This paper describes the application of johnson Space Center's Systems Engineer ing Simulator to model a complex spacecraft rendezvous and capture scenario. In this real-time scenario, an operator in one space vehicle made use of a telerobotic manipulator to capture and berth another, smaller vehicle. The goals of the study were to determine if the task could be reliably completed and to provide design and performance data on the manipulator.
The study results demonstrate that it is feasible to use a telerobotic manipulator to berth an incoming Shuttle to Space Station Freedom.
