A joint program (Center for Space Transportation and Applied Research, University of Tennessee Space Institute, University of Waterloo, and Lumonics Corporation) is underway to develop a YAG laser based materials processing workstation to fly in the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle. The system will be capable of cutting and welding steel, aluminum and Inconel alloys of the type planned for use on the space station Freedom. As well as demonstrating the ability of a YAG laser to perform remote (fiber-optic delivered) repair and fabrication operations in space, fundamental data will be collected on these interactions for comparison with terrestrial data and models.
The flight system, scheduled to fly in 1995, will be constructed as two modules to fit into standard Get Away Special (GAS) canisters. The first can holds the laser and its power supply, to be constructed by the industrial partner, Lumonics Industrial Processing Division. The second canister has the materials processing workstation and the command and data acquisition subsystems. These components will be provided by the groups at UTSI and the University of Waterloo. The cans are linked by a fiber-optic cable which transmits the light from the laser head to the workstation.
This paper delineates the activities, requirements and accomplishments for the SAILS project to date.