CLEAR Project / Advanced Capabilities Project Office

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New Methods for Repairing Space Equipment Enhance Astronaut Safety

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Component-level electronic repair being tested in reduced-gravity environment.

Future space exploration missions will require highly efficient methods for repairing electronic equipment to ensure the safety of the crew. In the past, the entire malfunctioning subsystem was replaced with new hardware. However, due to strict weight and volume constraints, repair techniques using compact tools at the component level are now being developed for long-term missions.

NASA’s Glenn Research Center is leading the Component-Level Electronics-Assembly Repair (CLEAR) Project to develop better methods of on-orbit electronics repair. Glenn is working with Johnson Space Center and the U.S. Navy on this project, which is under the Supportability Project (led by Langley Research Center).

Test operators performing low-gravity soldering tests aboard KC-135 Reduced Gravity Aircraft.

The first efforts in this area began in 2000 and were known as the Soldering in Reduced Gravity Experiment (SoRGE). For five years, this project involved researching and analyzing how the soldering process is affected by a reduced gravity environment.

The SoRGE team performed ground and flight testing, which included experiments onboard the International Space Station and NASA’s reduced gravity aircraft (both KC-135 and C-9). The tests revealed that soldering electronic components can be performed in reduced-gravity environments, but traditional methods will yield joints that may be very porous. These effects can shorten the service life of the repaired joint.

In late 2005, the CLEAR Project replaced SoRGE with the goal of developing a complete, manually-operated electronics repair system. This will enable crew members to independently perform more complex repairs onboard the spacecraft at the component level.

As development continues, the CLEAR Project team will provide recommendations to NASA management regarding the tools, techniques and procedures needed to repair electronics during long-duration exploration missions. The project team’s goals also include raising the maturity level of component-level electronics repair as a repair strategy, so that NASA can reduce the logistical requirements needed to support long-duration missions without comprising mission safety.

Contact at NASA Glenn Research Center
Chief, Advanced Capabilities Project Office: Ann P. Over
Space Flight Systems Directorate / Advanced Flight Projects Office
216-433-6535