Guiding hand on the space station

Operational capabilities and needs of a space station in the 1990s are projected. The station will actually be part of a network of stations, the Shuttle, teleoperators, orbit transfer vehicles, unmanned platforms, outbound and returning interplanetary probes and large space structures (LSS). The LSS may be targeted for GEO station and constructed in LEO while attached or orbiting near the station. The station itself will be a complex of connected modules. Station maneuvers will be constrained by pointing requirements, structural strength, collision hazards, servicing needs, transfer economics, aerodynamic and geopotential perturbation torques, and contamination dangers from thrusters. Highly automated systems will lower the operational costs and increase productivity and reliability. The guidance and navigation equipment must be designed to accommodate the automation levels and complex mission possibilities of the station.