Satellite Servicing Demonstration

The Hubble Servicing Project goes to work
on other Satellites

After so many successful Hubble servicing missions our project has been tasked with taking this expertise to servicing other Satellites in space.  In the Fall of 2009, we started work on demonstration missions for the International Space Station that test key technologies.



The first of the two demonstration missions illustrated on-orbit refueling of another spacecraft.  This activity is important as many communications satellite have a limited life due to their fuel load at launch.  If they could be refueled in space, it would mean a significant savings in operating costs.  This demonstration mission is formally called "Robotic Refueling Dexterous Demonstration", and our code name for this project is R2D2.  My role on this new project is the Electrical Lead engineer responsible for the electronics in the tools and the refueling station.


Lab test of the R2D2 project.  The robot holds a refueling tool.

The second demonstration mission is called Dexterous Pointing Package, or DPP.  This hardware provides a means to detect the drift and oscillations of an object held by the SPDM Dextre robot, and sends commands to the robot to null these.  This creates a system by which a science instrument needing stable pointing can be quickly tested in space.


Concept of DPP being held by the Space Station SPDM robot.

Our first hardware to be tested is the camera interface to the SPDM robot.  This was done at the ISIL facility at the Johnson Space Center in Houston Texas.


Our test with the Space Station ground simulator (ISIL) at JSC (June 2010).


This is the ground version of the control station that controls the Space Station
robots.  The three blue screens provide video to the astronaut for feedback.


The ISIL is right next door to the Neutral Bouyancy Lab at the Sonny Carter Facility.
This is where astronauts are trained for space walk missions such as the
Hubble Servicing Missions.

In progress
This page will be updated as our project progresses.

Links

Back Home