END EFFECTORS FOR ASSEMBLY OF SPACE STRUCTURES

THE PROPOSED CONCEPT STUDY WILL RESULT IN THE CONCEPTUAL DESIGN OF SEVERAL END EFFECTOR SYSTEMS WHICH REGULATE AND DISTRIBUTE THE LOADS GENERATED IN HANDLING STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS DURING SPACE ASSEMBLY OPERATIONS, AND AN EVALUATIONOF THE CONCEPTS DEVELOPED. CURRENT END EFFECTOR DESIGNS TRANSMIT CONCENTRATED LOADS TO THE STRUCTURAL MEMBERS HANDLED. THIS MAY NOT BE ACCEPTABLE FOR USE IN THE ASSEMBLYOF STRUCTURES IN SPACE, AS THE STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS MAY WELL BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO DAMAGE RESULTING FROM CONCENTRATED LOADS INDUCED BY END EFFECTORS OR OTHER HANDLING MECHANISMS. THISSTUDY WILL ADDRESS THE FEASIBILITY OF "SOFT CONTACT" EFFECTORS AND HANDLING MECHANISMS. SOME PRELIMINARY CONCEPTS TO BE DEVELOPED UNDER PHASE I OF THIS STUDY INCLUDEEND EFFECTORS WITH INFLATABLE JAW FACES, WHERE CONTACT AREA IS INCREASED AND CONTACT PRESSURE CAN BE PRESET TO AN ACCEPTABLE LEVEL, END EFFECTORS WHICH INTERFACE WITH PREEXISTING ATTACH POINTS ON THE STRUCTURAL ELEMENT TO BE HANDLED, INFLATABLE SLINGS AND CRADLES FOR HANDLING OF LARGE PANELS, ETC. THE RESULTS OF PHASE I WOULD IDENTIFY THOSE CONCEPTS WHICH WARRANT FURTHER DEVELOPMENT DURING PHASE II, WHICH SHOULD INCLUDE DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING OF THE CANDIDATE END EFFECTOR CONCEPTS AND HANDLING MECHANISM CONCEPTS AS WELL ASMORE DETAILED ANALYSIS.