The Berthing Cues System (BCS) provides robotic operators with visual cues in support
of Common Attach System (CAS) berthing operations. CAS mechanisms are
intended for installation on the S3 and P3 truss elements and on the Mobile Base
System (MBS). Potential CAS mounted payloads include pallets such as
the Express Pallet (EXP) and full truss site payloads such as the Alpha Magnetic
Spectrometer (AMS).
The BCS is comprised of two major components:
The Avionics Package will consist of dual camera/lens subunits, for redundancy,
LED light array, and the electronics required to operate the system.
The Avionics Package will be mounted on the Payload as required to view the target.
The target, mounted on the CAS structure, will be precision aligned and retro reflective
in nature. During use, the BCS operator is required to align target reference
features and reflected images to an overlay superimposed on the video output.
Orbital stay times for CAS mounted pallets and payloads will vary, and could be
in the order of months or years. The BCS system will provide a service
lifetime of 15 years, with occasional refurbishment of avionics between on-orbit
stays.
