Safety Design for Space Operations

Spacecraft Interoperability Hazards: Visiting Vehicles and Extravehicular Activity

Visiting vehicles and extravehicular activity

Spacecraft visiting with (i.e., docking or berthing) and extravehicular activities on and around the International Space Station are discussed together because the spacecraft charging hazard causes and effects are similar. In both cases, the hazard cause will be the flow of current that can be expected whenever two metallic objects at different floating potentials make galvanic contact in low Earth orbit. Possible hazard effects include both broadcast and conducted electromagnetic interference, surface damage due to arcing, and, in the case of extravehicular activities, electric shock to the extravehicular activity ...