Lessons Learned From the STS-120/ISS 10A Robotics Operations

Paper number

IAC-08.B3.3.5

Author

Mr. Sarmad Aziz, Canadian Space Agency, United States

Year

2008

Abstract

The STS-120/ISS 10A assembly mission was an unprecedented period during the life of the International Space Stations (ISS). The successful completion of the mission laid the foundation for the launch of the European and Japanese laboratories and continued assembly of the station. Unlike previous missions that concluded when the Space Shuttle undocked from the ISS, the 10A mission required critical assembly operations to continue after the Shuttle’s departure to relocate the Harmony module to its permanent location and activate its systems. The end-to-end mission lasted for almost a month and required the execution of seven space-walks, over twenty major robotics operations, and countless hours of ground commanding. The Canadian built Mobile Servicing System (MSS) and its robotics elements played a key a role in the success of the assembly operations. The mission presented the ISS robotics flight control team (ROBO) with unique challenges during the pre-mission planning and real-time execution of complex assembly tasks. The mission included the relocation of the P6 truss segment from the Z1 node to its permanent location on the P5 truss; a three day marathon of highly choreographed sequence of robotics operations and space-walks, and the reconfiguration of ISS structure to attach Harmony (Node 2) to the Destiny laboratory module; a six day sequence of complex robotics operations the majority of which was executed after the departure of the Shuttle and included an unprecedented amount of ground commanded robotics operations. Of all the robotics operations executed during the mission, none were more challenging than supporting the repair of a torn P6 solar array that was damaged during its deployment; a dramatic space-walk that pushed the MSS and the Robotics flight control team to new limits and required the real-time planning and execution of an intricate series of operations that spanned two days. 

This paper will present an analysis of the robotics operations executed during the STS-120 and 10A stage mission. The paper will highlight the unique challenges associated with the planning and execution of the P6 truss and Harmony module relocation tasks, as well as the robotics issues faced during the planning and execution of the solar array repair space-walk. The analysis will address the operational techniques and mission planning guideline used to deal with tight timelines, structural loads issues, ISS attitude control issues, and complex inter-dependencies between various ISS systems during the assembly and solar array repair operations. A detailed discussion of the lessons learned from the planning and execution of these complex robotics tasks, and how the lessons can be applied to future missions will also be presented.

Abstract document

IAC-08.B3.3.5.pdf

Manuscript document

IAC-08.B3.3.5.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).

To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.