This up-to-date training manual covers the vital Electrical Power System (EPS) of the International Space Station. It contains 90 excellent illustrations and figures as well as 33 tables and charts.
The ISS requires electrical power for all functions: command and control, communications, lighting, life support, etc. Both the Russian Orbital Segment (ROS) and U .S. On-orbit Segment (USOS) have the capability and responsibility for providing on-orbit power sources or their own segments, as well as power sharing, as required, to support assembly and ISS operations for all International Partners. The ROS and USOS electrical Power Systems (EPSs) are responsible for providing a safeguarded source of uninterrupted electrical power for ISS. To accomplish this, the EPS must generate and store power, convert and distribute power to users, protect both the system and users from electrical hazards, and provide the means for controlling and monitoring system performance. These functions are performed by several pieces of interrelated ISS hardware/software. However, to provide the proper context for the detailed discussion, it is helpful to take a "big picture" look at the EPS system, its responsibilities, architecture, and components. Note that the scope of this manual is the Flight 5A configuration. At this assembly stage, both the ROS and USOS EPSs generally have sufficient power generation capability to meet their segment power demands, although power transfer is performed, as required. This manual focuses on the USOS EPS but includes descriptions of the ROS EPS, in particular, noting the similarities and differences between the two power systems.
