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Hypervelocity Impacts on ISS Handrails and Evaluation of Alternative Materials to Prevent Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) Glove Damage During EVADuring post-flight processing of STS-116, damage to crewmember Robert Curbeam's Phase VI Glove Thermal Micrometeoroid Garment was discovered. This damage consisted of: loss of RTV-157 palm pads on the thumb area on the right glove, a 0.75 inch cut in the Vectran adjacent to the seam and thumb pad (single event cut), constituting the worst glove damage ever recorded for the U.S. space program. The underlying bladder and restraint were found not be damaged by this event. Evaluation of glove damage found that the outer Vectran fibers were sliced as a result of contact with a sharp edge or pinch point rather than general wear or abrasion (commonly observed on the RTV pads). Damage to gloves was also noted on STS-118 and STS-120. One potential source of EMU glove damages are sharp crater lips on external handrails, generated by micrometeoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) impacts. In this paper, the results of a hypervelocity impact (HVI) test program on representative and actual ISS handrails are presented. These tests were performed in order to characterize impact damage profiles on ISS handrails and evaluate alternatives for limiting risk to future missions. It was determined that both penetrating and non-penetrating MMOD impacts on aluminum and steel ISS handrails are capable of generating protruding crater profiles which exceed the heights required for EMU glove abrasion risk by an order of magnitude. Testing demonstrated that flexible overwraps attached to the outside of existing handrails are capable of limiting contact between hazardous crater formations and crewmember gloves during extravehicular activity (EVA). Additionally, replacing metallic handrails with high strength, low ductility, fiber reinforced composite materials would limit the formation of protruding crater lips on new ISS modules.
Document ID
20090010029
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Other
Authors
Ryan, Shannon
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Christiansen, Eruc
(Lunar and Planetary Inst. Houston, TX, United States)
Davis, B. Alan
(Lunar and Planetary Inst. Houston, TX, United States)
Ordonez, Erick
(Lunar and Planetary Inst. Houston, TX, United States)
Date Acquired
August 24, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2009
Subject Category
Man/System Technology And Life Support
Report/Patent Number
JSC-17548
Meeting Information
Meeting: 5th European Conference on Space Debris
Location: Darmstadt
Country: Germany
Start Date: March 30, 2009
End Date: April 2, 2009
Sponsors: European Space Agency
Funding Number(s)
WBS: WBS 401769.06.03.07.03.07
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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