Suits, it is really nothing that interesting. With the ASDS we had some serious material issues and reliability concerns that required some long, long hours be put in to get the thing into the water. When we finally did get it into the water we would often be pulling out soon after as something else would have broken.
Everything had to be QA tested, every time we did anything it required a CWP (Controlled Work Package) which would outline the procedure, along with all of our QA forms documenting joint/connector torques, documenting the software installed (o-rings, the type of lubricant used). So if we were changing something out that took an actual 20 minutes to perform, it was accompanied by 3 hours of package writing, another hour of reviewing the package for accuracy an then getting it approved. Then the work would commence. Then you have to do a re-test ensuring everything is kosher. Then you can close the package out and put it in the water for it to break again.
Every single piece of anything that goes aboard ASDS gets 'off-gas' tested. Basically, the whole ASDS is a hyperbaric chamber. The concept being you pressurize the LIO (Lock In/Lock Out) to just above sea pressure and then you hydraulically open the lower hatch. The air pressure inside keeps the water out and the SEALs/divers hop out. So when you subject different materials to pressure they have the possibility of giving off gasses which can be toxic. So anything that is to be taken on-board gets sent off to a facility in Florida and tested of potential off-gassing. When everything is good it is certified to come on-board.
A major player in the suck-factor was our old batteries. We use 7 batteries to power the ASDS. The old ones were a silver-zinc chemistry. We used 128 cells in series to make up a half-string, which we have 2 of to make up 1 battery (eg Battery 1 is made up of 1A with 128 cells and 1B with 128 cells) Well, these batteries gave off lots of Hydrogen when being charged or discharged, so when in port we kept them on either an air or Nitrogen purge to prevent the H2 from getting to combustible levels. When we got ready to go underway we would pressurize the battery bottles with Nitrogen and keep the battery under a Nitrogen 'blanket'. These batteries also have a tendency to short 1 cell, which is real bad news, so we would have to take the battery down from the ASDS and open it up and pull it all apart to replace the one cell. So, we would take a whole day to do this. And at times we would get shorts on a daily basis.
This all went away about a year before I left with the introduction of our Lithium Ion batteries. Same setup (7 batteries etc etc) but there is no purge requirements with them. When we build them we put them on a N2 blanket and seal them up. These greatly increased our reliability and running time. They are also the largest Lithium Ion batteries on the planet, but by the company who built the ultra-reliable Lithium batteries for the Mars Rovers for NASA.
Anyhow, that should be enough to get you going for now Suits. Any more, just ask (and it is my kids bed-time, so duty calls!)
