INTEGRATING THE SPACE STATION REMOTE MANIPULATOR SYSTEM INTO THE SPACE STATION ASSEMBLY PROCESS - THE CHALLENGES AND TECHNIQUES

The Canadian Mobile Servicing System (MSS) is an integral part of the International Space Station. It provides robotic manipulation and other capabilities designed to support Space Station assembly, maintenance, and utilization. The Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) is a crucial component of the MSS used to support early station assembly and maintenance. The SSRMS is manifested on the third Space Station assembly flight, aboard the U.S. Space Shuttle, as part of a pre-integrated truss segment. This paper describes SSRMS design and operational considerations associated with SSRMS manifesting, on-orbit deployment and check-out, on-orbit operations and maintenance, and interfaces to Shuttle and Station systems. Due to limited on-orbit resources available during early assembly pertaining to power, data, video, control station capability, mass and volume; the SSRMS must operate in a constrained resource envelope compared to its mature operational phase. The paper describes these constraints and special provisions required. Finally, the role of the SSRMS in Space Station assembly and maintenance operations is summarized.