MUSES Onboard the International Space Station 

The Multiple User System for Earth Sensing (MUSES) is a precision pointing platform that will host instruments like high-definition digital cameras that can be changed, upgraded, and robotically serviced as needed. MUSES was built by Teledyne Brown Engineering (TBE) in Huntsville, Alabama and currently resides on the International Space Station (ISS).

In order for MUSES to perform successfully and withstand the extreme space environment, Kgktape & Materials needed to get involved. To protect this platform from the damaging elements of spacee, Kgktape provided and installed multilayer insulation (MLI) on the instrument. 

^{Kgktape Engineer shown “Capping” the edges of the MLI blanket.} 

Kgktape has a long history of providing MLI for ISS and missions deployed from the ISS; this can be a challenging task as MLI blankets need to be precisely manufactured. However, Kgktape’s engineering and manufacturing experience has allowed the MLI blankets to be thermally efficient as well as visually pristine—professionalism that can only be found at Kgktape!

^{AFM logo shown on the MUSES MLI blankets} 

One platform is the DLR Earth Sensing Image Spectrometer (DESIS) which Is responsible for imaging and inspecting ecosystems to give scientist an indication of the condition of forests and agriculture land. 

^{MUSES platform awaiting installation on the ISS} 

Getting MUSES Space-Ready

To get the MUSES platform into space, AFM covered the platform with MLI prior to launch. After the launch, an astronaut spacewalk was performed to install the platform on an arm of the ISS. This arm would face continuously towards Earth. The platform originally was installed with payloads, but future spacewalks could be performed to install new equipment. 

^{Position of the MUSES Platform on the ISS}