The Flight Telerobotic Servicer Project and systems overview

As part of the Flight Telerobotic Servicer (FTS) project the authors are developing an advanced telerobotic system to assist in and reduce crew extravehicular activity (EVA) for the US Space Station. The FTS will be used for assembly, maintenance, servicing, and inspection throughout the lifetime of the Space Station. The authors give a brief overview of the FTS program and explore some of the technical and system engineering issues associated with the development of the FTS. A key to the evolutionary capability of the FTS design is the NASREM (NASA standard reference model for telerobot control system) architecture. This architecture provides the framework for future growth and permits a logical blend of teleoperation and autonomous operations as required