Space is considered by many the final frontier but for ZipNut products, space was actually one of our first.
ZipNut products were first used on the 1989 NASA Space Shuttle STS-29 and became such a success on the mission they were later used as a key mechanical element for the assembly of the International Space Station and for repair of the Hubble Space Telescope in 1992.
EVA/Robotic Assembly Applications for NASA International Space Station
- Main Truss Structural Joints, McDonnell Douglas, Division of Boeing
- Alpha & Beta Solar Panel Gimbals, Honeywell Satellite Systems
- UHF Antenna Booms, McDonnell Douglas, Division of Boeing
- Solar Array Mast Canister, Rocketdyne, Division of Boeing
- Universal Trunnion Attachment System, Boeing Space Systems
- Kit for External Repair of Module Impacts (KERMIt), Marshall Space Flight Center
NASA Hubble Space Telescope Repair and Servicing Missions:
- Tool for Replacement of Wide Field and Planetary Camera and Fine Guidance Sensor, Swales Aerospace* 1/4-28 and 10-32 fasteners for EVA use.
NASA formally recognized the history and widespread application of ZipNut in space in its 1989 Spinoff publication. ZipNut is even listed in NASA’s official Policy for Safety and Mission Success (NPD 8700.1) as a “Recommended Technique for Effective Maintainability” in “Selection of Robotically Compatible Fasteners and Handling Mechanisms” (NTM 4628).
*Swales Aerospace has joined ATK, (www.atk.com) an advanced weapon and space systems company. Swales has been working with ZipNut® products since 1993 when Swales engineers working on the Hubble Space Telescope
Repair Mission for Goddard Space Flight Center led the development of the Double ZipNut® tool which was used to repair the deficient Hubble camera. Swales has guided ZipNut® use on four subsequent repair missions including the May 2009 mission.
ZipNut is experienced with supplying parts and developing specially designed tools for a variety of applications. ZipNuts® are adaptable and can be integrated into an existing tool to improve operation speed. Please contact us for your special needs.