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Here's some more info about the metalwork performed during the Salyut 7/Soyuz T-12 VE-4 mission [wikipedia.org] in 1984, taken from the Svetlana Savitskaya [wikipedia.org] page on Wikipedia:

"On July 17, 1984 Savitskaya launched aboard Soyuz T-12, together with Commander Vladimir Dzhanibekov and research cosmonaut Igor Volk. On July 25, 1984, Savitskaya became the first woman to spacewalk, conducting EVA outside the Salyut 7 space station for 3 hours and 35 minutes, during which she cut and welded metals in space along with her colleague Vladimir Dzhanibekov.

The importance of their mission was to test the Universal Hand Tool or Universalny Rabochy Instrument (URI). This tool created at the Paton Instituite in Kiev, Ukraine could be used to cut, solder, weld, and braze in space. During the EVA, Savitskaya performed a total of 6 cuts of titanium and stainless steel, 2 coatings of anodized aluminum, 6 tests of tin and lead solder, and test cuts of a 0.5 mm titanium sample."

NASA provides further details about the above Salyut/Soyuz mission and the Universalny Rabochy (or Ruchnoj) Instrument ("Universal Hand Tool") (URI) multipurpose electron beam cutting, welding, soldering, and brazing tool, in the PDF document "Walking to Olympus: An EVA Chronology" [nasa.gov] --- see page 55.

NASA provides further details about the above Salyut/Soyuz mission and the Universalny Rabochy (or Ruchnoj) Instrument ("Universal Hand Tool") (URI) multipurpose electron beam cutting, welding, soldering, and brazing tool, in the PDF document "Walking to Olympus: An EVA Chronology" [nasa.gov] --- see page 55.

NASA provides further details about the above Salyut/Soyuz mission and the Universalny Rabochy (or Ruchnoj) Instrument ("Universal Hand Tool") (URI) multipurpose electron beam cutting, welding, soldering, and brazing tool, in the PDF document "Walking to Olympus: An EVA Chronology" [nasa.gov] --- see page 55.

Interesting. But what exactly is this Universal Hand Tool? The description in the PDF file (actually page 69 of the PDF file in case you're using simple "go to page" navigation) makes it appear it's just a custom-built welding tool, probably designed to overcome the handicaps posed by working in a space suit. Some pictures, if not a video would be nice. I was thinking at first it might be some sort of laser cutter, then realized only Jedi knights and space pirates would have access to such hand-held technol

I didn't know any number of anoracks could do that. Or any other piece of clothing for that matter. Clothing is soft.

So, what is "friction milling"?

It seems to be using a friction stir-welding tool [wikipedia.org] to disrupt and cut material rather than weld it together.

More info here: https://finance.yahoo.com/news... [yahoo.com]

... then use a magnet to get the debris.

Only works with ferromagnetic materials. Not aluminum, titanium, or (what these people were cutting) many types of stainless steel. Few aerospace alloys used in space structures are ferromagnetic.

The intended use for this technology is to cut space debris, so you have to work with what other people have launched.

I am pretty familiar with machining, and unless friction milling is some kind of totally novel technology, it doesnâ(TM)t exist.

It appears to be an adaptation of the friction welding techniques to cutting instead of welding. So not totally novel.

They want to be able to cut stuff other than sheet metal. We also have extensive systems already available for changing out rotary tools.

"plan to convert spent rocket stages into outposts for Earth orbit and deep space"

Interesting idea, a huge amount of money was expended getting those rocket stages into orbit. And they obviously are gas-tight.

I am thinking it would take a lot more to make them fit for human inhabitation than just some cutting and an airlock though. Insulation and all the other interior outfitting isn't even easy to do on Earth, but now people and/or machines would have to do it in space.

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