Grabber arm mechanism for the Italian Research Interim Stage (IRIS)

Two deployable arms, named grabbers, were designed and manufactured to provide lateral stability of the perigee spinning stage which will be deployed from the Space Shuttle cargo bay. The spinning stage is supported by a spin table on a cradle at its base. The Italian Research Interim Stage (IRIS) is designed to carry satellites of intermediate mass up to 900 kg. The requirements are defined and the mechanism is described. Functional test results are presented.