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At least 613 records · Page 34

NASA Tech Briefs, October 2013

Topics include: A Short-Range Distance Sensor with Exceptional Linearity; Miniature Trace Gas Detector Based on Microfabricated Optical Resonators; Commercial Non-Dispersive Infrared Spectroscopy Sensors for Sub-Ambient Carbon Dioxide Detection; Fast, Large-Area, Wide-Bandgap UV Photodetector for Cherenkov Light Detection; Mission Data System Java Edition Version 7; Adaptive Distributed Environment for Procedure Training (ADEPT); LEGEND, a LEO-to-GEO Environment Debris Model; Electronics/Computers; Millimeter-Wave Localizers for Aircraft-to-Aircraft Approach Navigation; Impedance Discontinuity Reduction Between High-Speed Differential Connectors and PCB Interfaces; SpaceCube Version 1.5; High-Pressure Lightweight Thrusters; Non-Magnetic, Tough, Corrosion- and Wear-Resistant Knives From Bulk Metallic Glasses and Composites; Ambient Dried Aerogels; Applications for Gradient Metal Alloys Fabricated Using Additive Manufacturing; Passivation of Flexible YBCO Superconducting Current Lead With Amorphous SiO2 Layer; Propellant-Flow-Actuated Rocket Engine Igniter; Lightweight Liquid Helium Dewar for High-Altitude Balloon Payloads; Method to Increase Performance of Foil Bearings Through Passive Thermal Management; Unibody Composite Pressurized Structure; JWST Integrated Science Instrument Module Alignment Optimization Tool; Radar Range Sidelobe Reduction Using Adaptive Pulse Compression Technique; Digitally Calibrated TR Modules Enabling Real-Time Beamforming SweepSAR Architectures; Electro-Optic Time-to-Space Converter for Optical Detector Jitter Mitigation; Partially Transparent Petaled Mask/Occulter for Visible-Range Spectrum; Educational NASA Computational and Scientific Studies (enCOMPASS); Coarse-Grain Bandwidth Estimation Scheme for Large-Scale Network; Detection of Moving Targets Using Soliton Resonance Effect; High-Efficiency Nested Hall Thrusters for Robotic Solar System Exploration; High-Voltage Clock Driver for Photon-Counting CCD Characterization; Development of the Code RITRACKS; and Enabling Microliquid Chromatography by Microbead Packing of Microchannels.

Source record↗

A two dimensional artificial reality

The current presumption is that it is necessary to don goggles, gloves and a data suit to experience artificial reality. However, there is another technology that offers an alternative or complement to the encumbering techniques associated with NASA. In VIDEOPLACE, your image appears in a 2D graphic world created by a computer. The VIDEOPLACE computer can analyze a person's image in 1/30 second and can detect when an object is touched. Thus, it can generate a graphic or auditory response to an illusory contact. VIDEOPLACE technology exists in two formats: the VIDEODESK and the VIDEOPLACE. In the VIDEODESK environment, the image of your hands can be used to perform the normal mouse functions, such as menuing and drawing. In addition, you have the advantage of multipoint control. For instance, you can use the thumbs and forefingers of each hand as control points for a spline curve. Perhaps most important, the image of your hands can be compressed and transmitted to a colleague over an ISDN voice channel to appear on the remote screen superimposed over identical information. Likewise, the image of your colleague's hands can appear on both screens. The result is that the two of you can use your hands to point to features on your respective screens as you speak, exactly as you would if you were sitting together. In the VIDEOPLACE environment, you can interact with graphic creatures and the images of other people in other locations in a graphic world. Your whole body can be moved, scaled and rotated in real-time without regard to the laws of physics. Thus, VIDEOPLACE can be used to create a fantasy world in which the laws of cause and effect are composed by an artist.

Krueger, Myron W.↗

Aerodynamic Performance Predictions of Single and Twin Jet Afterbodies

The multiblock three-dimensional Navier-Stokes method PAB3D was utilized by the Component Integration Branch (formerly Propulsion Aerodynamics Branch) at the NASA-Langley Research Center in an international study sponsored by AGARD Working Group #17 for the assessment of the state-of-the-art of propulsion-airframe integration testing techniques and CFD prediction technologies. Three test geometries from ONERA involving fundamental flow physics and four geometries from NASA-LaRC involving realistic flow interactions of wing, body, tail, and jet plumes were chosen by the Working Group. An overview of results on four (1 ONERA and 3 LaRC) of the seven test cases is presented. External static pressures, integrated pressure drag and total drag were calculated for the Langley test cases and jet plume velocity profiles and turbulent viscous stresses were calculated for the ONERA test case. Only selected data from these calculations are presented in this paper. The complete data sets calculated by the participants will be presented in an AGARD summary report. Predicted surface static pressures compared favorably with experimental data for the Langley geometries. Predicted afterbody drag compared well with experiment. Predicted nozzle drag was typically low due to over-compression of the flow near the trailing edge. Total drag was typically high. Predicted jet plume quantities on the ONERA case compared generally well with data.

Carlson, John R.↗

Development of an IVE/EVA Compatible Prototype Cold-Gas Cubesat Propulsion System at NASA/JSC

Cold-gas propulsion systems are well suited for some applications because they are simple to design and build, have low operating costs, and are non-toxic. The inherent tradeoff, however, is their relatively low impulse density. Nevertheless, a modest propulsion system, sized for Cubesats and designed for affordability, presents an attractive system solution for some missions, such as an on-orbit inspection free-flyer. NASA has a long-standing effort to develop propulsion systems appropriate for very high delta-V cubesat missions, such as geo transfer orbits, and there are commercially available Cubesat propulsion systems with considerably more impulse capability, but, these are both prohibitively expensive for some development customers and face compatibility constraints for crewed applications, such as operation within ISS. A relatively conventional cold-gas system has been developed at NASA/JSC taking advantage of existing miniature industrial components, additive manufacturing techniques and in-house qualification of the system. The result is a nearly modular system with a 1U form factor. Compressed nitrogen is stored in a small high-pressure tank, then regulated and distributed to 12 thrusters. Maneuvering thrust can be adjusted, with a typical value of 40 mN, and the delta-V delivered to a 3U Cubesat would be approximately 7 m/s. These values correspond to the performance parameters for an inspection mission previously established at JSC for inspection of the orbiter prior to reentry. Environmental testing was performed to meet ISS launch and workmanship standards, along with the expected thermal environment for an inspection mission. Functionality has been demonstrated, and performance in both vacuum and relevant blow down scenarios was completed. Several avenues for further improvement are also explored. Details of the system, components, integration, tests, and test data are presented in this paper.

Radke, Christopher↗

Thermal expansivity, bulk modulus, and melting curve of H2O-ice VII to 20 GPa

Equation of state properties of ice VII and fluid H2O at high pressures and temperatures have been studied experimentally from 6 to 20 GPa and 300-700 K. The techniques involve direct measurements of the unit-cell volume of the solid using synchrotron X-ray diffraction with an externally heated diamond-anvil cell. The pressure dependencies of the volume and bulk modulus of ice VII at room temperature are in good agreement with previous synchrotron X-ray studies. The thermal expansivity was determined as a function of pressure and the results fit to a newly proposed phenomenological relation and to a Mie-Gruneisen equation of state formalism. The onset of melting of ice VII was determined directly by X-ray diffraction at a series of pressures and found to be in accord with previous volumetric determinations. Thermodynamic calculations based on the new data are performed to evaluate the range of validity of previously proposed equations of state for fluid water derived from static and shock-wave compression experiments and from simulations.

Fei, Yingwei↗

Nimbus 7 solar backscatter ultraviolet (SBUV) ozone products user's guide

Three ozone tape products from the Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SBUV) experiment aboard Nimbus 7 were archived at the National Space Science Data Center. The experiment measures the fraction of incoming radiation backscattered by the Earth's atmosphere at 12 wavelengths. In-flight measurements were used to monitor changes in the instrument sensitivity. Total column ozone is derived by comparing the measurements with calculations of what would be measured for different total ozone amounts. The altitude distribution is retrieved using an optimum statistical technique for the inversion. The estimated initial error in the absolute scale for total ozone is 2 percent, with a 3 percent drift over 8 years. The profile error depends on latitude and height, smallest at 3 to 10 mbar; the drift increases with increasing altitude. Three tape products are described. The High Density SBUV (HDSBUV) tape contains the final derived products - the total ozone and the vertical ozone profile - as well as much detailed diagnostic information generated during the retrieval process. The Compressed Ozone (CPOZ) tape contains only that subset of HDSBUV information, including total ozone and ozone profiles, considered most useful for scientific studies. The Zonal Means Tape (ZMT) contains daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly averages of the derived quantities over 10 deg latitude zones.

Fleig, Albert J.↗

From Pixels to Planets

The Kepler Mission was launched in 2009 as NASAs first mission capable of finding Earth-size planets in the habitable zone of Sun-like stars. Its telescope consists of a 1.5-m primary mirror and a 0.95-m aperture. The 42 charge-coupled devices in its focal plane are read out every half hour, compressed, and then downlinked monthly. After four years, the second of four reaction wheels failed, ending the original mission. Back on earth, the Science Operations Center developed the Science Pipeline to analyze about 200,000 target stars in Keplers field of view, looking for evidence of periodic dimming suggesting that one or more planets had crossed the face of its host star. The Pipeline comprises several steps, from pixel-level calibration, through noise and artifact removal, to detection of transit-like signals and the construction of a suite of diagnostic tests to guard against false positives. The Kepler Science Pipeline consists of a pipeline infrastructure written in the Java programming language, which marshals data input to and output from MATLAB applications that are executed as external processes. The pipeline modules, which underwent continuous development and refinement even after data started arriving, employ several analytic techniques, many developed for the Kepler Project. Because of the large number of targets, the large amount of data per target and the complexity of the pipeline algorithms, the processing demands are daunting. Some pipeline modules require days to weeks to process all of their targets, even when run on NASA's 128-node Pleiades supercomputer. The software developers are still seeking ways to increase the throughput. To date, the Kepler project has discovered more than 4000 planetary candidates, of which more than 1000 have been independently confirmed or validated to be exoplanets. Funding for this mission is provided by NASAs Science Mission Directorate.

supercomputers↗

Computation of unsteady transonic flows through rotating and stationary cascades. 1: Method of analysis

A numerical method of solution of the inviscid, compressible, two-dimensional unsteady flow on a blade-to-blade stream surface through a stage (rotor and stator) or a single blade row of an axial flow compressor or fan is described. A cyclic procedure has been developed for representation of adjacent blade-to-blade passages which asymptotically achieves the correct phase between all passages of a stage. A shock-capturing finite difference method is employed in the interior of the passage, and a method of characteristics technique is used at the boundaries. The blade slipstreams form two of the passage boundaries and are treated as moving contact surfaces capable of supporting jumps in entropy and tangential velocity. The Kutta condition is imposed by requiring the slipstreams to originate at the trailing edges, which are assumed to be sharp. Results are presented for several transonic fan rotors and compared with available experimental data, consisting of holographic observations of shock structure and pressure contour maps. A subcritical stator solution is also compared with results from a relaxation method. Finally, a periodic solution for a stage consisting of 44 rotor blades and 46 stator blades is discussed.

Erdos, J. I.↗

An efficient solution technique for shockwave-boundary layer interactions with flow separation and slot suction effects

An efficient method for computing two-dimensional compressible Navier-Stokes flow fields is presented. The solution algorithm is a fully-implicit approximate factorization technique based on an unsymmetric line Gauss-Seidel splitting of the equation system Jacobian matrix. Convergence characteristics are improved by the addition of acceleration techniques based on Shamanskii's method for nonlinear equations and Broyden's quasi-Newton update. Characteristic-based differencing of the equations is provided by means of Van Leer's flux vector splitting. In this investigation, emphasis is placed on the fast and accurate computation of shock-wave-boundary layer interactions with and without slot suction effects. In the latter context, a set of numerical boundary conditions for simulating the transpiration flow in an open slot is devised. Both laminar and turbulent cases are considered, with turbulent closure provided by a modified Cebeci-Smith algebraic model. Comparisons with computational and experimental data sets are presented for a variety of interactions, and a fully-coupled simulation of a plenum chamber/inlet flowfield with shock interaction and suction is also shown and discussed.

Edwards, Jack R.↗

Numerical solution of periodic transonic flow through a fan stage

A numerical method of solution of the inviscid, compressible, two-dimensional unsteady flow on a blade-to-blade stream surface through a stage (rotor and stator), or a single blade row, of an axial flow compressor or fan is described. A cyclic procedure has been developed for representation of adjacent blade-to-blade passages, which asymptotically achieves the correct phase between all passages of a stage. A shock-capturing finite-difference method is employed in the interior of the passage, and a method-of-characteristics technique is used at the boundaries. The blade slipstreams form two of the passage boundaries, and are treated as moving contact surfaces capable of supporting jumps in entropy and tangential velocity. The Kutta condition is imposed by requiring the slipstreams to originate at the trailing edges, which are assumed to be sharp. Results are presented for several transonic fan rotors, and compared with available experimental data consisting of holographic observations of shock structure and pressure contour maps. A subcritical stator solution is also compared with results from a relaxation method. Finally, a periodic solution for a stage consisting of 44 rotor blades and 46 stator blades is discussed.

Erdos, J. I.↗

Investigation of advanced counterrotation blade configuration concepts for high speed turboprop systems, task 1: Ducted propfan analysis

The time-dependent three-dimensional Euler equations of gas dynamics were solved numerically to study the steady compressible transonic flow about ducted propfan propulsion systems. Aerodynamic calculations were based on a four-stage Runge-Kutta time-marching finite volume solution technique with added numerical dissipation. An implicit residual smoothing operator was used to aid convergence. Two calculation grids were employed in this study. The first grid utilized an H-type mesh network with a branch cut opening to represent the axisymmetric cowl. The second grid utilized a multiple-block mesh system with a C-type grid about the cowl. The individual blocks were numerically coupled in the Euler solver. Grid systems were generated by a combined algebraic/elliptic algortihm developed specifically for ducted propfans. Numerical calculations were initially performed for unducted propfans to verify the accuracy of the three-dimensional Euler formulation. The Euler analyses were then applied for the calculation of ducted propfan flows, and predicted results were compared with experimental data for two cases. The three-dimensional Euler analyses displayed exceptional accuracy, although certain parameters were observed to be very sensitive to geometric deflections. Both solution schemes were found to be very robust and demonstrated nearly equal efficiency and accuracy, although it was observed that the multi-block C-grid formulation provided somewhat better resolution of the cowl leading edge region.

Hall, Edward J.↗

Methodology for Life Testing of Refractory Metal/Sodium Heat Pipes

The focus of this work was to establish an approach to generate carefully controlled data that can conclusively establish heat pipe operating life with material-fluid combinations capable of extended operation. To accomplish this goal acceleration is required to compress 10 years of operational life into 3 years of laboratory testing through a combination of increased temperature and mass fluence. Specific test series have been identi3ed, based on American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) specifications, to investigate long term corrosion rates. The refractory metal selected for demonstration purposes is a Molybdenum-44.5%Rhenium alloy formed by powder metallurgy. The heat pipe makes use of an annular crescent wick design formed by hot isostatic pressing of Molybdenum-Rhenium wire mesh. The heat pipes are filled using vacuum distillation and purity sampling is considered. Testing of these units is round-the-clock with 6-month destructive and non-destructive inspection intervals to identify the onset and level of corrosion. Non-contact techniques are employed for providing power to the evaporator (radio frequency induction heating at I to 5 kW per unit) and calorimetry at the condenser (static gas gap coupled water cooled calorimeter). The planned operating temperature range would extend from 1123 to 1323 K. Accomplishments prior to project cancellation included successful demonstration of the heat pipe wick fabrication technique, establishment of all engineering designs, baselined operational test requirements and procurement/assembly of supporting test hardware systems.

Martin, James J.↗

Investigation of advanced counterrotation blade configuration concepts for high speed turboprop systems. Task 5: Unsteady counterrotation ducted propfan analysis. Computer program user's manual

The primary objective of this study was the development of a time-marching three-dimensional Euler/Navier-Stokes aerodynamic analysis to predict steady and unsteady compressible transonic flows about ducted and unducted propfan propulsion systems employing multiple blade rows. The computer codes resulting from this study are referred to as ADPAC-AOACR (Advanced Ducted Propfan Analysis Codes-Angle of Attack Coupled Row). This report is intended to serve as a computer program user's manual for the ADPAC-AOACR codes developed under Task 5 of NASA Contract NAS3-25270, Unsteady Counterrotating Ducted Propfan Analysis. The ADPAC-AOACR program is based on a flexible multiple blocked grid discretization scheme permitting coupled 2-D/3-D mesh block solutions with application to a wide variety of geometries. For convenience, several standard mesh block structures are described for turbomachinery applications. Aerodynamic calculations are based on a four-stage Runge-Kutta time-marching finite volume solution technique with added numerical dissipation. Steady flow predictions are accelerated by a multigrid procedure. Numerical calculations are compared with experimental data for several test cases to demonstrate the utility of this approach for predicting the aerodynamics of modern turbomachinery configurations employing multiple blade rows.

Hall, Edward J.↗

An efficient system for reliably transmitting image and video data over low bit rate noisy channels

This research project is intended to develop an efficient system for reliably transmitting image and video data over low bit rate noisy channels. The basic ideas behind the proposed approach are the following: employ statistical-based image modeling to facilitate pre- and post-processing and error detection, use spare redundancy that the source compression did not remove to add robustness, and implement coded modulation to improve bandwidth efficiency and noise rejection. Over the last six months, progress has been made on various aspects of the project. Through our studies of the integrated system, a list-based iterative Trellis decoder has been developed. The decoder accepts feedback from a post-processor which can detect channel errors in the reconstructed image. The error detection is based on the Huber Markov random field image model for the compressed image. The compression scheme used here is that of JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group). Experiments were performed and the results are quite encouraging. The principal ideas here are extendable to other compression techniques. In addition, research was also performed on unequal error protection channel coding, subband vector quantization as a means of source coding, and post processing for reducing coding artifacts. Our studies on unequal error protection (UEP) coding for image transmission focused on examining the properties of the UEP capabilities of convolutional codes. The investigation of subband vector quantization employed a wavelet transform with special emphasis on exploiting interband redundancy. The outcome of this investigation included the development of three algorithms for subband vector quantization. The reduction of transform coding artifacts was studied with the aid of a non-Gaussian Markov random field model. This results in improved image decompression. These studies are summarized and the technical papers included in the appendices.

Costello, Daniel J., Jr.↗

Investigation of advanced counterrotation blade configuration concepts for high speed turboprop systems. Task 5: Unsteady counterrotation ducted propfan analysis

The primary objective of this study was the development of a time-marching three-dimensional Euler/Navier-Stokes aerodynamic analysis to predict steady and unsteady compressible transonic flows about ducted and unducted propfan propulsion systems employing multiple blade rows. The computer codes resulting from this study are referred to as ADPAC-AOAR\CR (Advanced Ducted Propfan Analysis Codes-Angle of Attack Coupled Row). This document is the final report describing the theoretical basis and analytical results from the ADPAC-AOACR codes developed under task 5 of NASA Contract NAS3-25270, Unsteady Counterrotating Ducted Propfan Analysis. The ADPAC-AOACR Program is based on a flexible multiple blocked grid discretization scheme permitting coupled 2-D/3-D mesh block solutions with application to a wide variety of geometries. For convenience, several standard mesh block structures are described for turbomachinery applications. Aerodynamic calculations are based on a four-stage Runge-Kutta time-marching finite volume solution technique with added numerical dissipation. Steady flow predictions are accelerated by a multigrid procedure. Numerical calculations are compared with experimental data for several test cases to demonstrate the utility of this approach for predicting the aerodynamics of modern turbomachinery configurations employing multiple blade rows.

Hall, Edward J.↗

Mechanical Properties of T650-35/AFR-PE-4 at Elevated Temperatures for Lightweight Aeroshell Designs

Considerable efforts have been underway to develop multidisciplinary technologies for aeroshell structures that will significantly increase the allowable working temperature for the aeroshell components, and enable the system to operate at higher temperatures while sustaining performance and durability. As part of these efforts, high temperature polymer matrix composites and fabrication technologies are being developed for the primary load bearing structure (heat shield) of the spacecraft. New high-temperature resins and composite material manufacturing techniques are available that have the potential to significantly improve current aeroshell design. In order to qualify a polymer matrix composite (PMC) material as a candidate aeroshell structural material, its performance must be evaluated under realistic environments. Thus, verification testing of lightweight PMC's at aeroshell entry temperatures is needed to ensure that they will perform successfully in high-temperature environments. Towards this end, a test program was developed to characterize the mechanical properties of two candidate material systems, T650-35/AFR-PE-4 and T650-35/RP46. The two candidate high-temperature polyimide resins, AFR-PE-4 and RP46, were developed at the Air Force Research Laboratory and NASA Langley Research Center, respectively. This paper presents experimental methods, strength, and stiffness data of the T650-35/AFR-PE-4 material as a function of elevated temperatures. The properties determined during the research test program herein, included tensile strength, tensile stiffness, Poisson s ratio, compressive strength, compressive stiffness, shear modulus, and shear strength. Unidirectional laminates, a cross-ply laminate and two eight-harness satin (8HS)-weave laminates (4-ply and 10-ply) were tested according to ASTM standard methods at room and elevated temperatures (23, 316, and 343 C). All of the relevant test methods and data reduction schemes are outlined along with mechanical data. These data contribute to a database of material properties for high-temperature polyimide composites that will be used to identify the material characteristics of potential candidate materials for aeroshell structure applications.

Whitley, Karen S.↗

Enabling IP Header Compression in COTS Routers via Frame Relay on a Simplex Link

NASA is moving toward a networkcentric communications architecture and, in particular, is building toward use of Internet Protocol (IP) in space. The use of IP is motivated by its ubiquitous application in many communications networks and in available commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technology. The Constellation Program intends to fit two or more voice (over IP) channels on both the forward link to, and the return link from, the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) during all mission phases. Efficient bandwidth utilization of the links is key for voice applications. In Voice over IP (VoIP), the IP packets are limited to small sizes to keep voice latency at a minimum. The common voice codec used in VoIP is G.729. This new algorithm produces voice audio at 8 kbps and in packets of 10-milliseconds duration. Constellation has designed the VoIP communications stack to use the combination of IP/UDP/RTP protocols where IP carries a 20-byte header, UDP (User Datagram Protocol) carries an 8-byte header, and RTP (Real Time Transport Protocol) carries a 12-byte header. The protocol headers total 40 bytes and are equal in length to a 40-byte G.729 payload, doubling the VoIP latency. Since much of the IP/UDP/RTP header information does not change from IP packet to IP packet, IP/UDP/RTP header compression can avoid transmission of much redundant data as well as reduce VoIP latency. The benefits of IP header compression are more pronounced at low data rate links such as the forward and return links during CEV launch. IP/UDP/RTP header compression codecs are well supported by many COTS routers. A common interface to the COTS routers is through frame relay. However, enabling IP header compression over frame relay, according to industry standard (Frame Relay IP Header Compression Agreement FRF.20), requires a duplex link and negotiations between the compressor router and the decompressor router. In Constellation, each forward to and return link from the CEV in space is treated independently as a simplex link. Without negotiation, the COTS routers are prevented from entering into the IP header compression mode, and no IP header compression would be performed. An algorithm is proposed to enable IP header compression in COTS routers on a simplex link with no negotiation or with a one-way messaging. In doing so, COTS routers can enter IP header compression mode without the need to handshake through a bidirectional link as required by FRF.20. This technique would spoof the routers locally and thereby allow the routers to enter into IP header compression mode without having the negotiations between routers actually occur. The spoofing function is conducted by a frame relay adapter (also COTS) with the capability to generate control messages according to the FRF.20 descriptions. Therefore, negotiation is actually performed between the FRF.20 adapter and the connecting COTS router locally and never occurs over the space link. Through understanding of the handshaking protocol described by FRF.20, the necessary FRF.20 negotiations messages can be generated to control the connecting router, not only to turn on IP header compression but also to adjust the compression parameters. The FRF.20 negotiation (or control) message is composed in the FRF.20 adapter by interpreting the incoming router request message. Many of the fields are simply transcribed from request to response while the control field indicating response and type are modified.

Nguyen, Sam P.↗

Strain Measurement Using FBG on COPV in Stress Rupture Test

White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) was requested to perform ambient temperature hydrostatic pressurization testing of a Space Transportation System (STS) 40-in. Kevlar Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessel (COPV). The 40-in. vessel was of the same design and approximate age as the STS Main Propulsion System (MPS) and Orbiter Maneuvering System (OMS) vessels. The NASA Engineering Safety Center (NESC) assembled a team of experts and conducted an assessment that involved a review of national Kevlar COPY data. During the review, the STS COPVs were found to be beyond their original certification of ten years. The team observed that the likelihood of STS COPV Stress rupture, a catastrophic burst before leak failure mode, was greater than previously believed. Consequently, a detailed assessment of remaining stress rupture life became necessary. Prior to STS-114, a certification deviation was written for two flights of OV-103 (Discovery) and OV-104 (Atlantis) per rationale that was based on an extensive review of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories, COPV data, and revisions to the STS COPV stress levels. In order to obtain flight rationale to extend the certification deviation through the end of the Program, the Orbiter Project Office has directed an interagency COPV team to conduct further testing and analysis to investigate conservatism in the stress rupture model and evaluate material age degradation. Additional analysis of stress rupture life requires understanding the fiber stresses including stress that occurs due to thru-wall composite compression in COPV components. Data must be obtained at both zero gauge pressure (pre-stress) and at the component operating pressure so that this phenomenon can be properly evaluated. The zero gauge pressure stresses are predominantly a result of the autofrettage process used during vessel manufacture. Determining these pre-stresses and the constitutive behavior of the overwrap at pressure will provide necessary information to better predict the remaining life of the STS COPVs. The primary test objective is obtaining data to verify the hypothesis of a radially oriented thru-thickness stress-riser in the COPV composite whose magnitude is a function of the applied pressure and the load history. The anticipated load dependent response follows from the constitutive behavior of the composite overwrap so data to quantify its nonlinear and time dependent response will be sought. The objective of the Fiber Braggs Gratings (FBGs) were to advance the state-of-the-art by developing techniques using FBG sensors that are capable of assessing stress-rupture degradation in Kevlar COPVs in a health monitoring mode (1). Moreover, they sought to answer questions of how embedded sensors affect overall integrity of the structure. And lastly, they sought to provide an important link in the overall stress rupture study that will help close the loop on the COPV fabrication process. NDE inspection methods will be used from start to finish and FBG will be an integral link within the overall chain.

Banks, Curtis↗