New Innovative Tools for Hubble
“Hubble was originally designed to be serviceable, so there was a set of tools that were developed to meet core servicing needs, but as each mission developed, we did a lot more servicing than we ever imagined would be done to the telescope,” said Mark Jarosz, extra-vehicular activity and crew systems manager at Goddard. “So in order to do those new things — like repairs on the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) and the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) science instruments — unique tools are needed.”
A final servicing shuttle mission to the Hubble Space Telescope will be arriving very soon, with NASA engineers at Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland working on custom tools, with many other aids to complete the necessary upgrades and repairs to the observatory. With the astronaut’s limited mobility in their space suits, hand fatigue is a common occurrence against fighting continuously against the pressure of the suit, preventing normal tools from being used in space. What are being designed are larger tools with specially designed handles and triggers that allow the astronauts to work in their bulky suits while in space.
Another thing influencing space tools are the huge weather extremes, which means developing the need for certain durable materials and lubricants that are not found in traditional stores. Anything that has the normal wet lubricant or oil cannot be used, as it creates a need for special materials and lubricants not found in traditional places.
It would appear that normal tools could not be used in space, but they can be adapted to make them fit for the specific job, with the majority of the astronaut’s inventory of custom tools being modified versions of the average tool used here on Earth. Some examples are sockets and socket extender bars, with the remaining tools being designed and built to help the astronauts when they are out on their spacewalks, doing the Hubble repairs. The Hubble instruments and components can be changed and repaired with some new cutting-edge technologies, even though there is a guaranteed lifetime for their longevity.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 12th, 2008 at 1:36 am and is filed under Space Agency News, Technical Concerns, The Gear to Get There. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
