Development of a fault isolation procedure [space station reliability]

A fault isolation procedure (FIP) was developed using a flow process in order to isolate a leak in the thermal control system (TCS) of the International Space Station Alpha. The FIP developed isolates the leak in less than three hours, while allowing for a rapid restoration of life and station critical functions. The FIP was also used to generate fault isolation times for repairable/replaceable units of the TCS. Documentation of an FIP in a process flow allows for less confusion in following instructions, making easier decisions and generating detailed fault isolation times. The flow process illustrated can be applied to any program in which a FIP is needed.