Who's who at NASA: Kenneth Wagner, Aerospace Technologist, Goddard Space Flight Center

NASA Tech Briefs, Dec 2000

Kenneth Wagner, Aerospace Technologist, Goddard Space Flight Center

Kenneth Wagner is an Aerospace Technologist at NASA's Goddard Space night Center in Greenbelt, MD. He was the lead software engineer and lead electrical engineer for the Pistol Grip Tool, a computer-controlled power tool that is used on both shuttle and space station repair missions. (A tech brief on the Pistol Grip Tool was featured on page 62 of the November issue.)

NASA Tech Briefs: What is the Pistol Grip Tool and how does it differ from other power tools?

Kenneth Wagner: The Pistol Grip Tool (PGT) is a rotary power tool that can be used to turn a drill bit, wrench socket, screwdriver, or other power tool bit. The major difference is the level of control the PGT offers in terms of the power and the torque applied.

NTB: How long did it take to develop this tool?

Wagner. We worked on it for about three years. Paul W. Richards, who was working in the Hubble Servicing Office at Goddard, saw a need for a handheld power ratchet tool that was self-contained. Goddard had already built a larger ratchet tool, but it was in two pieces and was a little bit larger and harder to use. What Paul did was assemble a team from Goddard, Orbital Sciences Corp., and Swales and Associates (which is now Swales Aerospace), and we got together and built this handheld tool. And I think it supplements the other one nicely.

NTB: The PGT features built-in sensors. What functions do they perform?

Wagner: There is an external port that allows you to program what the settings of the tool are going to be - it is not a fixed torque that it can generate. It can generate up to 14 different torque settings and six different speed settings through the programming port.

NTB: How is NASA currently using the PGT?

Wagner: The tool is now flying on the Hubble servicing missions, and it will fly on all International Space Station assembly missions. In orbit, an astronaut programs the tool with the Payload General Support Computer, or PGSC, while he or she is in the crew cabin. The PGSC is an IBM ThinkPad laptop. The astronaut then detaches the cable and goes out with the tool. It allows a lot of flexibility on a mission. We also use the tool for easy and accurate screw loosening and to engage and disengage latches.

NTB: What are some possible commercial applications for the tool?

Wagner: The tool could be used in any application where a precise amount of torque or turns is required. In something like auto repair, where under-- torquing or overtorquing could have dangerous consequences, I could see the PGT being used. The tool also could be useful in a manufacturing facility where workers would be able to apply precise torque and turn counts to delicate fasteners in an assembly line; for instance, in the assembly of eyeglasses or plastic-cased computers. It could be useful in biomedical applications, where a doctor would apply precise torque to an orthopedic screw or to a brace. When used on screws, the PGT accurately tightens them to keep from stripping their threads and makes sure enough torque has been applied to keep the screw tight.

A full transcript of this interview appears online at www.nasatech.com. Mr. Wagner can be reached at kenneth.w.wagner.l@gsfc. nasa.gov.