Documentation of retainers, springs and screws used during Expedition 35 Ku Communications (Comm) Unit fastener modifications. Parts are attached to Kapton tape.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility, Center Director Jim Kennedy takes a turn on a screw on Endeavour. Kennedy is taking an opportunity to learn first-hand what workers are doing to enable Return to Flight. Endeavour is in an Orbiter Major Modification period.
S96-E-5122 (1 June 1999) --- Astronaut Julie Payette uses a conventional screw driver while performing a Flight Day 6 task in the Russian-built Zarya module. The photo was recorded with an electronic still camera (ESC) at 07:47:47 GMT, June 1, 1999.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Under workers’ watchful eyes in the Orbiter Processing Facility, Center Director Jim Kennedy (center) takes a turn on a screw on Endeavour. Kennedy is taking an opportunity to learn first-hand what workers are doing to enable Return to Flight. Endeavour is in an Orbiter Major Modification period.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Under a worker’s watchful eyes in the Orbiter Processing Facility, Center Director Jim Kennedy (right) takes a turn on a screw on Endeavour. Kennedy is taking an opportunity to learn first-hand what workers are doing to enable Return to Flight. Endeavour is in an Orbiter Major Modification period.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Under a worker’s watchful eyes in the Orbiter Processing Facility, Center Director Jim Kennedy (right) takes a turn on a screw on Endeavour. Kennedy is taking an opportunity to learn first-hand what workers are doing to enable Return to Flight. Endeavour is in an Orbiter Major Modification period.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Under a worker’s watchful eyes in the Orbiter Processing Facility, Center Director Jim Kennedy (right) takes a turn on a screw on Endeavour. Kennedy is taking an opportunity to learn first-hand what workers are doing to enable Return to Flight. Endeavour is in an Orbiter Major Modification period.
ISS006-E-44305 (5 April 2003) --- Astronaut Donald R. Pettit, Expedition Six NASA ISS science officer, runs a drill while looking through a camera mounted on the nadir window in the Destiny laboratory on the International Space Station (ISS). The device is called a “barn door tracker”. The drill turns the screw, which moves the camera and its spotting scope.
ISS006-E-28887 (15 February 2003) --- This view features a “barn door tracker” device assembled by astronaut Donald R. Pettit, Expedition 6 NASA ISS science officer, while onboard the International Space Station (ISS). The device is based on the fine gimbal movements in the IMAX camera mount for the Destiny laboratory window. A drill turns a screw, which moves the camera and its spotting scope.
ISS006-E-25021 (8 February 2003) --- This view features a “barn door tracker” device assembled by astronaut Donald R. Pettit, Expedition 6 NASA ISS science officer, while onboard the International Space Station (ISS). The device is based on the fine gimbal movements in the IMAX camera mount for the Destiny laboratory window. A drill turns a screw, which moves the camera and its spotting scope.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- In the orbiter Columbia's payload bay, the head of a screw (shown here) is identified as the probable cause of damage to a wire that caused a short circuit in two separate main engine controllers during launch of mission STS-93. As a result of the findings of electrical wiring inspections, Shuttle program managers have decided to inspect the wiring in Endeavour's payload bay before its next mission, STS-99. The inspection and possible repair work will lead to a delayed launch date no earlier than Oct.7. The primary payload of the mission is the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, a specially modified radar system that will gather data for the most accurate and complete topographic map of the Earth's surface that has ever been assembled
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Proper Wiring Protection: The cables closest to the heads of the screws in this photo are properly protected from abrasion. During launch of Columbia on mission STS-93, a wire damaged from abrasion caused a short circuit in two separate main engine controllers. As a result of the findings, Shuttle program managers decided to conduct inspections of the wiring in Endeavour's payload bay before its next mission, STS-99. The inspection and possible repair work will lead to a delayed launch date no earlier than Oct.7. The primary payload of the mission is the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, a specially modified radar system that will gather data for the most accurate and complete topographic map of the Earth's surface that has ever been assembled
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A wire damaged by abrasion from the head of a screw (seen below the bundle) was found during electrical wiring inspections in Columbia's payload bay. During launch of Columbia on mission STS-93, a damaged wire caused a short circuit in two separate main engine controllers. As a result of the findings, Shuttle program managers have decided to conduct inspections of the wiring in Endeavour's payload bay before its next mission, STS-99. The inspection and possible repair work will lead to a delayed launch date no earlier than Oct.7. The primary payload of the mission is the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, a specially modified radar system that will gather data for the most accurate and complete topographic map of the Earth's surface that has ever been assembled
S83-35768 (18-24 June 1983) --- Astronaut Sally K. Ride, mission specialist for STS-7, uses a screw driver in order to clean out an air filtering system in the mid-deck of the Earth-orbiting Space Shuttle Challenger. Dr. Ride's constant wear garment bears some extras -- a cartoon of 35 busy astronauts around a Space Shuttle and the acronym TFNG, below which is written, "We deliver!" TFNG stands for thirty-five new guys, referring to the 1978 class of astronaut candidates (ASCAN) from which Dr. Ride and three of her crew members hail. The tiny two-word declarative in white lettering refers to the successful deployment of two communications satellites. This photograph was made with a 35mm camera.
Screwjacks located on the exterior of the second throat section in the 10- by 10-Foot Supersonic Wind Tunnel at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Lewis Research Center. The 10- by 10 tunnel was the most powerful propulsion wind tunnel in the country when it began operating in 1956. The facility can generate wind speeds from Mach 3 to 3.5. A flexible wall nozzle located just upstream from the test section can be adjusted using screw jacks to produce the desired air flow. The 61-foot long second throat, seen here from the outside, was located just beyond the test section. It slows the supersonic air flow down to prevent shock waves. The second throat’s side walls can be adjusted up to three inches on each side using these electrically-driven screwjacks. The air and the 1.25-inch thick walls are cooled by water injection. During the 1960s the 10- by 10-foot tunnel supported the development of virtually all US launch vehicle systems. It was used for Atlas-Centaur, Saturn rockets, and Atlas-Agena testing.
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has a giant custom-built, kite-shaped sunshield driven by mechanics that will fold and unfold with a harmonious synchronicity 1 million miles from Earth. Like a car, many mechanical pieces in the Webb telescope's sunshield will work together to open it from its stored folded position in the rocket that will carry it into space. According to car manufacturers, a single car can have about 30,000 parts, counting every part down to the smallest screws. Like getting all of the parts in a car to operate together, the mechanical parts of the sunshield have to work in the same way. The sunshield support structure contains well over 7,000 flight parts, including springs, bearings, pulleys, magnets, etc. In addition, the sunshield has hundreds of custom fabricated pieces. Most mechanical pieces were developed exclusively for the sunshield, with a few from existing designs. Read more: <a href="http://go.nasa.gov/2cXcQMT" rel="nofollow">go.nasa.gov/2cXcQMT</a>
![Atomic force microscopy uses laser technology to reveal a defect, a double-screw dislocation, on the surface of this crystal of canavalin, a major source of dietary protein for humans and domestic animals. When a crystal grows, attachment kinetics and transport kinetics are competing for control of the molecules. As a molecule gets close to the crystal surface, it has to attach properly for the crystal to be usable. NASA has funded investigators to look at those attachment kinetics from a theoretical standpoint and an experimental standpoint. Dr. Alex McPherson of the University of California, Irvine, is one of those investigators. He uses X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy in his laboratory to answer some of the many questions about how protein crystals grow. Atomic force microscopy provides a means of looking at how individual molecules are added to the surface of growing protein crystals. This helps McPherson understand the kinetics of protein crystal growth. McPherson asks, How fast do crystals grow? What are the forces involved? Investigators funded by NASA have clearly shown that such factors as the level of supersaturation and the rate of growth all affect the habit [characteristic arrangement of facets] of the crystal and the defects that occur in the crystal.](https://images-assets.nasa.gov/image/0101744/0101744~small.jpg)
Atomic force microscopy uses laser technology to reveal a defect, a double-screw dislocation, on the surface of this crystal of canavalin, a major source of dietary protein for humans and domestic animals. When a crystal grows, attachment kinetics and transport kinetics are competing for control of the molecules. As a molecule gets close to the crystal surface, it has to attach properly for the crystal to be usable. NASA has funded investigators to look at those attachment kinetics from a theoretical standpoint and an experimental standpoint. Dr. Alex McPherson of the University of California, Irvine, is one of those investigators. He uses X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy in his laboratory to answer some of the many questions about how protein crystals grow. Atomic force microscopy provides a means of looking at how individual molecules are added to the surface of growing protein crystals. This helps McPherson understand the kinetics of protein crystal growth. McPherson asks, How fast do crystals grow? What are the forces involved? Investigators funded by NASA have clearly shown that such factors as the level of supersaturation and the rate of growth all affect the habit [characteristic arrangement of facets] of the crystal and the defects that occur in the crystal.
Marshall Space Flight Center engineers have teamed with KeyMaster Technologies, Kennewick, Washington, to develop a portable vacuum analyzer that performs on-the-spot chemical analyses under field conditions, a task previously only possible in a chemical laboratory. The new capability is important not only to the aerospace industry, but holds potential for broad applications in any industry that depends on materials analysis, such as the automotive and pharmaceutical industries. Weighing in at a mere 4 pounds, the newly developed handheld vacuum X-ray fluorescent analyzer can identify and characterize a wide range of elements, and is capable of detecting chemical elements with low atomic numbers, such as sodium, aluminum and silicon. It is the only handheld product on the market with that capability. Aluminum alloy verification is of particular interest to NASA because vast amounts of high-strength aluminum alloys are used in the Space Shuttle propulsion system such as the External Tank, Main Engine, and Solid Rocket Boosters. This capability promises to be a boom to the aerospace community because of unique requirements, for instance, the need to analyze Space Shuttle propulsion systems on the launch pad. Those systems provide the awe-inspiring rocket power that propels the Space Shuttle from Earth into orbit in mere minutes. The scanner development also marks a major improvement in the quality assurance field, because screws, nuts, bolts, fasteners, and other items can now be evaluated upon receipt and rejected if found to be substandard. The same holds true for aluminum weld rods. The ability to validate the integrity of raw materials and partially finished products before adding value to them in the manufacturing process will be of benefit not only to businesses, but also to the consumer, who will have access to a higher value product at a cheaper price. Three vacuum X-ray scanners are already being used in the Space Shuttle Program. The External Tank Project Office is using one for aluminum alloy analysis, while a Marshall contractor is evaluating alloys with another unit purchased for the Space Shuttle Main Engine Office. The Reusable Solid Rocket Motor Project Office has obtained a scanner that is being used to test hardware and analyze materials.
Teamed with KeyMaster Technologies, Kennewick, Washington, the Marshall Space Flight Center engineers have developed a portable vacuum analyzer that performs on-the-spot chemical analyses under field conditions— a task previously only possible in a chemical laboratory. The new capability is important not only to the aerospace industry, but holds potential for broad applications in any industry that depends on materials analysis, such as the automotive and pharmaceutical industries. Weighing in at a mere 4 pounds, the newly developed handheld vacuum X-ray fluorescent analyzer can identify and characterize a wide range of elements, and is capable of detecting chemical elements with low atomic numbers, such as sodium, aluminum and silicon. It is the only handheld product on the market with that capability. Aluminum alloy verification is of particular interest to NASA because vast amounts of high-strength aluminum alloys are used in the Space Shuttle propulsion system such as the External Tank, Main Engine, and Solid Rocket Boosters. This capability promises to be a boom to the aerospace community because of unique requirements, for instance, the need to analyze Space Shuttle propulsion systems on the launch pad. Those systems provide the awe-inspiring rocket power that propels the Space Shuttle from Earth into orbit in mere minutes. The scanner development also marks a major improvement in the quality assurance field, because screws, nuts, bolts, fasteners, and other items can now be evaluated upon receipt and rejected if found to be substandard. The same holds true for aluminum weld rods. The ability to validate the integrity of raw materials and partially finished products before adding value to them in the manufacturing process will be of benefit not only to businesses, but also to the consumer, who will have access to a higher value product at a cheaper price. Three vacuum X-ray scanners are already being used in the Space Shuttle Program. The External Tank Project Office is using one for aluminum alloy analysis, while a Marshall contractor is evaluating alloys with another unit purchased for the Space Shuttle Main Engine Office. The Reusable Solid Rocket Motor Project Office has obtained a scanner that is being used to test hardware and analyze materials. In this photograph, Richard Booth, Marshall Engineering Directorate, and Wanda Hudson, ATK Thiokol, use an enhanced vacuum X-ray fluorescent scanner to analyze materials in an F-1 engine, which was used to boost the Saturn V rocket from Earth’s orbit that carried astronauts to the moon in the 1960s.
Teamed with KeyMaster Technologies, Kennewick, Washington, the Marshall Space Flight Center engineers have developed a portable vacuum analyzer that performs on-the-spot chemical analyses under field conditions— a task previously only possible in a chemical laboratory. The new capability is important not only to the aerospace industry, but holds potential for broad applications in any industry that depends on materials analysis, such as the automotive and pharmaceutical industries. Weighing in at a mere 4 pounds, the newly developed handheld vacuum X-ray fluorescent analyzer can identify and characterize a wide range of elements, and is capable of detecting chemical elements with low atomic numbers, such as sodium, aluminum and silicon. It is the only handheld product on the market with that capability. Aluminum alloy verification is of particular interest to NASA because vast amounts of high-strength aluminum alloys are used in the Space Shuttle propulsion system such as the External Tank, Main Engine, and Solid Rocket Boosters. This capability promises to be a boom to the aerospace community because of unique requirements, for instance, the need to analyze Space Shuttle propulsion systems on the launch pad. Those systems provide the awe-inspiring rocket power that propels the Space Shuttle from Earth into orbit in mere minutes. The scanner development also marks a major improvement in the quality assurance field, because screws, nuts, bolts, fasteners, and other items can now be evaluated upon receipt and rejected if found to be substandard. The same holds true for aluminum weld rods. The ability to validate the integrity of raw materials and partially finished products before adding value to them in the manufacturing process will be of benefit not only to businesses, but also to the consumer, who will have access to a higher value product at a cheaper price. Three vacuum X-ray scanners are already being used in the Space Shuttle Program. The External Tank Project Office is using one for aluminum alloy analysis, while a Marshall contractor is evaluating alloys with another unit purchased for the Space Shuttle Main Engine Office. The Reusable Solid Rocket Motor Project Office has obtained a scanner that is being used to test hardware and analyze materials. In this photograph, Wanda Hudson, left, ATK Thiokol, and Richard Booth, Marshall Engineering Directorate, use an enhanced vacuum X-ray fluorescent scanner to evaluate Reusable Solid Rocket Motor hardware.
Building a space telescope to see the light from the earliest stars of our universe is a pretty complex task. Although much of the attention goes to instruments and the giant mirrors on NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, there are other components that have big jobs to do and that required imagination, engineering, and innovation to become a reality. For example, engineers working on the Webb telescope have to think of everything from keeping instruments from overheating or freezing, to packing up the Webb, which is as big as a tennis court, to fit inside the rocket that will take it to space. Those are two areas where the "DTA" or Deployable Tower Assembly (DTA) plays a major role. The DTA looks like a big black pipe and is made out of graphite-epoxy composite material to ensure stability and strength with extreme changes in temperature like those encountered in space. When fully deployed, the DTA reaches ten feet in length. The DTA interfaces and supports the spacecraft and the telescope structures. It features two large nested telescoping tubes, connected by a mechanized lead screw. It is a deployable structure that is both very light and extremely strong and stable. The Webb telescope’s secondary mirror support structure and DTA contribute to how the telescope and instruments fit into the rocket fairing in preparation for launch. The DTA allows the Webb to be short enough when stowed to fit in the rocket fairing with an acceptably low center of gravity for launch. Several days after the Webb telescope is launched, the DTA will deploy, or separate, the telescope mirrors and instruments from the spacecraft bus and sunshield. This separation allows the sunshield to unfurl and shade the telescope and instruments from radiant heat and stray light from the sun and Earth. The DTA was designed, built and tested by Astro Aerospace - a Northrop Grumman Company, in Carpinteria, California. The James Webb Space Telescope is the scientific successor to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. It will be the most powerful space telescope ever built. The Webb telescope is an international project led by NASA with its partners, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. For more information about the Webb telescope, visit: <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/webb" rel="nofollow">www.nasa.gov/webb</a> or jwst.nasa.gov <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a></b> <b><a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a></b> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. <b>Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASAGoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a></b> <b>Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a></b> <b>Find us on <a href="http://instagrid.me/nasagoddard/?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a></b>