Supportability Concepts for Long-Duration Human Exploration Missions

Abstract

Recent efforts have yielded a supportability conc ept, a set of design and operational themes, and identification of technologies that will be key to the effective support of future human space exploration missions. The goals of the supportability concept are to enable crew autonomy, minimize mass and vo lume of spares and crew support items, reduce crew overhead activities, and enhance overall mission robustness. These goals can be achieved, in part, by implementing a maintenance approach that emphasizes repair of failed hardware at the lowest levels rat her than removal and replacement at higher levels. This approach will require the introduction of new repair and manufacturing technologies and enabling programmatic and design requirements. Important lessons have been learned from previous programs suc h as Skylab, the Space Shuttle, and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and will be learned from ongoing support of the International Space Station and from development efforts conducted in various analog facilities.