OS-10 Payload Provisions

P. Kemp; C. M. Hempsell (2000), JBIS, 53, 266-275

Refcode: 2000.53.266

Abstract:
The OS-10 is a small space station concept which is intended for commercial development and sale on the open market. It is designed to be operated as a “shelter”; that is for most of its in orbit life it operates unmanned but is supported by periodic manned servicing visits. This pattern of utilisation and the expected customer requirements led to a different approach to the provision of payload facilities when compared with past manned orbiting laboratories. The paper outlines these facilities and explains the rationale for their inclusion. While it is outside the scope of the paper to fully cover and justify the commercial and marketing aspects of the OS-10 project, some discussion of the background assumptions is required to appreciate their impact on the technical approaches.