Wow. Lots of EVA stuff.
STS-87 EXTRAVEHICULAR ACTIVITIES
Astronauts Winston Scott and Takao Doi will perform a six- hour spacewalk on Flight Day 6 of STS-87 to
evaluate equipment and procedures that will be used during construction and maintenance of the
International Space Station. This spacewalk will accomplish all of the primary objectives originally
planned as part of the STS-80 mission in November 1996 that were not be achieved due to a stuck airlock
hatch.
The spacewalk is the sixth in a continuing series of Extravehicular Activities (EVAs) called the EVA
Development Flight Tests (EDFT). This flight test series of spacewalks is designed to evaluate equipment
and procedures planned for the station and to build spacewalking experience in preparation for assembly of
the station. Scott is designated Extravehicular Crewmember 1 (EV-1) and will be distinguished by red
bands worn on the legs of his spacesuit. Doi is designated EV-2. STS-87 Mission Specialist Kalpana
Chawla will serve as the Intravehicular (IV) crewmember, assisting Scott and Doi from inside Columbia’s
crew cabin. Pilot Steve Lindsey also will assist with the spacewalks, controlling the robotic arm from inside
the cabin.
The spacewalk will include an end-to-end demonstration of a maintenance task simulating the changing out
of an International Space Station battery. A crane designed for use in moving large Orbital Replacement
Units (ORUs) on the space station will be evaluated as part of the task. ORUs can be any piece of
equipment that may be replaced on the station’s exterior, and, for this evaluation, the simulated station
battery will be moved using the crane. The evaluation of using the crane to move the simulated battery is
planned to take almost three hours. Following the large ORU evaluation, use of the crane for moving a
small ORU, a cable caddie that previously was used during an STS-72 spacewalk, will be evaluated by Doi
for about 45 minutes.
Scott will evaluate working with the simulated large ORU from a Portable Foot Restraint (PFR), a work
platform for spacewalkers, attached to the end of Columbia’s robotic arm. Among the evaluations
conducted during the spacewalk will be use of several temporary ORU handling and restraint aids, some of
which are attached to the Crane. The spacewalk also will evaluate the carrier for the simulated ORU, a
carrier that simulates a standard International Space Station ORU work site.
Later in the spacewalk, Scott will evaluate working with the simulated large ORU from a Portable Foot
Restraint (PFR), a work platform for spacewalkers. The spacewalk also will evaluate a variety of other
work aids and tools designed for use during station operations, including a Body Restraint Tether (BRT), a
type of "third hand" stabilizing bar for spacewalkers; a Multi-Use Tether (MUT), a type of stabilizing tether
similar to the BRT but that can be anchored to either round U.S. handrails or square Russian handrails; and
a Power Tool designed for the station. Detailed descriptions of the major items to be evaluated include:
Crane
The 156-pound crane is six feet tall and has a boom that telescopes from four feet long to an extended
length of 17.5 feet. It is designed to aid spacewalkers in transporting ORUs with a mass as great as 600
pounds from translation carts on the exterior of the International Space Station to various worksites on the
truss structure. The crane boom’s attachment mechanism may also provide a temporary stowage location
for large units during maintenance work. The crane will be unstowed and installed to a socket along the left
middle side of Columbia’s cargo bay for the evaluations. The crane’s boom may be extended by turning a
ratchet fitting using a power tool or by using a backup manually operated hand crank. The crane also can be
moved from side to side and up and down by respective manually operated hand cranks.
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 02/2001/Page 24
Battery Orbital Replacement Unit
A simulated battery for the International Space Station will be used for evaluations performed during STS-
87 because the batteries will be among the most massive station ORUs. The station batteries will be
mounted on the truss near the solar arrays and will provide power when the station moves into night on
each orbit. The object to be used during STS-87 is not a real battery, although its size, 41 x 39 x 19 inches,
and mass, about 354 pounds, closely imitate a station battery. It is also stowed in Columbia’s cargo bay in
fittings similar to those planned for stowing such replacement units during space station operations. The
ORU carrier simulates a standard International Space Station work site.
Cable Caddie
The Cable Caddie is a small carrier device planned to hold about 20 feet of replacement electrical line for
the space station. The operations of the Cable Caddie were flight-tested on STS-72 and on STS-87 it will be
used only to simulate a small ORU for the space station. No cable will be unwound. The Cable Caddie has
a mass of almost 50 pounds.
Body Restraint Tether
The Body Restraint Tether (BRT) is designed to hold a spacewalker steady when clamped to a handrail in
order to free his hands for working. It was first flown on STS-69 and further evaluated on STS-72. The
BRT is planned to provide a quick method of supplying stability for a spacewalker in a variety of locations
where a foot restraint is not available. The 15-inch long tether essentially seeks to provide the astronaut
with a “third hand” to add stability while working. During STS-87, the BRT will be evaluated by Doi.
Multi-Use Tether
The Multi-Use Tether (MUT) is a device similar to the BRT, but it has the capability to perform a greater
variety of tasks. Different end effectors can be attached to the tether to grip station ORUs, various
spacewalking tools or handrails. During STS- 87, Scott will use the MUT and evaluate it while using it to
assist with the other planned spacewalk evaluations.
Handling Aids
Two Scoops, handholds designed to attach to square robotics fittings on the ORU, will be evaluated for use
with the simulated battery. Also, a D-handle, which looks somewhat like a small, half steering wheel, may
be attached to one of the Scoops and evaluated as a tool to assist with manually maneuvering the ORU. The
D- handle evaluation is a continuation of handling studies originally conducted during Space Shuttle
mission STS-69.
Restraint Aids
An ORU Tether, a flexible, spring-loaded, retracting tether that automatically can hold an ORU firmly
against a steadying bracket, will be attached to the crane. During the crane evaluations, the simulated
battery will be detached from its carrier and attached to the ORU tether to evaluate it as a temporary
restraint. Such temporary restraints may be needed by spacewalkers to hold ORUs during changeout
activities on the station when two ORUs must be attached to the crane for a short period of time. Another
type of restraint attached to the crane will be a Ballstack, a rigidizing tether similar to the BRT with two
EVA Changeout Mechanisms (ECOM) at either end. The use of the Ballstack as a temporary restraint for
the simulated battery will be evaluated in a manner similar to the ORU tether
[/ICODE]
Cargo Bay Payloads: SPARTAN-201-04
USMP-4
EDFT Equipment
SOLSE
NASBE
OARE
LHP
TGDF
GAS-036
[ICODE]
[LIST]
[*]Bay 2 Stbd - LHP/NaSBE (Hitchhiker Payload - Sodium-Sulfur battery)
[*]Bay 3 Port - EDFT-05 / OTD (Extravehicular Activities, EVA crane)
[*]Bay 3 Stbd - EVA Foot restraint
[*]Bay 4 Port - GAS-036 (Hitchhiker Payload - High school experiment - mix cement in space)
[*]Bay 4 Stbd - EDFT-05 / ORU (Extravehicular Activities, dummy Orbital Replacement Unit).
[*]Bay 5 - Spartan 201-04 (Free-flying Solar observatory on its fourth flight.)
[*]Bay 6 Port - TGDF (Hitchhiker Payload - Physics of flames experiment)
[*]Bay 6 Stbd - LHP (Hitchhiker Payload - Heat pipe technology test)
[*]Bay 7 Stbd - SOLSE (Hitchhiker Payload - Ozone study)
[*]Bay 8 - 9 : United States Microgravity Payload-4 (USMP-4)
[LIST]
[*]Advanced Automated Directional Solidification Furnace (AADSF)
[*]Confined Helium Experiment (CHeX)
[*]Isothermal Dendritic Growth Experiment (IDGE)
[*]Materials for the Study of Interesting Phenomena of
[*]Solidification on Earth and in Orbit (MEPHISTO)
[*]Microgravity Glovebox Facility
[*]Enclosed Laminar Flames (ELF)
[*]Wetting Characteristics of Immiscible
[*]Particle Engulfment and Pushing by a Solid/Liquid Interface (PEP)
[*]Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS)
[*]Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment (OARE)
[/LIST]
[*]Bay 11keel - OARE Orbital Acceleration Research Experiment Accelerations
[*]Bay 12-13 - EDO Extended duration kit
[/LIST]
STS-87 EXTRAVEHICULAR ACTIVITIES
Astronauts Winston Scott and Takao Doi will perform a six- hour spacewalk on Flight Day 6 of STS-87 to
evaluate equipment and procedures that will be used during construction and maintenance of the
International Space Station. This spacewalk will accomplish all of the primary objectives originally
planned as part of the STS-80 mission in November 1996 that were not be achieved due to a stuck airlock
hatch.
The spacewalk is the sixth in a continuing series of Extravehicular Activities (EVAs) called the EVA
Development Flight Tests (EDFT). This flight test series of spacewalks is designed to evaluate equipment
and procedures planned for the station and to build spacewalking experience in preparation for assembly of
the station. Scott is designated Extravehicular Crewmember 1 (EV-1) and will be distinguished by red
bands worn on the legs of his spacesuit. Doi is designated EV-2. STS-87 Mission Specialist Kalpana
Chawla will serve as the Intravehicular (IV) crewmember, assisting Scott and Doi from inside Columbia’s
crew cabin. Pilot Steve Lindsey also will assist with the spacewalks, controlling the robotic arm from inside
the cabin.
The spacewalk will include an end-to-end demonstration of a maintenance task simulating the changing out
of an International Space Station battery. A crane designed for use in moving large Orbital Replacement
Units (ORUs) on the space station will be evaluated as part of the task. ORUs can be any piece of
equipment that may be replaced on the station’s exterior, and, for this evaluation, the simulated station
battery will be moved using the crane. The evaluation of using the crane to move the simulated battery is
planned to take almost three hours. Following the large ORU evaluation, use of the crane for moving a
small ORU, a cable caddie that previously was used during an STS-72 spacewalk, will be evaluated by Doi
for about 45 minutes.
Scott will evaluate working with the simulated large ORU from a Portable Foot Restraint (PFR), a work
platform for spacewalkers, attached to the end of Columbia’s robotic arm. Among the evaluations
conducted during the spacewalk will be use of several temporary ORU handling and restraint aids, some of
which are attached to the Crane. The spacewalk also will evaluate the carrier for the simulated ORU, a
carrier that simulates a standard International Space Station ORU work site.
Later in the spacewalk, Scott will evaluate working with the simulated large ORU from a Portable Foot
Restraint (PFR), a work platform for spacewalkers. The spacewalk also will evaluate a variety of other
work aids and tools designed for use during station operations, including a Body Restraint Tether (BRT), a
type of "third hand" stabilizing bar for spacewalkers; a Multi-Use Tether (MUT), a type of stabilizing tether
similar to the BRT but that can be anchored to either round U.S. handrails or square Russian handrails; and
a Power Tool designed for the station. Detailed descriptions of the major items to be evaluated include:
Crane
The 156-pound crane is six feet tall and has a boom that telescopes from four feet long to an extended
length of 17.5 feet. It is designed to aid spacewalkers in transporting ORUs with a mass as great as 600
pounds from translation carts on the exterior of the International Space Station to various worksites on the
truss structure. The crane boom’s attachment mechanism may also provide a temporary stowage location
for large units during maintenance work. The crane will be unstowed and installed to a socket along the left
middle side of Columbia’s cargo bay for the evaluations. The crane’s boom may be extended by turning a
ratchet fitting using a power tool or by using a backup manually operated hand crank. The crane also can be
moved from side to side and up and down by respective manually operated hand cranks.
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 02/2001/Page 24
Battery Orbital Replacement Unit
A simulated battery for the International Space Station will be used for evaluations performed during STS-
87 because the batteries will be among the most massive station ORUs. The station batteries will be
mounted on the truss near the solar arrays and will provide power when the station moves into night on
each orbit. The object to be used during STS-87 is not a real battery, although its size, 41 x 39 x 19 inches,
and mass, about 354 pounds, closely imitate a station battery. It is also stowed in Columbia’s cargo bay in
fittings similar to those planned for stowing such replacement units during space station operations. The
ORU carrier simulates a standard International Space Station work site.
Cable Caddie
The Cable Caddie is a small carrier device planned to hold about 20 feet of replacement electrical line for
the space station. The operations of the Cable Caddie were flight-tested on STS-72 and on STS-87 it will be
used only to simulate a small ORU for the space station. No cable will be unwound. The Cable Caddie has
a mass of almost 50 pounds.
Body Restraint Tether
The Body Restraint Tether (BRT) is designed to hold a spacewalker steady when clamped to a handrail in
order to free his hands for working. It was first flown on STS-69 and further evaluated on STS-72. The
BRT is planned to provide a quick method of supplying stability for a spacewalker in a variety of locations
where a foot restraint is not available. The 15-inch long tether essentially seeks to provide the astronaut
with a “third hand” to add stability while working. During STS-87, the BRT will be evaluated by Doi.
Multi-Use Tether
The Multi-Use Tether (MUT) is a device similar to the BRT, but it has the capability to perform a greater
variety of tasks. Different end effectors can be attached to the tether to grip station ORUs, various
spacewalking tools or handrails. During STS- 87, Scott will use the MUT and evaluate it while using it to
assist with the other planned spacewalk evaluations.
Handling Aids
Two Scoops, handholds designed to attach to square robotics fittings on the ORU, will be evaluated for use
with the simulated battery. Also, a D-handle, which looks somewhat like a small, half steering wheel, may
be attached to one of the Scoops and evaluated as a tool to assist with manually maneuvering the ORU. The
D- handle evaluation is a continuation of handling studies originally conducted during Space Shuttle
mission STS-69.
Restraint Aids
An ORU Tether, a flexible, spring-loaded, retracting tether that automatically can hold an ORU firmly
against a steadying bracket, will be attached to the crane. During the crane evaluations, the simulated
battery will be detached from its carrier and attached to the ORU tether to evaluate it as a temporary
restraint. Such temporary restraints may be needed by spacewalkers to hold ORUs during changeout
activities on the station when two ORUs must be attached to the crane for a short period of time. Another
type of restraint attached to the crane will be a Ballstack, a rigidizing tether similar to the BRT with two
EVA Changeout Mechanisms (ECOM) at either end. The use of the Ballstack as a temporary restraint for
the simulated battery will be evaluated in a manner similar to the ORU tether
[/ICODE]
Last edited: