximum ...
8
The lubricant is a Braycote vacuum grease: Braycote 602-EF.
There is good information on the Latching End Effector (LEE) lubrication task (the task that actually applies the grease to the Space Station Remote Manipulator System end effector mechanisms) in this paper: Extravehicular Activity Development of Unforeseen International Space Station Maintenance
...
4
Many years ago, as a young engineer, I worked for Hamilton Standard who developed the Space Suit, and which had the remit to develop a Power Tool for Astronauts for the purposes of repairing the Space Telescope while in orbit. We interviewed astronauts regarding their experiences working 'extravehicular' ...meaning in space, mainly at that point, in the ...
8
The answer is given in the thread linked in @KaushikGhose's comment:
The space station solar arrays operate at 160 VDC. When the arrays are
producing power, the station structure will also tend to float to a
voltage close to the array voltage. Under these conditions, the space
station could be subjected to problems like arcing from its ...
19
"Earth" doesn't work the way you might think.
In any case, on a vehicle of almost any kind, "earth" is replaced by "metal chassis".
Your question is based on a very common misconception: that electricity wants to return to earth. Actually, electricity wants to return to source.
For instance, electrons at a battery's negative terminal want to return to ...
33
It isn't the actual level of charge (potential) that causes electric shock. but being connected to two things (like your iron and the ground) that are at different levels. Hence why birds can sit on a 750kV overhead line and not fry. The earth wire in a domestic system exists to keep all exposed metal at the same potential. Grounding everything to the frame ...
15
As far as I could find, there have been no cases of 3d printed parts being installed as direct replacements to ISS parts.
There is however a history of tools being printed (but not necessarily used) and some instances of "functional prints" (parts which aren't for fun, decoration, or technology validation which stay in orbit permanently).
In 2014, NASA ...
6
I'm pretty sure the quote is an overstatement. Though I imagine that over a long enough time, this might become reality.
I've checked my usual references, and while there are 3D printers on the ISS, which can create parts that can "theoretically" be used for something, I haven't found anything specifically answering the proposed question. From this source ...
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