Paper Session I-A - In-Space Welding Visions & Realities

This paper establishes the value of having an in-space welding capability and identifies its applications, both near-term for Shuttle-Spacelab missions and Space Station Freedom, and longer-term for the First Lunar Outpost and Manned Mission to Mars. The leading candidate technologies, consisting of Electron Beam, Gas Tungsten Arc, Plasma Arc, and Laser Beam, are examined against the criteria for an in-space welding system. Research and development work to date, striving to achieve an in-space welding capability, is reviewed. Finally, a series of strategic NASA flight experiments is discussed as the remaining development required for achieving a complete in-space welding capability, which can fully serve the Space Exploration Initiative. This paper summarizes the visions and realities associated with in-space welding