Questions tagged [maintenance]
Questions regarding ongoing repairs made to spacecraft and satellites to keep them in working condition.
15 questions
12votes
3answers
4kviews
How is maintenance, repair and refueling done on satellites currently?
Satellites can be monumentally expensive. Surely companies don't always accept them being decommissioned due to damage, decay or deorbiting. How are these handled currently?
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33votes
7answers
6kviews
How do satellite motors keep themselves cool and lubricated?
I'm a high-schooler and today we were taught about the car engines and we were told that in order to maintain proper lubrication in order to reduce the heating effect of friction in the pistons using ...
0votes
1answer
197views
Why don't robotic spacecraft have "general purpose" companions?
TL;DR: Why don't we have minion bots with WD-40 and duct tape, alongside every robotic mission? I am a software engineer, but I also enjoy and am good with using manual or power tools. Therefore I ...
- 127
7votes
1answer
639views
Is it conceivable to visit L2 and service the James Webb Space Telescope?
Everybody is super nervous about possible hiccups or, goodness forbid, failure modes of the telescope. It is a fairly complicated machine. The telescope will be at the second Lagrange point, several ...
13votes
3answers
4kviews
How are the Mars Rovers maintained?
I am really curious in finding out how the Mars Rovers are maintained. The communications with the software could be done as long as there are no connection malfunctions, and I suppose they have a ...
- 301
8votes
1answer
674views
Why were these Shuttle purges done with different gases?
[F]uel cell tanks were drained of remaining cryogenic reactants. The oxygen system was rendered inert with gaseous nitrogen and the hydrogen system with gaseous helium. https://en.wikipedia.org/...
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7votes
3answers
453views
Fast spinning solar cells to clear Martian dust possible?
I've seen a fast spinning glass wheel used in front of a camera to clear away water, dust or ice. Could Solar panels be made circular and spin to clear dust off of them in the same way may? As ...
- 1
5votes
1answer
235views
What kind of condition do Orbital Replacement Units (ORUs) keep while mounted on the outside of the ISS?
In a recent question, uhoh asked about a dish mounted on the outside of the International Space Station (ISS): What is the function of this (apparently) fixed dish on the ISS? This turned out to be ...
- 23.9k
7votes
1answer
366views
Has there been any program to develop tiny pod-like vehicles with manipulator arms for extra-vehicular activities?
Remember the pressurized repair / assembly pods from 2001 A Space Odyssey and so many other space visionary works? Has there been any programs to design & build tiny vehicles like that with ...
- 4,944
4votes
1answer
329views
Space maintenance after Space Shuttle Program Shutdown
I was wondering, what if one of the satellites that were previously serviced by the space shuttle, like the Hubble Space Telescope, needs repairs now that the shuttle program is off? Are there other ...
- 43
11votes
2answers
605views
Can Soyuz be used to perform maintenance on satellites
The Space Shuttle made several servicing mission for satellites, most famous ones would be to service Hubble. Would theses kinds of operations be feasible with a Soyuz spacecraft ? Would it be ...
- 13.1k
5votes
1answer
551views
How many man-hours are spent on International Space Station's maintenance?
What is the cost, in man-hours per month, of ISS maintenance? I am looking for the actual time, not the dollar figure. What the governments of the world pay versus what the private sector will be able ...
- 481
9votes
3answers
361views
What causes the costs of operating an existing planetary mission?
I read on the Planetery Society blog that it costs USD 25 million this year to maintain the Opportunity rover on Mars and the LRO Lunar orbiter. I would like to see a break down of those budgets. I ...
- 27.1k
7votes
1answer
880views
Why did NASA assess 3 separate and over 6 hours long EVAs are needed to replace a single failed Pump Module (S1 PM)?
I'm currently following US EVA-24 with Rick Mastracchio (EV1) and Mike Hopkins (EV2) tasked to replace a failed Pump Module (S1 PM), one of two external pump modules of the US section of the ...
- 76.6k
23votes
3answers
2kviews
How often are ISS computers (MDMs) replaced?
The electronic "heart" of the International Space Station are the Multiplexers-Demultiplexers (MDMs) located within & outside the pressurized modules. How often are they replaced? (An ideal ...
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