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NASA NTRS2005

Investigation of Integrated Vehicle Health Management Approaches

This report is to present the work that was performed during the summer in the Advance Computing Application office. The NFFP (NASA Faculty Fellow Program) had ten summer faculty members working on IVHM (Integrated Vehicle Health Management) technologies. The objective of this project was two-fold: 1) to become familiar with IVHM concepts and key demonstrated IVHM technologies; and 2) to integrate the research that has been performed by IVHM faculty members into the MASTLAB (Marshall Avionic Software Test Lab). IVHM is a NASA-wide effort to coordinate, integrate and apply advanced software, sensors and design technologies to increase the level of intelligence, autonomy, and health state of future vehicles. IVHM is an important concept because it is consistent with the current plan for NASA to go to the moon, mars, and beyond. In order for NASA to become more involved in deep exploration, avionic systems will need to be highly adaptable and autonomous.

Paris, Deidre↗

NASA NTRS2011

Radiation Specifications for Fission Power Conversion Component Materials

NASA has been supporting design studies and technology development that could provide power to an outpost on the moon, Mars, or an asteroid. One power-generation system that is independent of sunlight or power-storage limitations is a fission-based power plant. There is a wealth of terrestrial system heritage that can be transferred to the design and fabrication of a fission power system for space missions, but there are certain design aspects that require qualification. The radiation tolerance of the power conversion system requires scrutiny because the compact nature of a space power plant restricts the dose reduction methodologies compared to those used in terrestrial systems. An integrated research program has been conducted to establish the radiation tolerance of power conversion system-component materials. The radiation limit specifications proposed for a Fission Power System power convertor is 10 Mrad ionizing dose and 5 x 10(exp 14) neutron per square centimeter fluence for a convertor operating at 150 C. Specific component materials and their radiation tolerances are discussed. This assessment is for the power convertor hardware; electronic components are not covered here.

Bowman, Cheryl L.↗

NASA NTRS2020

Mars 2020: Mission, Science Objectives and Build

If all goes according to plan, in February 2021, NASA will land the Mars 2020 Rover on the surface of Mars. Mars 2020 is the latest in a series of unmanned Martian robotic rover missions that are part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the planet. The mission seeks to address high-priority goals for Mars exploration, including answering questions about the potential for past life on Mars. Mars 2020 will look for evidence of habitable conditions on Mars in the ancient past, as well as look for signs of past microbial life itself. The mission also seeks to understanding the geological history and evolution of the planet, and to prepare for future robotic and human exploration. The Mars 2020 spacecraft and rover borrow heavily from the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission and Curiosity rover which landed on Mars in 2012. This reliance on proven technology helps reduce mission risk and cost. Mars 2020 does contain new technology, including a drill for coring samples from Martian rock and soil and a Sample Caching System for gathering, storing and preserving samples for possible future return to Earth. In this paper, we will review the primary goals of the Mars 2020 Mission and look at the reasons for choosing Jezero Crater as the landing site. We will discuss the design and build of the Mars 2020 Spacecraft system and its similarities and differences with Mars Science Laboratory and the Curiosity Rover. We will also review the Mars 2020 Scientific Instrument Suite and their goals. Finally, we will review the Return Sample Contamination Control requirements and the design choices that were made to facilitate meeting these requirements.

Soares, Carlos E.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Physical and Chemical Aspects of Fire Suppression in Extraterrestrial Environments

A fire, whether in a spacecraft or in occupied spaces on extraterrestrial bases, can lead to mission termination or loss of life. While the fire-safety record of US space missions has been excellent, the advent of longer duration missions to Mars, the moon, or aboard the International Space Station (ISS) increases the likelihood of fire events, with more limited mission termination options. The fire safety program of NASA's manned space flight program is based largely upon the principles of controlling the flammability of on-board materials and greatly eliminating sources of ignition. As a result, very little research has been conducted on fire suppression in the microgravity or reduced-gravity environment. The objectives of this study are: to obtain fundamental knowledge of physical and chemical processes of fire suppression, using gravity and oxygen concentration as independent variables to simulate various extraterrestrial environments, including spacecraft and surface bases in Mars and moon missions; to provide rigorous testing of analytical models, which include comprehensive descriptions of combustion and suppression chemistry; and to provide basic research results useful for technological advances in fire safety, including the development of new fire-extinguishing agents and approaches, in the microgravity environment associated with ISS and in the partial-gravity Martian and lunar environments.

Takahashi, F.↗

NASA NTRS1998

Integration of Biological, Physical/Chemical and Energy Efficient Systems in the CELSS Antarctic Analog: Performance of Prototype Systems and Issues for Life Support

The Controlled Ecological Life Support System (CELSS) Antarctic Analog Project (CAAP) is a joint endeavor between the National Science Foundation, Office of Polar Programs (NSF-OPP), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The fundamental objective is to develop, deploy, and operate a testbed of advanced life support technologies at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station that enable the objectives of both the NSF and NASA. The functions of food production, water purification, and waste treatment, recycle, and reduction provided by CAAP will improve the quality of life for the South Pole inhabitants, reduce logistics dependence, enhance safety, and minimize environmental impacts associated with human presence on the polar plateau. Because of the analogous technical, scientific, and mission features with Planetary missions, such as a mission to Mars, CAAP provides NASA with a method for validating technologies and overall approaches to supporting humans. Prototype systems for waste treatment, water recycle, resource recovery and crop production are being evaluated in a testbed at Ames Research Center. The combined performance of these biological and physical/chemical systems as an integrated function in support of the human habitat will be discussed. Overall system performance will be emphasized. The effectiveness and efficiency of component technologies will be discussed in the context of energy and mass flow within the system and contribution to achieving a mass and energy conservative system. Critical to the discussion are interfaces with habitat functions outside of the closed-loop life support: the ability of the system to satisfy the life support requirements of the habitat and the ability to define input requirements. The significance of analog functions in relation to future Mars habitats will be discussed.

Bubenheim, David L.↗

NASA NTRS2011

TBCC Discipline Overview. Hypersonics Project

The "National Aeronautics Research and Development Policy" document, issued by the National Science and Technology Council in December 2006, stated that one (among several) of the guiding objectives of the federal aeronautics research and development endeavors shall be stable and long-term foundational research efforts. Nearly concurrently, the National Academies issued a more technically focused aeronautics blueprint, entitled: the "Decadal Survey of Civil Aeronautics - Foundations for the Future." Taken together these documents outline the principles of an aeronautics maturation plan. Thus, in response to these overarching inputs (and others), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) organized the Fundamental Aeronautics Program (FAP), a program within the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD). The FAP initiated foundational research and technology development tasks to enable the capability of future vehicles that operate across a broad range of Mach numbers, inclusive of the subsonic, supersonic, and hypersonic flight regimes. The FAP Hypersonics Project concentrates on two hypersonic missions: (1) Air-breathing Access to Space (AAS) and (2) the (Planetary Atmospheric) Entry, Decent, and Landing (EDL). The AAS mission focuses on Two-Stage-To-Orbit (TSTO) systems using air-breathing combined-cycle-engine propulsion; whereas, the EDL mission focuses on the challenges associated with delivering large payloads to (and from) Mars. So, the FAP Hypersonic Project investments are aligned to achieve mastery and intellectual stewardship of the core competencies in the hypersonic-flight regime, which ultimately will be required for practical systems with highly integrated aerodynamic/vehicle and propulsion/engine technologies. Within the FAP Hypersonics, the technology management is further divided into disciplines including one targeting Turbine-Based Combine-Cycle (TBCC) propulsion. Additionally, to obtain expertise and support from outside (including industry and academia) the hypersonic uses both NASA Research Announcements (NRAs) and a jointly sponsored, Air Force Office of Scientific Research and NASA, National Hypersonic Science Center that are focused on propulsion research. Finally, these two disciplines use selected external partnership agreements with both governmental agencies and industrial entities. The TBCC discipline is comprised of analytic and experimental tasks, and is structured into the following two research topic areas: (1) TBCC Integrated Flowpath Technologies, and (2) TBCC Component Technologies. These tasks will provide experimental data to support design and analysis tool development and validation that will enable advances in TBCC technology.

Thomas, Scott R.↗

NASA NTRS2019

High Velocity Impact Performance of a Dual Layer Thermal Protection System for the Mars Sample Return Earth Entry Vehicle

The Mars Sample Return (MSR) Earth Entry Vehicle (EEV) is currently planned on being released from its Micro-Meteorite/Orbital Debri (MM/OD) shielding housing about two days before the Earth entry phase. This leaves the EEV exposed to incoming MM/OD impacts, potentially damaging the heat shield and compromising its Entry, Decent, and Landing (EDL) integrity. Currently, two materials are proposed to comprise the MSR-EEV heat shield, a dual layer material Heat-shield for Extreme Entry Environment Technology (HEEET) and Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA). PICA has been well characterized for OD class impacts, ~7km/s high mass impacts, from previous testing done in the Orion program, but hasn't under-gone extensive MM impact testing. HEEET is a rela-tively new material with minimal prior testing in re-gards to High Velocity Impacts (HVI). In order to in-form selectability of a material, it is crucial to under-stand the material performance when faced with an HVI, directly affecting mission success probability.The current measure of a Thermal Protection Sys-tem's (TPS) performance against an HVI is evaluating a thermally sized material against its derived Balistic Limit Equation (BLE). A BLE is generated empirically from multiple shots of HVI testing, and is used as a first order method in evaluating TPS's performance against the expected MM/OD environment. This method has proved useful for previous uniform densi-ty TPS materials, but has never been validated against a dual layer recession material such as HEEET. Testing in the MSR program for FY19 has a re-quirement to assess the effects of a dual layer TPS by testing various thicknesses of HEEET's Recession Layer, seen in Figure 1. From this data, BLE's will be derived for the individual thickness ratio samples, as well as the material as a whole to evaluate if a heritage form of the BLE can capture the complex physics associated with a dual layer system. Crater morpholo-gy will also be assessed with post-test Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) methods such as CT scanning to visualize if a BLE can well predict the associated pene-tration depths, since a BLE assumes full disinigration of the impacting particle and is generally only used to size a spherical crater ? disregarding any shrapenel effects from a high density impactor.To inform this analysis, expected MM environ-ments from the Meteoroid Engineering Model (MEM) and analytical equations for mass flux of incoming MM were evaluated against the notional MSR-EEV trajectory [1]. Using those dispersions, a monte-carlo was run to determine the most probable particle pa-rameters, as well as the riskiest in terms of full bondline penetration. From these probabilities, a test matrix was designed to test against bounding cases for the various parameters of the BLE: projectile density, projectile mass, projectile velocity, and the impact angle.This presentation will discuss the performance of the dual layer TPS material HEEET against a wide range of impact kinetic energies and densitites, as well as the comparison of HEEET to PICA in terms of MM/OD performance and selectability criteria.

Libben, B. J.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Mineralogical, Elemental, and Tomographic Reconnaissance Investigation for CLPS (METRIC): A Payload Designed for Exploration of Terrestrial Planetary Bodies

Geological materials (indeed, all solid objects) are characterized by their crystal structure, elemental composition, and morphology. The Mineralogical, Elemental, and Tomographic Reconnaissance Investigation for CLPS (METRIC) instrument suite quantifies all three. These measurements address fundamental science questions (e.g., the origin and evolution of planetary bodies) and support the human exploration of space (e.g., the characterization of regolith for ISRU and the constraint of its geotechnical properties). METRIC comprises an X-ray Diffraction/X-ray Fluorescence instrument (XRD: mineral structure and XRF: elemental composition), an X-ray micro-Computed Tomography instrument (XCT: 3D internal micromorphology), and a hyperspectral imaging infrared spectrometer (IRS) to provide local/regional mineralogic context for these measurements. METRIC XRD/F draws heritage from the highly successful Mars Science Laboratory CheMin instrument. The METRIC XRD/F employs two separate sample cells, one optimized for XRD and one for XRF, resulting in more rapid XRD analysis (tens of minutes vs. tens of hours for CheMin) and an orders-of-magnitude improvement in XRF detection. XCT has not been deployed in space, so the METRIC XCT represents a new capability for solar system exploration. The XCT uses the same basic high-TRL components as METRIC XRD/F, decreasing its development cost for flight. The METRIC IRS is a derivative of the NASA Earth Science Technology Office funded Hyperspectral Thermal Imager instrument and utilizes the NASA Technology Transfer Program to incorporate a commercial-of-the-shelf infrared camera ruggedized for space by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. The IRS spectral range (8–14 µm) and resolution (10.8 cm -1 ) are tailored to quantify mineralogy in rocks using their characteristic Reststrahlen bands and to characterize mineralogy of soils using the position of the Christensen Feature. The METRIC payload is currently designed for deployment to the Moon on a Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) mission, where the XRD/F and XCT would be located on a lander and the IRS would be on deployed on a companion rover to evaluate the mineralogical diversity of the landing site. A pneumatic drill designed by Honeybee Robotics would excavate regolith up to 50 cm below the lander and deliver multiple aliquots of regolith to the XRD/F and XCT. The METRIC payload could also be deployed on a rover. In this case, a sample handling system on a robotic arm could scoop regolith and/or drill rocks and deliver powder to the XRD/F and XCT located in the rover’s interior. Alternatively, METRIC instruments could be used singly or in combination on human space missions. The XRD/F and XCT could be used to characterize samples in a rover or in a science laboratory within a habitat. These data could help astronauts identify resource-enriched rocks and regolith and triage geologic samples to return samples of high interest for analysis in terrestrial laboratories. The IRS could be attached to a human-navigated rover to collect mineralogical data along a traverse and identify high-priority science samples.

E. B. Rampe↗

NASA NTRS1991

A mission design for International Manned Mars Mission - From the 1991 International Space University (ISU) Design Project

The International Space University (ISU) conducted a study of an international program to support human exploration of Mars as its annual Design Project activity during its 1991 summer session in Toulouse, France. Although an ISU Design Project strives to produce an in-depth analysis during the intense 10-week summer session, the International Mars Mission (IMM) project was conducted in a manner designed to provide a learning experience for young professionals working in an unusual multidisciplinary and multinational environment. The breadth of the IMM study exceeds that of most Mars mission studies of the past, encompassing political organization for long-term commitment, multinational management structure, cost analysis, mission architecture, vehicle configuration, crew health, life support, Mars surface infrastructure, mission operations, technology evaluation, risk assessment, scientific planning, exploration, communication networks, and Martian resource utilization. The IMM Final Report has particular value for those seeking insight into the choices made by a multinational group working in an apolitical environment on the problems of international cooperation in space.

Mendell, Wendell W.↗

NASA NTRS2000

A Mars Exploration Discovery Program

The Mars Exploration Program should consider following the Discovery Program model. In the Discovery Program a team of scientists led by a PI develop the science goals of their mission, decide what payload achieves the necessary measurements most effectively, and then choose a spacecraft with the capabilities needed to carry the payload to the desired target body. The primary constraints associated with the Discovery missions are time and money. The proposer must convince reviewers that their mission has scientific merit and is feasible. Every Announcement of Opportunity has resulted in a collection of creative ideas that fit within advertised constraints. Following this model, a "Mars Discovery Program" would issue an Announcement of Opportunity for each launch opportunity with schedule constraints dictated by the launch window and fiscal constraints in accord with the program budget. All else would be left to the proposer to choose, based on the science the team wants to accomplish, consistent with the program theme of "Life, Climate and Resources". A proposer could propose a lander, an orbiter, a fleet of SCOUT vehicles or penetrators, an airplane, a balloon mission, a large rover, a small rover, etc. depending on what made the most sense for the science investigation and payload. As in the Discovery program, overall feasibility relative to cost, schedule and technology readiness would be evaluated and be part of the selection process.

Hansen, C. J.↗

NASA NTRS2011

The Space Review

Human space flight in the US and other space-faring countries is faced with a twin challenge that is likely to persist for many years: flat or declining budgets along with an expectation of continuing, significant achievements. A partial solution may involve increased participation by multiple commercial competitors with the promise - albeit yet to be fully demonstrated - of much-reduced costs. That said, most commercial goals are concentrated on low-Earth orbit (LEO) for the time being, leaving human trips beyond Earth orbit (BED) as governmental initiatives. The past decade, beginning with the 1999/2000 Decadal Planning Team (DPT)/NASA Exploration Team (NExT) human space flight studies for the White House Office of Management and Budget (http://history.nasa.gov/DPT/DPT.htm), can arguably be described as a Golden Age of engineering design, strategic planning, technology capability prioritization, and development programs on the International Space Station (ISS). However, cynics have criticized the same period as little more than PowerPoint presentations, and unfocused technology investments with only limited progress toward a goal of human space flight beyond the immediate vicinity of the Earth. We disagree with the cynics. Experience with the ISS on increasingly sophisticated capabilities have prepared international partners to deploy a major "stepping stone" for human space flight: a habitation system in free space beyond low-Earth orbit. Such an achievement would be a major milestone in human space flight and, very likely, an essential demonstration site for subsequent, very ambitious exploration missions such as to Mars. Developing critical capabilities for human voyages beyond LEO, such as Earth-Moon libration points, offers, as just one example, easy return to Earth within days (see, e.g., Farquhar 1971 (Aeronautics & Astronautics, July, p. 59ff), Thronson, Lester, and Talay 2011 (http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1756/1), and Lester 2012 (http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1650/1). Use of Earth-Moon libration points as sites for early demonstrations of capabilities necessary for human missions to Mars, for example, contrasts sharply with using missions to near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) for that purpose.

Thronson, Harley↗

NASA NTRS2015

HAVOC: High Altitude Venus Operational Concept - An Exploration Strategy for Venus

The atmosphere of Venus is an exciting destination for both further scientific study and future human exploration. A lighter-than-air vehicle can carry either a host of instruments and probes, or a habitat and ascent vehicle for a crew of two astronauts to explore Venus for up to a month. The mission requires less time to complete than a crewed Mars mission, and the environment at 50 km is relatively benign, with similar pressure, density, gravity, and radiation protection to the surface of Earth. A recent internal NASA study of a High Altitude Venus Operational Concept (HAVOC) led to the development of an evolutionary program for the exploration of Venus, with focus on the mission architecture and vehicle concept for a 30 day crewed mission into Venus's atmosphere. Key technical challenges for the mission include performing the aerocapture maneuvers at Venus and Earth, inserting and inflating the airship at Venus, and protecting the solar panels and structure from the sulfuric acid in the atmosphere. With advances in technology and further refinement of the concept, missions to the Venusian atmosphere can expand humanity's future in space.

Arney, Dale↗

NASA NTRS2007

Life Support Requirements and Challenges for NASA's Constellation Program

NASA's Constellation Program, which includes the mission objectives of establishing a permanently-manned lunar Outpost, and the exploration of Mars, poses new and unique challenges for human life support systems that will require solutions beyond the Shuttle and International Space Station state of the art systems. In particular, the requirement to support crews for 210 days duration at the lunar outpost with limited resource resupply capability wilt require closed-loop regenerative life support systems with minimal expendables. Planetary environmental conditions such as lunar dust and extreme temperatures, as well as the capability to support frequent and extended-duration EVA's will be particularly challenging. This presentation will summarize the key program and mission life support requirements for the Constellation Program and the unique challenges they present for technology and architecture development.

Carasquillo, Robyn↗

NASA NTRS2011

The Right Stuff: A Look Back at Three Decades of Flight Controller Training for Space Shuttle Mission Operations

Operations of human spaceflight systems is extremely complex, therefore the training and certification of operations personnel is a critical piece of ensuring mission success. Mission Control Center (MCC-H), at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, in Houston, Texas manages mission operations for the Space Shuttle Program, including the training and certification of the astronauts and flight control teams. This paper will give an overview of a flight control team s makeup and responsibilities during a flight, and details on how those teams are trained and certified. The training methodology for developing flight controllers has evolved significantly over the last thirty years, while the core goals and competencies have remained the same. In addition, the facilities and tools used in the control center have evolved. These changes have been driven by many factors including lessons learned, technology, shuttle accidents, shifts in risk posture, and generational differences. Flight controllers will share their experiences in training and operating the Space Shuttle throughout the Program s history. A primary method used for training Space Shuttle flight control teams is by running mission simulations of the orbit, ascent, and entry phases, to truly "train like you fly." The reader will learn what it is like to perform a simulation as a shuttle flight controller. Finally, the paper will reflect on the lessons learned in training for the shuttle program, and how those could be applied to future human spaceflight endeavors. These endeavors could range from going to the moon or to Mars. The lessons learned from operating the space shuttle for over thirty years will help the space industry build the next human transport space vehicle and inspire the next generation of space explorers.

Dittemore, Gary D.↗

NASA NTRS1988

Manned Mars Mission program concepts

This paper describes the SRS Manned Mars Mission and Program Analysis study designed to support a manned expedition to Mars contemplated by NASA for the purposes of initiating human exploration and eventual habitation of this planet. The capabilities of the interactive software package being presently developed by the SRS for the mission/program analysis are described, and it is shown that the interactive package can be used to investigate the impact of various mission concepts on the sensitivity of mass required in LEO, schedules, relative costs, and risk. The results, to date, indicate the need for an earth-to-orbit transportation system much larger than the present STS, reliable long-life support systems, and either advanced propulsion or aerobraking technology.

Hamilton, E. C.↗

NASA NTRS2003

High-Power Hall Thruster Technology Evaluated for Primary Propulsion Applications

High-power electric propulsion systems have been shown to be enabling for a number of NASA concepts, including piloted missions to Mars and Earth-orbiting solar electric power generation for terrestrial use (refs. 1 and 2). These types of missions require moderate transfer times and sizable thrust levels, resulting in an optimized propulsion system with greater specific impulse than conventional chemical systems and greater thrust than ion thruster systems. Hall thruster technology will offer a favorable combination of performance, reliability, and lifetime for such applications if input power can be scaled by more than an order of magnitude from the kilowatt level of the current state-of-the-art systems. As a result, the NASA Glenn Research Center conducted strategic technology research and development into high-power Hall thruster technology. During program year 2002, an in-house fabricated thruster, designated the NASA-457M, was experimentally evaluated at input powers up to 72 kW. These tests demonstrated the efficacy of scaling Hall thrusters to high power suitable for a range of future missions. Thrust up to nearly 3 N was measured. Discharge specific impulses ranged from 1750 to 3250 sec, with discharge efficiencies between 46 and 65 percent. This thruster is the highest power, highest thrust Hall thruster ever tested.

Manzella, David H.↗

NASA NTRS2007

Advanced Stirling Technology Development at NASA Glenn Research Center

The NASA Glenn Research Center has been developing advanced energy-conversion technologies for use with both radioisotope power systems and fission surface power systems for many decades. Under NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Planetary Science Theme, Technology Program, Glenn is developing the next generation of advanced Stirling convertors (ASCs) for use in the Department of Energy/Lockheed Martin Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG). The next-generation power-conversion technologies require high efficiency and high specific power (watts electric per kilogram) to meet future mission requirements to use less of the Department of Energy's plutonium-fueled general-purpose heat source modules and reduce system mass. Important goals include long-life (greater than 14-yr) reliability and scalability so that these systems can be considered for a variety of future applications and missions including outer-planet missions and continual operation on the surface of Mars. This paper provides an update of the history and status of the ASC being developed for Glenn by Sunpower Inc. of Athens, Ohio.

Shaltens, Richard K.↗

NASA NTRS1999

Mars Observer Propulsion and Pyrotechnics Corrective Actions Test Program Status-1999

An extensive propulsion and pyrotechnic test program has been in progress at the NASA White Sands Test Facility since 1995. This program created the capabilities to: accurately measure and characterize pyrovalve combustion product blow-by into propellant systems; characterize valve operation using a Velocity Interferometer System for Any Reflector (VISAR); and evaluate hydrazine and monomethylhydrazine thermal decomposition initiated by blow-by. These capabilities were further utilized and refined this year. Low blow-by pyrovalves manufactured by Conax Florida Corporation continued to be evaluated as a potential corrective measure for blow-by induced propellant explosions. Development and testing of various advanced pyrovalves and investigation of explosion mechanisms also continued. Current and near-term testing includes: evaluation of 3/8 in. Conax pyrovalves and other commercially available valves; development and testing of advanced pyrovalve subcomponent technologies including a zero blow-by pyrovalve ram, composite overwrapped ram cylinder, and a zero particulate generating poppet; investigation of non-destructive evaluation techniques to evaluate pyrovalve ram seals; and testing and modeling of pyrotechnically induced explosive hydrazine decomposition. Evaluation of 3/8 in. Conax valves will include operational margin testing to be accomplished at NASA Langley Research Center. The test program also seeks to compile and format significant amounts of data from this and other pyrovalve test programs to generate a pyrovalve applications handbook. The handbook will facilitate formation of standards that ensure safe spacecraft applications. Current data and future plans are discussed, and community interaction is encouraged.

Saulsberry, Regor↗