Spacecraft docking mechanism
NASA Docking System (active androgynous variant on top, permanently passive variant on the bottom).
[
citation needed
]
Mechanical latches (visible on the guide petals) in the active ring clamp onto the passive section for contact and capture
IDAs shown connected to PMA-2 and PMA-3 on the Harmony node.
The
NASA Docking System
is NASA's implementation of the
International Docking System Standard
(IDSS), an international spacecraft docking standard promulgated by the
International Space Station Multilateral Coordination Board
. NDS is a
spacecraft docking and berthing mechanism
used on the
International Space Station
(ISS) and the
Boeing Starliner
and planned to be used on the
Orion spacecraft
. The
international Low Impact Docking System
(iLIDS)
[1]
was the precursor to the NDS. NDS Block 1 was designed, built, and tested by
The Boeing Company
in Huntsville Alabama. Design qualification testing took place through January 2017.
Using NDS, NASA developed the
International Docking Adapter
(IDA) to provide two IDSS-compliant docking ports on the ISS. The IDAs were delivered to the ISS starting in 2016. Each of two existing
Pressurized Mating Adapters
has an IDA permanently attached, so the former PMA function is no longer available for visiting spacecraft. Since 2019, visiting spacecraft that implement IDSS dock to the NDS ports on the IDAs. These include
Crew Dragon
, Cargo Dragon 2, and
Boeing Starliner
.
Design
[
edit
]
NDS supports both autonomous and piloted dockings and includes pyrotechnics for contingency undocking. Once mated the NDS interface can transfer power, data, and air; future implementations will be able to transfer water, fuel, oxidizer and pressurant as well.
[1]
The passage for crew and cargo transfer has a diameter of 800 millimetres (31 in).
[2]
In form and function NDS resembles the Shuttle/Soyuz
APAS-95 mechanism
already in use for the docking ports and
pressurized mating adapters
on the
International Space Station
. There is no compatibility with the larger
common berthing mechanism
used on the US segment of the ISS, the Japanese
H-II Transfer Vehicle
, the original
SpaceX Dragon
, and
Orbital Sciences' Cygnus
spacecraft. NDS is compatible with the IDSS implementation on
SpaceX Dragon 2
, both Crew Dragon and Cargo Dragon.
History
[
edit
]
Testing of the X-38 Low-Impact Docking System.
In 1996,
Johnson Space Center
(JSC) began development of the Advanced Docking Berthing System,
[3]
which would later be called the X-38 Low-Impact Docking System.
[4]
[5]
After the
X-38
was canceled in 2002, development of the mating system continued, but its future was unknown.
[3]
In 2004, President George W. Bush announced his
Vision for Space Exploration
and NASA's 2005
Exploration Systems Architecture Study
was created in response, recommended the use of the Low Impact Docking System (LIDS) for the
Crew Exploration Vehicle
(which was later named
Orion
) and all applicable future exploration elements.
[6]
The
Hubble Space Telescope
received the Soft-Capture Mechanism (SCM) on
STS-125
.
[7]
The SCM is meant for unpressurized docking, but uses the LIDS interface to reserve the possibility of an Orion docked mission.
[7]
The docking ring is mounted on Hubble's aft bulkhead.
[7]
It may be used for safely de-orbiting Hubble at the end of its service lifetime.
[7]
Image showing the design changes from IDSS revision b to c
In February 2010, the LIDS program became modified to be compliant with the IDSS and became known as the international Low Impact Docking System (iLIDS) or simply the NASA Docking System (NDS).
[8]
In May 2011, the NDS critical design review was completed and qualification was expected to be completed by late 2013.
[9]
In April 2012, NASA funded a study to determine if a less complex docking system could be used as the NASA Docking System that both met the international community's desire for a narrower soft capture system ring width, as well as providing the ISS a simpler active docking system compared to the then-planned design.
[10]
Boeing
's proposal was the Soft Impact Mating and Attenuation Concept (SIMAC), a design originally conceived in 2003 for the
Orbital Space Plane
(OSP) Program.
[10]
A leaked NASA internal memo from November 2012, stated that SIMAC had been chosen to replace the previous design and that the majority of the work on the NASA Docking System would be shifted from NASA JSC to Boeing.
[11]
In August 2014, Boeing announced that the critical design review for the redesigned NDS had been completed.
[12]
Following this change the IDSS was modified (to rev D), so the new design of the NASA Docking System is still compatible with the standard.
[10]
[2]
[12]
IDA-1 was part of the payload on
SpaceX CRS-7
in June 2015, but was destroyed when the
Falcon 9
rocket exploded during ascent.
[13]
IDA-2 was delivered successfully on SpaceX's
CRS-9
mission in July 2016, and then installed on PMA-2 in August of that year during a spacewalk by
Jeffrey Williams
and
Kathleen Rubins
as part of
Expedition 48
.
[14]
Crew Dragon Demo-1
was the first spacecraft to dock at this port on 2 March 2019.
IDA-3 was launched on the
SpaceX CRS-18
mission in July 2019.
[15]
IDA-3 is constructed mostly from spare parts to speed construction.
[16]
It was attached and connected to PMA-3 during a spacewalk on 21 August 2019.
[17]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
Parma, George (2011-05-20).
"Overview of the NASA Docking System and the International Docking System Standard"
(PDF)
. NASA. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 15 October 2011
. Retrieved
11 April
2012
.
- ^
a
b
"International Docking System Standard (IDSS) Interface Definitions Document (IDD) Revision D April 2015"
(PDF)
.
International Docking System Standard
. ISS Multilateral Control Board
. Retrieved
October 31,
2015
.
- ^
a
b
Low Impact Docking System (2009-02)
- ^
Advanced Docking/Berthing System - NASA Seal Workshop (2004-11-04)
Archived
2011-09-22 at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
Advanced Docking Berthing System
Archived
2009-02-26 at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
Wilson, Jim.
"NASA - NASA's Exploration Systems Architecture Study -- Final Report"
.
www.nasa.gov
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
NASA (2008).
"The Soft Capture and Rendezvous System"
. NASA
. Retrieved
May 22,
2009
.
- ^
"NASA Docking System (NDS) Technical Integration Meeting"
(PDF)
. February 15, 2013. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on February 15, 2013.
- ^
Bayt, Rob (2011-07-26).
"Commercial Crew Program: Key Driving Requirements Walkthrough"
. NASA. Archived from
the original
on 28 March 2012
. Retrieved
27 July
2011
.
- ^
a
b
c
Pejmun Motaghedi and Siamak Ghofranian (14 July 2014).
Feasibility of the SIMAC for the NASA Docking System
(PDF)
(Report). Boeing
. Retrieved
27 September
2014
.
- ^
Johnson Space Center (2012-11-13).
"NASA Decides to Adopt Boeing SIMAC Design for Docking and Is Retiring the iLIDS Design"
. SpaceRef
. Retrieved
15 November
2012
.
- ^
a
b
"Boeing Continues Progress on Improved Space Station Docking System"
. Boeing. 28 August 2014
. Retrieved
28 September
2014
.
- ^
Graham, William (27 June 2015).
"SpaceX's Falcon 9 fails during launch following second stage failure"
. nasaspaceflight.com
. Retrieved
27 June
2015
.
- ^
"New 'front porch' added to International Space Station"
. 20 August 2016.
- ^
Pietrobon, Steven (August 20, 2018).
"United States Commercial ELV Launch Manifest"
. Retrieved
August 21,
2018
.
- ^
Stephen Clark (1 May 2016).
"Boeing borrows from inventory to speed docking adapter delivery"
. Spaceflight Now.
- ^
"Spacewalkers Complete Installation of Second Commercial Docking Port ? Space Station"
.
blogs.nasa.gov
.
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
|
| Adapters
| | |
---|
Mechanisms
| |
---|
Navigation systems
| |
---|
|