house the communications and control systems for the construction base. The pressurized storage modules include workshops for maintenance of construction facility elements and satellite hardware as required. Seven of the modules (enclosed by the dashed lines) are hardened against solar flare radiation and serve as temporary quarters for the entire crew when the base is subjected to that environment. Satellite Construction Operations - Identification of the major construction operations and their time-phased relationship with each other and with the overall construction schedule for a single satellite are given in Figure R-30. Construction starts at one wing tip and progresses toward the center section where the microwave antenna rotary joint is located, and thence continues outbound building wing No. 2 and terminating at that wing tip. The first eight days are designated for preparation of the construction facility. Prior to the eighth day sufficient materials have been delivered by the EOTV to satisfy the first several days of construction: primary structure material (beam machine cassettes) for 1/2 the satellite; solar blanket and reflector rolls, electrical conductors and switch gear for the first two bays; and antenna components. Since the rear side of the facility is always exposed to space with no interference from the main construction activities, it is implemented as the jig for building the antenna frame and as the location for assembly, and installation of the 30 x 30 m RF mechanical modules. Fabrication of the microwave antenna for this Nth satellite was started on the 50th day of construction of the previous (N-l) satellite and is continued up through the 48th day of construction of this satellite; at that time it is ready for installation into the slipring-mounted trunnions. Each satellite wing consists of 12 bays 800 m long. These are constructed at the rate of one every two days using three 8-hour shifts. Prior to the start of longeron fabrication, the solar array blankets and reflectors for one bay are placed in position for deployment and attached to the frame of the preceding bay so that they may be unrolled as beam fabrication progresses.
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