The Payload Rack Road Show - Testing the Same Payload Rack in Three Different ISS Laboratory Modules
- Paper number
IAC-05-B4.2.01
- Author
Mr. Brian Rhone, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), United States
- Coauthor
Mr. Horst Koenig, European Space Agency (ESA)/ESTEC, The Netherlands
- Coauthor
Mr. Hideyuki Watanabe, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Japan
- Year
2005
- Abstract
A unique sequence of events concluded this past year. The same payload rack has been tested in the US Lab Destiny, the Japanese Lab Kibo, and the ESA Lab Columbus. By carrying a common payload rack from Florida to Tskuba, then to Bremen, a wealth of information was learned about the module-to-rack interfaces, and the likelihood of smooth on-orbit integration is now greatly increased. Payload Rack interchangeability across international laboratory modules is essential to optimize science operations on the International Space Station (ISS). During SpaceLab and SpaceHab missions, payloads were integrated into the laboratory prior to launch. This allowed for payload to vehicle compatibility to be validated during staged integration testing at KSC prior to installation of the lab into the Shuttle. This approach (ground testing in an on-orbit configuration prior to launch) is both impractical and at times impossible to achieve since many of the US payloads will be on-orbit prior to assembly of the international modules and other payloads will not be complete until after the lab modules are launched. Although many of the commonality issues for the payload rack and ISS interfaces have been worked analytically through design reviews and interface documentation negotiations, testing in the actual modules with a US Payload can reveal information and verification that cannot be obtained through analysis. According to International Agreements, the US has allocations to operate racks in all three laboratory modules: “Destiny”, “Kibo” and “Columbus”. Since the payloads that will operate in these modules cannot be integrated into the modules for ground testing in an on-orbit configuration, the ISS Payloads Office has pursued risk mitigation tests to determine that a representative United States International Standard Payload Rack (US-ISPR) can successfully be integrated and operate in each ISS laboratory module without any major problems. The risk mitigation test covers interface compatibility between the hosting module and a US-ISPR in the areas of physical accommodation; water cooling; power; video signal; low, medium and high rate data; rack maintenance switch; fire detection system; and command and data handling. The initial risk mitigation tests were performed in the US Laboratory at KSC using the Human Research Facility Flight Prototype Rack (HRF-FPR) as one of the representative US payloads. Using the KSC HRF-FPR to US Lab testing as a model, the HRF-FPR was used for similar testing in the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) “Kibo” in Tsukuba, Japan in 2003 and in the European Space Agency (ESA) Columbus Proto-Flight Module (COL PFM) in Bremen, Germany in 2004. In addition to accomplishing detailed test objectives, these international interface tests have offered further benefits. The planning and execution of these tests has provided an opportunity to define and exercise several multilateral processes regarding verification/qualification data assessment, payload operations, ground handling, and logistics. The baseline data collected from these tests will be beneficial for future on-orbit operations and payload development. This presentation will provide an overview of the past module to US-ISPR interface testing. Specific technical obstacles and their solutions will be presented and discussed as will the overall benefits of this testing to ensure safe and optimized science aboard the ISS.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-05-B4.2.01.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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