Space Station utilization

Progress in the definition of Manned Space Station (MSS) capabilities and operations as of June 1985 is assessed in terms of the user requirements and engineering decisions. Input for making design and performance envelope decisions has come from various NASA offices, the NOAA, ESA and Japan. NASA, in coordinating the planning, is incorporating as much flexibility as possible to accommodate unforeseen requirements of the various participants. The decisions extend to the co-orbiting and polar orbiting platforms that are actually integral parts of the MSS concept. The rapid identification of uses of the MSS and man-tended platforms has defined sufficient uses to surpass the STS launch capabilities in the late 1990s and projected data recording capabilities. Other activity requests to-date have included 400 hr of EVA, 120 kW solar power input and six Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle missions the first year of operation.