Structure optimization techniques, which have matured over the last th
ree decades, have been applied successfully to generate a preliminary
minimum weight design of a Space Station Freedom component. The design
code 'COMETBOARDS' which was developed by the Structural Mechanics Br
anch of NASA Lewis Research Center, was utilized. The component, terme
d a 'short spacer truss' of the Space Station Freedom, was modeled as
a space frame, and its minimum-weight design was obtained under prescr
ibed stress, buckling, crippling, displacement, and frequency constrai
nts. The optimum design weight was found to be lighter than that obtai
ned manually. The optimum design also appears to be attractive from ma
nufacturing considerations. A description of the structural component,
its design environment, behavior limitations, and the optimum-design
process are briefly presented in this paper, along with a brief descri
ption of the design code COMETBOARDS that was developed for this purpo
se.