THE ROLE OF ESA TEC-QTE IN THE ISS SAFETY PROCESS

摘要

On the 17th of July 2000, the Materials and ProcessesrnReciprocal Agreement was signed between NASA andrnESA to define the process for selection andrncertification of materials used in the Space Shuttle andrnthe International Space Station. Consecutively, on thern20th of June 2003 this agreement was extended to thernAutomated Transport Vehicle (ATV). It is therefore thernresponsibility of ESA TEC-QTE, the Materials SpacernEvaluation and Radiation Effects section, part of thernProduct Assurance and Safety Department, to ensurernthat all materials, parts and processes of each of thernISS payloads not only function as required but also dornnot pose a risk to the safety of the crew members. Inrnthis context, TEC-QTE provides qualified expertise tornsupport the ESA Flight Safety Review and assessesrnsafety aspects related to manned projects (materialsrnproperties, fluid system compatibility, fungusrnresistance). This is supported by the Materials SpacernEvaluation and Radiation Effects section’s Materialsrnand Electrical Components laboratory having at itsrndisposition a range of facilities designed to performrnenvironmental effects testing of which off-gassing testsrnaccording to ECSS-Q-ST-70-29C (equivalent to NASArnSTD 6001 test 7) and outgassing tests according tornECSS-Q-ST-70-02C (equivalent to ASTM-E-595). ThernESA facility to perform flammability tests according tornECSS-Q-ST-70-21A (equivalent to NASA STD 6001rntest1) was moved to Astrium Bremen.rnTEC-QTE is in charge of reviewing and approving, viarnRFA or MUA , all materials that do not meet safetyrnrequirements as well as COTS or CAM (black boxes)rnequipment.rnThe safety process ends with the issue of the MaterialsrnCertification of the reviewed payload hardware thatrnshows compliance with the relevant materials andrnprocesses requirements and standards.rnIn addition to the safety related activities for the ISS,rnspecialised TEC-QTE personnel provide measurementsrnof the air quality inside the ATV and assess whetherrnthe toxicity index is within requirements.