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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1994

Space Station Freedom NiH2 cell testing program

Testing for the Space Station Freedom Nickel Hydrogen Cell Test Program began in 1990 at Crave Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center. The program has included receipt inspection, random vibration, acceptance, characterization, and life cycle testing of Ni-H2 cells in accordance with the NASA LeRC Interagency Order C-31001-J. A total of 400 Ni-H2 cells have been received at NAVSURFWARCENDIV Crane from three separate manufacturers; Yardney Technical Products (Yardney), Eagle Picher Industries (Eagle Picher), and Gates Energy Products (Gates). Of those, 308 cells distributed among 39 packs have undergone life cycle testing under a test regime simulating low earth orbit conditions. As of 30 September 1993, there are 252 cells assembled into 32 packs still on life cycle test. Since the beginning of the program, failed cells have been detected in all phases of testing. The failures include the following; seven 65 AmpHr and 81 AmpHr Yardney cells were found to be leaking KOH on receipt, one 65 AmpHr Eagle Picher cell failed the acceptance test, one 65 AmpHr Gates cell failed during the characterization test, and six 65 AmpHr Gates cells failed the random vibration test. Of the 39 life cycle packs, testing on seven packs, 56 cells, has been suspended because of low end of discharge voltages. All of the failed life cycle packs were cycled at 60% depth of discharge.

Moore, Bruce↗
NASA NTRS2007

On the Use of 3dB Qualification Margin for Structural Parts on Expendable Launch Vehicles

The standard random vibration qualification test used for Expendable Launch Vehicle components is Maximum Predicted Environment (MPE) + 6dB for a duration of 4 times the service life of the part. This can be a severe qualification test for these fatigue-sensitive structures. This paper uses flight data from several launch vehicles to establish that reducing the qualification approach to MPE+3dB for the duration of the peak environment (1x life) is valid for fatigue-sensitive structural components. Items that can be classified as fatigue-sensitive are probes, ducts, tubing, bellows, hoses, and any non-functional structure. Non-functional structure may be flight critical or carry fluid, but it cannot include any moving parts or electronics. This reduced qualification approach does not include primary or secondary structure which would be exclusively designed by peak loads, either transient or quasi-static, that are so large and of so few cycles as to make fatigue a moot point.

Yunis, Isam↗
NASA NTRS1974

Effects of vibration and shock on the performance of gas-bearing space-power Brayton cycle turbomachinery. Part 4: Suppression of rotor-bearing system vibrations through flexible bearing support damping

A bearing damper, operating on the support flexure of a pivoted pad in a tilting-pad type gas-lubricated journal bearing, has been designed, built, and tested under externally-applied random vibrations. The NASA Brayton Rotating Unit (BRU), a 36,000 rpm, 10-Kwe turbogenerator had previously been subjected in the MTI Vibration Test Laboratory to external random vibrations, and vibration response data had been recorded and analyzed for amplitude distribution and frequency content at a number of locations in the machine. Based on data from that evaluation, a piston-type damper was designed and developed for each of the two flexibly-supported journal bearing pads (one in each of the two three-pad bearings). A modified BRU, with dampers installed, has been re-tested under random vibration conditions. Root-mean-square vibration amplitudes were determined from the test data, and displacement power spectral density analyses have been performed. Results of these data reduction efforts have been compared with vibration tolerance limits. Results of the tests indicate significant reductions in vibration levels in the bearing gas-lubricant films, particularly in the rigidly-mounted pads. The utility of the gas-lubricated damper for limiting rotor-bearing system vibrations in high-speed turbomachinery has thus been demonstrated.

Tessarzik, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Space shuttle OMS helium regulator design and development

Analysis, design, fabrication and design verification testing was conducted on the technological feasiblity of the helium pressurization regulator for the space shuttle orbital maneuvering system application. A prototype regulator was fabricated which was a single-stage design featuring the most reliable and lowest cost concept. A tradeoff study on regulator concepts indicated that a single-stage regulator with a lever arm between the valve and the actuator section would offer significant weight savings. Damping concepts were tested to determine the amount of damping required to restrict actuator travel during vibration. Component design parameters such as spring rates, effective area, contamination cutting, and damping were determined by test prior to regulator final assembly. The unit was subjected to performance testing at widely ranging flow rates, temperatures, inlet pressures, and random vibration levels. A test plan for propellant compatibility and extended life tests is included.

Wichmann, H.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Test report: Vibration testing of the electron/proton spectrometer structural test unit

The structural test unit of the electron-proton spectrometer was tested to a random vibration spectra and to a sinusoidal resonant search to comply with the requirements of a verification plan for the spectrometer. The test item consisted of mass simulated electronic and printed circuit boards mounted in a flight type electronic housing. The arrangement, center of gravity, and weight were as proposed for flight units.

Vincent, D. L.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) Structural Verification Unit (SVU) Vibration Test

This presentation describes the vibration test campaign of the Structural Verification Unit for the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) mission The Structural Verification Unit test campaign served multiple purposes including the qualification of the instrument primary structure, verification of the structure's stiffness, Aperture Control Mechanism assembly level verification, and validation of the control approach for protoflight instrument vibration testing. Testing included three axes of sine burst, random, and sine vibration excitation. This test sequence required a high number of response instrumentation sensors that included tri-axial accelerometers and tri-axial force gauges. Multiple response limiting methods that included acceleration, force, and moment measurements were used to ensure the safety of the flight hardware. The lessons and specific test details learned on the structural verification unit test campaign will reduce test risks for the upcoming instrument-level vibration tests.

Structural Verification Unit↗
NASA NTRS2017

Mars2020 Entry, Descent, and Landing Instrumentation 2 (MEDLI2) Do No Harm Test Series

A total of seventeen instrumented thermal sensor plugs, eight pressure transducers, two heat flux sensors, and one radiometer are planned to be utilized on the Mars 2020 missions thermal protection system (TPS) as part of the Mars Entry, Descent, and Landing Instrumentation II (MEDLI2) project. Of the MEDLI2 instrumentation, eleven instrumented thermal plugs and seven pressure transducers will be installed on the heatshield of the Mars 2020 vehicle while the rest will be installed on the backshell. The goal of the MEDLI2 instrumentation is to directly inform the large performance uncertainties that contribute to the design and validation of a Mars entry system. A better understanding of the entry environment and TPS performance could lead to reduced design margins enabling a greater payload mass-fraction and smaller landing ellipses. To prove that the MEDLI2 system will not degrade the performance of the Mars 2020 TPS, an Aerothermal Do No Harm (DNH) test series was designed and conducted. Like Mars 2020s predecessor, Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), the heatshield material will be Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA); the Mars 2020 entry conditions are enveloped by the MSL design environments, therefore the development and qualification testing performed during MEDLI is sufficient to show that the similar MEDLI2 heatshield instrumentation will not degrade PICA performance. However, given that MEDLI did not include any backshell instrumentation, the MEDLI2 team was required to design and execute a DNH test series utilizing the backshell TPS material (SLA-561V) with the intended flight sensor suite. To meet the requirements handed down from Mars 2020, the MEDLI2 DNH test series emphasized the interaction between the MEDLI2 sensors and sensing locations with the surrounding backshell TPS and substrucutre. These interactions were characterized by performing environmental testing of four 12 by 12 test panels, which mimicked the construction of the backshell TPS and the integration of the MEDLI2 sensors as seen in Figure 1. The testing included thermal vacuumcycling, random vibration, shock, and arc jet testing. The test panels were fabricated by Lockheed Martin, establishing techniques that will be utilized during the Mars 2020 vehicle installation. Each test panel included one thermal sensor plug (two embedded thermocouples), one heat flux sensor, and multiple pressure port holes for evaluation.This presentation will discuss the planning and execution of the MEDLI2 DNH test series. Selected highlights and results of each environmental test will be presented, and lessons learned will be addressed that will feed forward into the planning for the MEDLI2 flight system certification testing.

backshell↗
NASA NTRS2003

Status on Mechanical Testing at NASA GSFC

This viewgraph presentation provides an overview of current mechanical testing performed on spacecraft materials and instruments at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Specific mechanical testing procedures discussed include: force measurements limiting for sine, random vibration and acoustic tests, base driven model surveys, hydraulic shakers, new sine burst method and non contact sensors.

Kaufman, Daniel↗
NASA NTRS2010

NASA-DoD Lead-Free Electronics Project: Vibration Test

Vibration testing was conducted by Boeing Research and Technology (Seattle) for the NASA-DoD Lead-Free Electronics Solder Project. This project is a follow-on to the Joint Council on Aging Aircraft/Joint Group on Pollution Prevention (JCAA/JG-PP) Lead-Free Solder Project which was the first group to test the reliability of lead-free solder joints against the requirements of the aerospace/miLItary community. Twenty seven test vehicles were subjected to the vibration test conditions (in two batches). The random vibration Power Spectral Density (PSD) input was increased during the test every 60 minutes in an effort to fail as many components as possible within the time allotted for the test. The solder joints on the components were electrically monitored using event detectors and any solder joint failures were recorded on a Labview-based data collection system. The number of test minutes required to fail a given component attached with SnPb solder was then compared to the number of test minutes required to fail the same component attached with lead-free solder. A complete modal analysis was conducted on one test vehicle using a laser vibrometer system which measured velocities, accelerations, and displacements at one . hundred points. The laser vibrometer data was used to determine the frequencies of the major modes of the test vehicle and the shapes of the modes. In addition, laser vibrometer data collected during the vibration test was used to calculate the strains generated by the first mode (using custom software). After completion of the testing, all of the test vehicles were visually inspected and cross sections were made. Broken component leads and other unwanted failure modes were documented.

Woodrow, Thomas A.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Near Earth Asteroid Scout Solar Sail Engineering Development Unit Test Suite

The Near Earth Asteroid (NEA) Scout project is a 6U reconnaissance mission to investigate a near Earth asteroid utilizing an 86m(sub 2) solar sail as the primary propulsion system. This will be the largest solar sail NASA has launched to date. NEA Scout is currently manifested on the maiden voyage of the Space Launch System in 2018. In development of the solar sail subsystem, design challenges were identified and investigated for packaging within a 6U form factor and deployment in cis-lunar space. Analysis was able to capture understanding of thermal, stress, and dynamics of the stowed system as well as mature an integrated sail membrane model for deployed flight dynamics. Full scale system testing on the ground is the optimal way to demonstrate system robustness, repeatability, and overall performance on a compressed flight schedule. To physically test the system, the team developed a flight sized engineering development unit with design features as close to flight as possible. The test suite included ascent vent, random vibration, functional deployments, thermal vacuum, and full sail deployments. All of these tests contributed towards development of the final flight unit. This paper will address several of the design challenges and lessons learned from the NEA Scout solar sail subsystem engineering development unit. Testing on the component level all the way to the integrated subsystem level. From optical properties of the sail material to fold and spooling the single sail, the team has developed a robust deployment system for the solar sail. The team completed several deployments of the sail system in preparation for flight at half scale (4m) and full scale (6.8m): boom only, half scale sail deployment, and full scale sail deployment. This paper will also address expected and received test results from ascent vent, random vibration, and deployment tests.

Lockett, Tiffany Russell↗
NASA NTRS1991

Vibration testing of large structures (CLAES Instrument)

The vibration testing performed on the Cryogenic Limb Array Etalon Spectrometer (CLAES) Instrument, installed on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, is discussed. The tests discussed include random vibration, model verification using random vibration, and structural verification using a low frequency sine burst. Particular attention is given to the use of the sine burst test method to verify the structural integrity. Lessons learned from the program are summarized.

Newkirk, Roger↗
NASA NTRS2015

Benefits of Spacecraft Level Vibration Testing

NASA-HDBK-7008 Spacecraft Level Dynamic Environments Testing discusses the approaches, benefits, dangers, and recommended practices for spacecraft level dynamic environments testing, including vibration testing. This paper discusses in additional detail the benefits and actual experiences of vibration testing spacecraft for NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) flight projects. JPL and GSFC have both similarities and differences in their spacecraft level vibration test approach: JPL uses a random vibration input and a frequency range usually starting at 5 Hz and extending to as high as 250 Hz. GSFC uses a sine sweep vibration input and a frequency range usually starting at 5 Hz and extending only to the limits of the coupled loads analysis (typically 50 to 60 Hz). However, both JPL and GSFC use force limiting to realistically notch spacecraft resonances and response (acceleration) limiting as necessary to protect spacecraft structure and hardware from exceeding design strength capabilities. Despite GSFC and JPL differences in spacecraft level vibration test approaches, both have uncovered a significant number of spacecraft design and workmanship anomalies in vibration tests. This paper will give an overview of JPL and GSFC spacecraft vibration testing approaches and provide a detailed description of spacecraft anomalies revealed.

Spacecraft Vibration Test↗
NASA NTRS2017

MELDI2 Do No Harm Test Series

Mars 2020 will fly the Mars Entry, Descent, and Landing Instrumentation II (MEDLI2) sensor suite consisting of a total of seventeen instrumented thermal sensor plugs, eight pressure transducers, two heat flux sensors, and one radiometer embedded in the thermal protection system (TPS). Of the MEDLI2 instrumentation, eleven instrumented thermal plugs and seven pressure transducers will be installed on the heatshield of the Mars 2020 vehicle while the rest will be installed on the backshell. The goal of the MEDLI2 instrumentation is to directly inform the large performance uncertainties that contribute to the design and validation of a Mars entry system. A better understanding of the entry environment and TPS performance could lead to reduced design margins enabling a greater payload mass-fraction and smaller landing ellipses. To prove that the MEDLI2 system will not degrade the performance of the Mars 2020 TPS, an Aerothermal Do No Harm (DNH) test series was designed and conducted. Like Mars 2020's predecessor, Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), the heatshield material will be Phenolic Impregnated Carbon Ablator (PICA); the Mars 2020 entry conditions are enveloped by the MSL design environments, therefore the development and qualification testing performed during MEDLI is sufficient to show that the similar MEDLI2 heatshield instrumentation will not degrade PICA performance. However, given that MEDLI did not include any backshell instrumentation, the MEDLI2 team was required to design and execute a DNH test series utilizing the backshell TPS material (SLA-561V) with the intended flight sensor suite. To meet the requirements handed down from Mars 2020, the MEDLI2 DNH test series emphasized the interaction between the MEDLI2 sensors and sensing locations with the surrounding backshell TPS and substrucutre. These interactions were characterized by performing environmental testing of four 12" by 12" test panels, which mimicked the construction of the backshell TPS and the integration of the MEDLI2 sensors as seen in Figure 1. The testing included thermal vacuum/ cycling, random vibration, shock, and arc jet testing. The test panels were fabricated by Lockheed Martin, establishing techniques that will be utilized during the Mars 2020 vehicle installation. Each test panel included one thermal sensor plug (two embedded thermocouples), one heat flux sensor, and multiple pressure port holes for evaluation. This presentation will discuss the planning and execution of the MEDLI2 DNH test series. Selected highlights and results of each environmental test will be presented, and lessons learned will be addressed that will feed forward into the planning for the MEDLI2 flight system certification testing.

Heatshield↗
NASA NTRS1992

An environmental testing facility for Space Station Freedom power management and distribution hardware

The plans for a new test facility, including new environmental test systems, which are presently under construction, and the major environmental Test Support Equipment (TSE) used therein are addressed. This all-new Rocketdyne facility will perform space simulation environmental tests on Power Management and Distribution (PMAD) hardware to Space Station Freedom (SSF) at the Engineering Model, Qualification Model, and Flight Model levels of fidelity. Testing will include Random Vibration in three axes - Thermal Vacuum, Thermal Cycling and Thermal Burn-in - as well as numerous electrical functional tests. The facility is designed to support a relatively high throughput of hardware under test, while maintaining the high standards required for a man-rated space program.

Jackola, Arthur S.↗
NASA NTRS2005

Design and Qualification of the AMS-02 Flight Cryocoolers

Four commercial Sunpower M87N Stirling-cycle cryocoolers will be used to extend the lifetime of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-02 (AMS-02) experiment. The cryocoolers will be mounted to the AMS-02 vacuum case using a structure that will thermally and mechanically decouple the cryocooler from the vacuum case. This paper discusses modifications of the Sunpower M87N cryocooler to make it acceptable for space flight applications and suitable for use on AMS-02. Details of the flight model qualification test program are presented. AMS-02 is a state-of-the-art particle physics detector containing a large superfluid helium-cooled superconducting magnet. Highly sensitive detector plates inside the magnet measure a particle's speed, mass, charge, and direction. The AMS-02 experiment, which will be flown as an attached payload on the International Space Station, will study the properties and origin of cosmic particles and nuclei including antimatter and dark matter. Two engineering model cryocoolers have been under test at NASA Goddard since November 2001. Qualification testing of the engineering model cryocooler bracket assembly including random vibration and thermal vacuum testing was completed at the end of April 2005. The flight cryocoolers were received in December 2003. Acceptance testing of the flight cryocooler bracket assemblies began in May 2005 .

Shirey, Kimberly↗