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Earth orbital operations supporting manned interplanetary missionsThe orbital operations required to accumulate, assemble, test, verify, maintain, and launch complex manned space systems on interplanetary missions from earth orbit are as vital as the flight hardware itself. Vast numbers of orbital crew are neither necessary nor desirable for accomplishing the required tasks. A suite of robotic techniques under human supervisory control, relying on sensors, software and manipulators either currently emergent or already applied in terrestrial settings, can make the job tractable. The mission vehicle becomes largely self-assembling, using its own rigid aerobrake as a work platform. The Space Station, having been used as a laboratory testbed and to house an assembly crew of four, is not dominated by the process. A feasible development schedule, if begun soon, could emplace orbital support technologies for exploration missions in time for a 2004 first interplanetary launch.
Document ID
19900056445
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Sherwood, Brent
(Boeing Aerospace Co. Huntsville, AL, United States)
Buddington, Patricia A.
(Boeing Aerospace Huntsville, AL, United States)
Whittaker, William L.
(RedZone Robotics, Inc. Pittsburgh, PA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 14, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1989
Subject Category
Astrodynamics
Report/Patent Number
AAS PAPER 89-184
Meeting Information
Meeting: AAS/NASA Intl. Symposium on Orbital Mechanics and Mission Design
Location: Greenbelt, MD
Country: United States
Start Date: April 24, 1989
End Date: April 27, 1989
Accession Number
90A43500
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAS2-12108
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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