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Local Expertise Contributes to Space Station Power Up
Glenn engineers watched with pride as the most complex assembly sequence to date of the International Space Station (ISS) during Discovery STS-116's eight-day mission, which concluded Friday, December 22.
Image right: Space Shuttle Discovery STS-116 crew in shuttle suits are: front row, left to right, astronauts William A. Oefelein, pilot; Joan E. Higginbotham, mission specialist; and Mark L. Polansky, commander. Back row, left to right, Robert L. Curbeam, Nicholas J.M. Patrick, Sunita L. Williams and the European Space Agency's Christer Fuglesangk, all mission specialists. Credit: NASA
Following safe docking and inspection of the orbiter, the STS-116 crew continued the on-orbit construction of the ISS on Dec. 12 by installing the P5 spacer truss that serves as a spacer connecting the larger P3/P4 and P6 truss segments -- the first of four spacewalks conducted during the mission. The next two spacewalks were devoted to major reconfiguration and activation of the ISS electrical and thermal control system powering station, along with delivery of Zvezda Service Module debris panels, which will increase ISS protection from potential impacts of micrometeorites and orbital debris. A fourth spacewalk was added to allow the crew to retract the two pairs of solar arrays on the P6 truss that folded improperly.
The station's electric power system consists of power generation, energy storage and power management and distribution equipment. Since 1998, the station has been running in a temporary configuration. The rewiring activities conducted during this mission enabled station's power system to switch to a new, permanent configuration.
Glenn managed the overall design and architecture of station's electric power system in the early 1990s. "Because we are well versed with station's power system capabilities and hardware configurations, members of Glenn's Electric Power System Management Team were available to consult on any issues that may have occurred," said Greg Schmitz, International Space Station Subsystem Management Team lead, Programs and Projects Directorate.
In partnership with NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Glenn's Electric Power System Management Team continues its responsibility for technical oversight of the station's power capability. "Turning on the power for station during this flight sets the stage for attachment of the European and Japanese research modules next year," said Tony Jannette, an electrical power system engineer, Power and Communications Systems Analysis Branch.
The P5's installation was not the only change station undergone during the STS-116 mission. Discovery also delivered Ohio native Sunita Williams, who replaces European Space Agency Astronaut Thomas Reiter on the Expedition 14 crew. Williams will serve as a flight engineer during her six-month tour of duty aboard the ISS.
For more information on Glenn's contributions to the International Space Station, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/projects/issgrc.html. Additional information on STS-116, is available at http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle
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Glenn engineers watched with pride as the most complex assembly sequence to date of the International Space Station (ISS) during Discovery STS-116's eight-day mission, which concluded Friday, December 22. Image right: Space Shuttle Discovery STS-116 crew in shuttle suits are: front row, left to right, astronauts William A. Oefelein, pilot; Joan E. Higginbotham, mission specialist; and Mark L. Polansky, commander. Back row, left to right, Robert L. Curbeam, Nicholas J.M. Patrick, Sunita L. Williams and the European Space Agency's Christer Fuglesangk, all mission specialists. Credit: NASA
Following safe docking and inspection of the orbiter, the STS-116 crew continued the on-orbit construction of the ISS on Dec. 12 by installing the P5 spacer truss that serves as a spacer connecting the larger P3/P4 and P6 truss segments -- the first of four spacewalks conducted during the mission. The next two spacewalks were devoted to major reconfiguration and activation of the ISS electrical and thermal control system powering station, along with delivery of Zvezda Service Module debris panels, which will increase ISS protection from potential impacts of micrometeorites and orbital debris. A fourth spacewalk was added to allow the crew to retract the two pairs of solar arrays on the P6 truss that folded improperly.
The station's electric power system consists of power generation, energy storage and power management and distribution equipment. Since 1998, the station has been running in a temporary configuration. The rewiring activities conducted during this mission enabled station's power system to switch to a new, permanent configuration.
Glenn managed the overall design and architecture of station's electric power system in the early 1990s. "Because we are well versed with station's power system capabilities and hardware configurations, members of Glenn's Electric Power System Management Team were available to consult on any issues that may have occurred," said Greg Schmitz, International Space Station Subsystem Management Team lead, Programs and Projects Directorate.
In partnership with NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Glenn's Electric Power System Management Team continues its responsibility for technical oversight of the station's power capability. "Turning on the power for station during this flight sets the stage for attachment of the European and Japanese research modules next year," said Tony Jannette, an electrical power system engineer, Power and Communications Systems Analysis Branch.
The P5's installation was not the only change station undergone during the STS-116 mission. Discovery also delivered Ohio native Sunita Williams, who replaces European Space Agency Astronaut Thomas Reiter on the Expedition 14 crew. Williams will serve as a flight engineer during her six-month tour of duty aboard the ISS.
For more information on Glenn's contributions to the International Space Station, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/projects/issgrc.html. Additional information on STS-116, is available at http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle
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