Project Gallery - Texas Aerospace Scholars Program

The International Space Station will require more EVA hours than have ever been attempted in space before. I got this information from lesson 3 out of the 12 assignments. For lesson 3 I designed a robot that would help in the construction of the space station, and drew a design and did a short essay, for my final project I took this lesson a step farther by making a model and wrighting a more detailed essay. In this essay I will elaborate in greater detail on the tools, propulsion, and the robotic arms(also known as a manipulator).

This robot is designed to help astronauts in the construction and repair of the International Space Station to significantly cut the construction time. This is done by ether constructing and repairing the the International Space Station it's self, by remote, or carrying tools for the astronauts that are too big or if there are too many tools for them to carry, by using the storage compartment on the back of the robot. The robot constructs and repairs the Space Station it's self by using the tools that it has attached to the front of it. On front of the robot it has all the basic tools carried by the astronauts: bolt puller, hammer, a probe, a drill, and a screw driver. Each front tool has its own arm attached to that tool, and each arm performs the correct motion for each tool. For example, the arm for the screw driver rotates left and right. To make sure the job is done correct each tool is laser guided for 100% accuracy. On the backside of the robot there is storage compartment for a range of power tools that can be carried for the astronauts if there is too many tool for them to carry or they are too big to be handled for long periods of time. The robot has two 7 degree of freedom hydraulic manipulators (robotic arms) too lock it self to the Space Station and also to handle equipment and parts of the Space Station. The manipulators use joint torque sensors (detects stress in the joints) to produce significantly improved performance for high accuracy tasks (1mm accuracy tolerance). The manipulators are also capable of lifting 1200lbs and exerting 600lbs of force. The robot will need to be in all types of positions to construct and repair the Space Station, so it has 14 small (40-pound trust) rockets, using hydrocarbon fuel, to move forward, backward, side to side, up and down, and also to rotate, flip, and pivot. It has 4 rockets on back for forward, flip, and rotation movements, 2 in front for backward movement, 2 on the left side and 2 on the right side for side to side and pivot movements, and 2 on top and 2 on bottom for up and down movements. Finally it has four cameras in front, back, and on the sides for 360 degree of vision to keep it from running in to things and damaging the robot. It not only can work on the Space Station but could be used in other space missions such as repair of the shuttle if needed, or the repair and/or retrieval of a satellite.

With all these capabilities i believe that this robot will be a great advancement and valuable resource for the Space Station and other shuttle missions.

>Sources<

>robotic arms

http://robots.mit.edu/research/manipulator/kepco.htm

>rockets

http://naca.larc.nasa.gov/reports/1958/naca-rm-e58d03a/

>tools

http://www.aerospacescholars.org/scholars/earthstationmoon/Unit2/unit2_ch5_files/tools_lg.gif

Final Project