Ed Campion

Headquarters, Washington, DC August 9, 1996

(Phone: 202/358-1778)

Steve Roy
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL
(Phone: 205/544-0034)

RELEASE: 96-161

FIRST WELDING EXPERIMENT TO FLY ON SHUTTLE TESTED

Astronauts went underwater recently at NASA's Marshall

Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL, to test procedures for
the first welding experiment to fly on the Space Shuttle.

The experimental welder, scheduled to fly on the Shuttle

next fall, may one day allow crews to make repairs to the
International Space Station or other satellites while in
space.

"We had a very successful test taking us a step closer to

our goal of flying this experiment on the Shuttle next fall,"
said Carolyn Russell, Principal Investigator for the
International Space Welding Experiment at Marshall.

The test, conducted in a large water tank known as the

Nuetral Bouyancy Simulator, evaluated mobility aids, foot
restraints and hand holds necessary to perform the experiment
in the Shuttle's cargo bay. The test team also gauged the
effectiveness of some new hardware, including a camera and a
work station designed to accommodate different-sized
astronauts.

"We wanted to ensure that the tallest astronaut as well as

the shortest would be able to conduct the experiment with
ease," said Steve Hall, International Space Welding Experiment
test conductor at Marshall's Neutral Buoyancy Simulator.

"The test proved that regardless of height, an astronaut

will be able to see, reach and operate all equipment needed to
weld," Hall explained. Testing in the Neutral Buoyancy
Simulator has allowed us to simplify foot restraints and
streamline procedures designed for the operation of the
welding experiment. Every step we can save an astronaut in
neutral buoyancy testing adds up to more time the astronaut
will be able to work in space."

"By testing the procedures underwater, we verified that we

are meeting all the requirements to successfully complete the
welding experiment in space," Russell said. "The main
objective of the space welding experiment is to demonstrate
contingency repair for the Space Station, and this experiment
will bring us one step closer to having an operational space
welding tool."

The space welding experiment is expected to include 61

welding samples and a welding tool developed by the Paton
Welding Institute, Kiev, Ukraine.

The experiment is scheduled to fly on the STS-87 mission

in October 1997.

-end-

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