| System
Racks were installed in Kibo's Pressurized Module |
|
System racks were installed in Kibo's
pressurized module at Nagoya Aeronautics and Space Systems Tobishima factory of
Mitsubishi Heavy Industry from Sep. 5 to 26, 2000. Subsystems that control Kibo's
power, communications, and thermal control systems are installed in the system
racks.
 | Installation
tasks | The entrance to the pressurized module is narrow,
only 1.3m in diameter, so the racks were installed slowly and carefully using
dedicated facilities. Seven to nine engineers cooperate in installing a rack in
its assigned position, taking about a day and a half per rack. A total of 12 days
were spent to install the planned eight racks. The installation task procedures
are shown below.
|
Remove floor panels of the pressurized module. |  |
| Adjust
the installation facility and a rack. | |
| |  |
| | |
| | Rotate
the pressurized module to a convenient position. | | Transfer
a system rack. | | | | |
| | |
| | Install
rack installation facilities. | | Install
the system rack. | | | | |
| | |
| | Prepare
the rack transportation facility and system racks. | | Connect
electric cables. |
 |
Video of the task (X10)
Watch the tasks above at ten times normal speed.
Duration: 6min5sec
28K
56K |
| What
is a system rack? | System racks are located in the pressurized
module and contain equipment that controls the Japanese Experiment Module "Kibo";
each rack weighs 450kg to 800kg. Kibo contains the nine system racks shown below,
each of which has different functions.
| (1) | Electric
Power Racks(2) | : | Distribute stable power
throughout Kibo. | | (2) | Information
Control Racks(2) | : | Control data communications
among Kibo systems. | | (3) | Environment
Control and Life Support System/Thermal Control System Racks (2) | : | Keep
temperature and humidity inside Pressurized Modules stable. |
| (4) | Workstation Rack (1) |
: | Contains computers that control Kibo. |
| (5) | Common Gas Supply Unit (1) | : | Supplies
gas (Ar, He, CO2) to be used for experiment and exhausts. |
| (6) |
RMS Rack (1) |
: | Controls
the robot arm of Kibo. | | (7) | Inter-satellite
Communication rack (1) | : |
Contains equipment to communicate via data relay satellites. |
 |
| Environment Control and Life Support System/Thermal
Control System Rack |
Seven system racks, items (1) to (4)
above, and one equipment unit (5) were installed, and a system test was conducted
with that configuration
JEM's Pressurized Module accommodates ten system
racks, but since the total weight exceeds the maximum launch capability of a Space
Shuttle, three racks, the Workstation Rack, the Information Control Rack, and
the Electric Power Rack, will be removed before JEM is launched
Four racks,
the Workstation Rack, Information Control Rack, one of two Electric Power Racks
and the Inter-satellite Communications Rack, will be stored in the Experiment
Logistics Module's Pressurized Section during launch. On orbit, two astronauts
will take them out, transfer them to the Pressurized Module of Kibo, and install
them there.
Kibo can accommodate a total of 24 racks. In addition to system
racks, experiment racks and experiment material container racks can also be installed.
The racks are standardized throughout the ISS so that racks can be loaded into
the Shuttle in the same manner and ISS modules can accommodate other countries'
racks.
| System
Tests | A system test of the Pressurized Module (PM) with
system racks installed was conducted from October 2000 to June 2001. The PM will
be transported to Tsukuba Space Center in August 2001 to start the Total System
Test.
|
