Search NASA⌕ Search

Engineering topics

Erin G Hayward

Publications and source records attributed to Erin G Hayward.

Design Analysis for Lunar Safe Haven Concepts

NASA’s plan to return humans to the lunar surface faces many challenges, especially in the sustained phases of the Artemis program. In combination with a habitat, a Lunar Safe Haven (LSH) would provide additional protection to crew, electronics, and equipment from the hazards of the space environment such as radiation, thermal extremes, micrometeoroids, and lunar dust. Influenced by the NASA Artemis program goals, the Lunar Safe Haven Study defined the high-level requirements, outlined the trade space for a LSH concept, and evaluated a set of concepts using a decision analysis structure. This paper will provide additional detail for two concepts that were designed and evaluated during the LSH study, the logic behind the choices, and some of the main driving design parameters.

lunar↗

Designing the PLANET Chamber for Lunar Environment Ground Testing

The Planetary, Lunar, and Asteroid Natural Environments Testbed (PLANET) is a new 2m x 3m high-vacuum chamber facility currently being designed and built at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. When completed, it will be one of the highest-fidelity space/surface environment simulation chambers in existence. Instrumented with equipment to produce charged particle radiation, full spectrum ultraviolet, low-density plasma, and thermal extremes, PLANET can be configured to recreate the most challenging space environments. Additionally, a large regolith bed and distribution system will expose hardware to lunar regolith simulants and dust. This paper will describe the process of designing and optimizing PLANET and discuss some common considerations for performing ground-based environmental testing for lunar exploration.

Erin G Hayward↗

Isolation, Identification, and Characterization of MSFC Cleanroom Microbes

Microorganisms can have significant impacts on the success of NASA’s missions, including the integrity of materials, the reliability of scientific results, and crew health. Robust cleaning and sterilization protocols are currently in place in NASA’s facilities, but microbial contamination is unavoidable and its impact on NASA’s missions and science must be minimized. Stringent cleaning and sterilization protocols are currently utilized by NASA, but many projects and materials have constraints on available sterilization procedures. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to be informed of: 1) what specific microorganisms are present, 2) how they may impact mission objectives, and 3) how to mitigate them.

Planetary Protection↗

Solar Array System Combined Environmental Effects Tests: Gateway Power and Propulsion Element

The NASA Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway (LOP-G), a vital component of NASA’s Artemis program, will serve as a multi-purpose outpost orbiting the Moon. A foundational component of LOP-G is the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE). The PPE is a high-power, +60-kilowatt solar electric propulsion spacecraft that will provide power, high-rate communications, attitude control, and orbital transfer capabilities for the Gateway. The solar array system will utilize 4-junction photovoltaic cell technology on a flexible substrate (roll-out solar array or ROSA) in combination with multiple diode assemblies to combine the power of the solar array strings. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, together with the PPE developer, Maxar, are in the midst of completing a rigorous combined environments test campaign of 3 solar array coupons and 1 array blocking diode board coupon. The campaign includes Ultra-Violet Radiation, Charged Particle Radiation, Ion Erosion, Thermal Cycles, and Electrostatic Discharge tests. The environments are applied in 3 separate incremental stages reflecting the various mission phases: 460 days of Earth-to-Lunar Transit, with much of that time through the Van Allen Belts, 5-years in Lunar Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO) at the Moon, and finally 15-years in Lunar NRHO, which represents the end of the design life. This paper will report on the state of the testing for each coupon, and brief look at the array performance, including some unexpected sensitivities of array blocking diodes.

Gateway↗