SP-4011 Skylab: A
Chronology
[404] APPENDIX 7
TASKS IDENTIFIED AS
POSSIBLE FOR SPACE LABORATORY
[From Douglas Aircraft
Company, Inc., Summary Report SM 48822, "Report on the Development of
the Manned Orbital Research Laboratory (MORL) System Utilization
Potential." See January 1966 entry.]
RESEARCH
Astronautics
- Determination of orbital atmospheric
densities (free molecular flow regime) in all of mission
interest*
- Determination of radiation environment in
all areas of mission interest
- Particular emphasis on electron flux at
synchronous altitudes*
- Determination of micrometeoroid
environment in all areas of mission interest*
Biotechnology
- Qualification of proposed MORL atmosphere
for long-term habitability*
- Evaluation of aeroembolism effects upon
decompression to pure 02 suit
atmosphere*
- Determination of all detrimental
atmospheric contaminants and toxicity levels*
- Evaluation of methods of identifying and
continuously monitoring all trace contaminants at levels
significantly lower than ever attempted before*
- Assessment of long-term exposure to
modified (semisterile) bacteriological environment*
- Assessment of biological and psychological
effects of long-term use of recycled and claimed (urine)
water
- Establishment of human requirements and
operational parameters for spinning (a: artificial gravity)
mode
Control Systems
- Determination of accurate long- and
short-term disturbance profiles
- Determination of horizon radiometric
signature (gradients profile)
- Assessment of long-term exposure of
optical devices and bearings to the space environment
- Determination of hypergolic propellant
long-term storage and ignition characteristics under orbit-
environment conditions*
*MORL study tasks for which
orbital flight experience and development support might be provided
by Apollo Applications Program.
- [405] Assessment of
high-speed space-particle impact on system components (loaded
propellant tanks, combustion chamber, etc.) *
- Assessment of vacuum sealing and joining
of metals (valves) *
Power
- Determination of long-term (years)
stability of Pu-238 isotope fuel under high- and low-temperature
conditions
- Determination of maximum practical
reduction of 017
and O18 isotopes in
PuO2 fuel form
- Evaluation of effects on neutron source
strength of fuels using purified 02
- Determination of fuel-capsule material
creep as a function of temperature and stress for time periods
over five years
- Determination of PuO2 fuel helium
release rates as a function of temperature and time
- Determination of thermal conductivity of
packed beds of fuel particles
- Establishment of chemical reaction rates
between the diffusion barrier and fuel capsule materials
- Determination of oxidation-cladding
plastic flow as a function of temperature and stress
- Assessment of oxidation cladding
compatibility with various soils
- Determination of thermal conductivity of
representative soils, particularly at high (1400 K [2000°F])
temperatures
- Determination of long-term dissolution
rates of fuel in sea water
- Determination of fuel-capsule-material
brittle /ductile transition temperatures, energy absorption as a
function of strain rate, and strength and creep after
impact
- Determination of fuel-block-material
strength and plastic flow as a function of time and
temperature
- Determination of fuel-block-material
oxidation rate when protected by an emissivity coating
ADVANCE TECHNOLOGY
Astronautics
- Verification of recommended deployment
system used to separate laboratory and count weight for artificial
gravity spinup
- Assessment of feasibility of using simpler
linkages
*MORL study tasks for which
orbital might experience and development support might be provided by
Apollo Applications Program.
- [406] Determination of
structural damping properties of cables when subjected to
prolonged space environment
- Determination of induced disturbances
introduced by internal mass motion during the rotating mode
- Assessment of human tolerance to wobble
motions to determine wobble-damping control requirements
Biotechnology
- Evaluation of humidity vapor water
purification techniques to determine whether charcoal bed will
eliminate atmospheric contaminants
- Development of a flight-qualified
mass-spectrometer-gas-chromatograph combination to measure trace
contaminants at significantly lower levels than has been attempted
before
- Evaluation of whether thermal desorption
of molecular sieve bed is possible at 420 to 435 K (300 to
325°F), rather than 455 K (360°F), to reduce system
complexity
- Determinations of accurate metabolic rates
so that spacesuit airflow fans can be efficiently sized
- Evaluation of whether the Bosch
hydrogenation reactor can operate in a low output mode so that
power can be made available for critical experiments
- Determination of (1) the volume of
laboratory and food wastes to be expected, (2) the density of
wastes after freeze drying, and (3) the long-term compatibility of
fecal wastes with food and laboratory wastes and collection sphere
material
- Evaluation of decontamination and cleanup
techniques in case of illness*
- Evaluation of long-term maximum sound
tolerance levels for EC/LS rotating machinery and air
ducts*
- Development of high-efficiency,
low-specific-speed fans
- Determination of duct configuration for
minimum sound propagation
- Evaluation of cabin ventilation in
zero-g*
- Resolution of micrometeoroid-penetration
leak detection problems
- Development of physical/psychological
testing equipment compatible with orbital environment
- Determination of physical/psychological
monitoring and conditioning criteria*
- Development of techniques for integrating
behavioral testing with routine station operation and maintenance
procedures
- Development of automated biomedical
measurements
- Determination of long-term physical and
psychological effects of food packaging and processing
methods
*MORL study tasks for which
orbital flight experience and development support might be provided
by Apollo Applications Program.
- [407] Development and
testing of onboard zero-g laundry facilities
- Assessment of man's ability in zero-g to
perform station-keeping operations, maintenance, and
experimentation*
- Development of techniques for crewman
positive motion control
- Identification of flight crew procedures
with emphasis on communication requirements; need for restraints,
special tools, and work aids; special requirements for controls
and displays; and optimum layout of onboard equipment and
facilities
- Assessment of man's performance
capabilities in extravehicular spacesuit operations*
- Establishment of realistic, long-term
radiation exposure criteria, particularly critical for synchronous
missions*
- Development of effective partial body
shielding
Flight Electronics
- Development and qualification of a
high-power, low-loss, solid-state rf switch for use over a
frequency range of 250 to 2300 mc
Control Systems
- Development and qualification of
control-moment gyro system sized to MORL-class requirements
- Evaluation of control-moment gyro system's
ability to counteract disturbance torques (orbital tests
required)
- Development of long-life bearing
techniques and maintainability features for controlmoment
gyros
- Evaluation of the performance of total,
integrated inertial reference system, including the inertial
reference components, various experiment packages, and the space
crew
- Determination of detailed computational
requirements for the inertial reference system (to determine
whether a new special purpose computer is required)
- Evaluation of improved accuracy of single
axis platforms*
- Evaluation of the performance of the
proposed rigid inertial-reference base concept
- Development of extravehicular maintenance
techniques and procedures to bring the reliability of the two-axis
star tracker to acceptable levels*
- Evaluation of man-machine interface to
ensure successful execution of experiments utilizing the star
tracker, inertial reference system, displays, and data processing
equipment
- Simulation of proposed gyrocompassing
technique for maintaining X-axis in orbit plane
*MORL study tasks for which
orbital flight experience and development support might be provided
by Apollo Applications Program.
- [408] Evaluation of
performance of completely integrated stabilization and control
subsystem in a specially designed simulation facility
- Evaluation of proposed horizon-sensor
maintenance techniques
- Determination of horizon sensor
accuracy*
- Determination of performance
characteristics of inertial-rate integrating gyros in long term,
zero-g environment*
- Evaluation of gyromotor bearing life in a
zero-g environment*
- Determination of applicability of
long-life, air-bearing gyros to MORL
- Development of long-life bellows (1000 +
cycles) capable of storing hypergolic propel rants for extended
periods*
- Evaluation of corrosion due to fuel and
oxidizer*
- Assessment of inflight reaction-control
system component maintenance*
- Assessment of electronic circuit design,
packaging, and testing for improved maintain
ability/reliability
Structures
- Development of optimum radiator surface
coatings for EC/LS and power systems
- Evaluation of techniques and equipment for
in-orbit EC/LS and power-system radiator tube repair
- Assessment of the effectiveness of
radiation shielding by onboard equipment*
- Evaluation of the optical properties of
the outer surface for temperature control * Assessment of
degradation due to orbital environment*
- Assessment of micrometeoroid damage to
windows*
- Assessment of internal-material advanced
aging and breakdown, formation of combustion products and
characteristics, and quantities of volatile products emitted
*
- Evaluation of space exposure effects on
static and dynamic seals*
- Development and qualification of
experimental and operational handling arms and airlock operating
and sealing mechanisms*
Power
- Evaluation of long-term compatibility, as
a function of temperature, of fuel and reaction products with fuel
capsule materials
- Evaluation of Xe-He gas mixture helium
loss through selective leakage
*MORL study tasks for which
orbital flight experience and development support might be provided
by Apollo Applications Program.
- [409] Determination of
fuel block coating emissivity as a function of time and
temperature in a vacuum environment
- Determination of the adherence of coatings
during thermal cycling
- Development of super alloy coatings with
an emissivity of 0.9 or better for heat source exchanger
ADVANCE DEVELOPMENT
Biotechnology
- Development of waster electrolysis cells
with extended membrane life
- Confirmation of cell stop-start
capability
- Evaluation of the long-term effectiveness
of trace contaminant removal techniques
- Development of flight-qualified
ultraviolet lights used for control of atmospheric bacteria
- Qualification of water separator
performance in zero-g
- Qualification of interface heat exchanger
(between power system and heat transport circuit) to establish
leak prevention capability of internal vent passage
technique
Flight Electronics
- Development of an S-band transmitter to
satisfy TV transmission characteristics
- Development and orbital testing of
external TV cameras and their associated pan and tilt
mechanism
- Evaluation of the theoretically optimized
modulation parameters of the telemetry modulator by breadboard
testing
Power
- Assessment of plutonium production
schedules and availability priorities to ensure fuel
availability
- Assessment of facilities required to
convert plutonium into fuel form on a commercial basis and produce
fuel capsules
- Development of a fuel capsule "window"
that is selectively porous to helium only
- Evaluation of foil and solid insulations
to determine thermal conductivity as a function of altitude and
time in vacuum
- Determination of neutron source strength
of commercially produced fuel as a function of time
- Determination of effects of initial
impurities and reaction products
[410] SUPPORTING
DEVELOPMENT
Biotechnology
- Development of polarographic
oxygen-partial-pressure sensors to improve sensor life, or
development of a completely new concept
- Development of "dry" electrolysis units to
eliminate use of free fluid electrolyte in atmosphere supply
system
Control Systems
- Investigation of alternate control-moment
gyro configurations to provide additional torquing capability for
laboratory maneuvering
- Determination of the applicability of
alternate inertial-reference systems
- Evaluation of alternate alignment concepts
and techniques for the two-axis star tracker
- Evaluation of airlock devices for inflight
maintenance of the two-axis star tracker, rather than the present
extravehicular maintenance
- Evaluation of alternate techniques for
aligning the X-axis to the orbit plane
- Investigation of backup, manual,
optical-alignment techniques for the inertial reference systems
*
- Evaluation of potentially more efficient,
low-level thrustors and advance reaction-control propulsion
systems
- Evaluation of screen ullage positioning
devices for reaction control system propellant expulsion
- Evaluation of new electronic circuit
techniques; i.e., microintegrated circuits
Power
- Evaluation of reentry stability of shaped
fuel blocks through wind tunnel tests. Evaluation of the heating
rates of shaped fuel blocks
- Determination of a model for fuel capsule
deformation after reentry impact
- Determination of the impact depth and
Earth coverage of fuel blocks after reentry
- Determination of the high-temperature
creep strength of nickel and its alloys when the material is
deprived of oxygen&emdash;evaluation of the strength of
preoxidized samples and the use of argon doped with small
percentages of oxygen
*MORL study tasks for which
orbital flight experience and development support might be provided
by Apollo Applications Program.
- [411] Investigation of
fuel capsule fabrication to (1) obtain leak-tight,
maximum-strength welds; (2) determine methods of filling the
capsule with fuel, closing the filter plug, and leak checking; and
(3) determine methods of applying oxidation cladding to the
diffusion barrier on the fuel capsules
- Evaluation of improved alternator
designs
- Assessment of the need for (1) improved
long-term, high-temperature thermocouples; (2) thermocouple
inflight recalibration; and (3) other temperature measuring
techniques (optical sensors or variations in the electrical
resistance of gases at high temperature)
