Technical Aspects of the United States Space Station

The United States Space Station, now planned for initial operational capability in 1994, will be a permanent, multi-purpose facility inorbit. It will serve as a space-based laboratory to conduct basic research, an observatory for both Earth and celestial viewing, a depot to repair and service other spacecraft, a plant to manufacture metal alloys, pharmaceuticals or perfect crystals, an assembly plant to build structures too large to fit into the space shuttle cargo bay, as well as a warehouse to store replacement parts, consummables and even entire replacement satellites. The Space Station concept provides for both manned and unmanned elements. The manned facility, as well as an unmanned free flying platform, will be placed in a low Earth orbit of about 400 km at an inclination of 28.5 degrees. Eventually, there will be two or more platforms associated with the Space Sstation at high inclination or polar orbit. Figure 1 illustrates a conceptual rendering of the "dual keel" configuration with pressurized living quarters and laboratories clustered together at the center. A free flying platform is being towed to the Space Station by an orbital manuvering vehicle (OMV).