Welding the Space Station Common Module Prototype

The NASA Manned Space Flight program planned for the 1990\u27 s is directed towards the commercial use of space through development of large space structures serving a variety of missions. The diversity of the program, and the demands of the mission tasks requires a thorough understanding of the mission requirements and the requirements for subsystems which are readily adaptable to a wide range of applications. The heart of the NASA Space Station is the common module; a light weight, thin walled pressure vessel that can be configured for a wide range of functions: i.e., laboratories, manufacturing facilities, living quarters, and cargo carriers. Before the space station is placed in orbit, development articles must be built and tested, design issues must be resolved, manufacturing problems overcome and accurate cost information generated