NASA has cancelled plans to develop a smaller, lighter inspection boom for the Space Shuttle robotic arm to resolve weight issues for the launch of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's International Space Station (ISS) laboratory module Kibo.
The current orbiter boom sensor system (OBSS) is 30m (100ft) long, comprising the 15m, 411kg (904lb) Shuttle remote manipulator system (RMS) arm and the attached inspection boom assembly, also 15m long and weighing 222kg.
To carry the Kibo module within its 16,400kg payload capacity for missions to the ISS, Endeavour will have to fly without the inspection boom on mission STS-123, which is scheduled for December 2007. Without the boom, the crew will not be able to inspect the orbiter's thermal protection system for damage after ascent and before docking, which is now standard procedure.
Instead, NASA plans to attach brackets to hold the boom to the Station during Endeavour's STS-118 assembly mission in June next year. Then the orbiter Discovery will leave its inspection boom behind in mission STS-120, planned for September. This boom will be used to inspect Endeavour when it arrives at the ISS, and will return to Earth in the orbiter.
Source: Flight International
