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Madzsar, G.

Publications and source records attributed to Madzsar, G..

Demonstration of a flight capable system for plume spectroscopy

A small, rugged, high-speed/resolution Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) based spectrometer has been developed for detecting the spectral signatures of eroding rocket engine components during ground tests and/or flight operations, with a view to use in future rocket engine health-management systems (HMSs). A flight-capable HMS will furnish prognoses and responses to incipient engine failures, as well as diagnoses of wear and degradation during maintenance. Attention is given to the development of a prototype FPI spectrometer for demonstration and validation testing at NASA-Marshall.

Bickford, R. L.

Space Shuttle Main Engine nozzle mounted optic for throat plane spectroscopy

A program intended to develop a flight-capable nozzle mounted optic for monitoring emissions from metals entrained in the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) flowfield is described. The optic will collect light emitted from metal atoms within the high-temperature, high-pressure SSME chamber and transfer the optical signal to a high-resolution spectrometer via a fiber-optic cable. The nozzle mounted optic makes it possible to conduct earth-to-orbit monitoring of flowfield emissions without requiring modifications to the SSME.

Bickford, R. L.

Fabry-Perot interferometer development for rocket engine plume spectroscopy

This paper describes a new rugged high-resolution Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) designed for rocket engine plume spectroscopy, which is capable of detecting spectral signatures of eroding engine components during rocket engine tests and/or flight operations. The FPI system will make it possible to predict and to respond to the incipient rocket engine failures and to indicate the presence of rocket components degradation. The design diagram of the FPI spectrometer is presented.

Bickford, R. L.

Development of a Fabry-Perot interferometer for rocket engine plume monitoring

The development of a lightweight, compact, high-resolution Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) based spectrometer capable of detecting the spectral signatures of eroding engine components during test and/or flight operations is discussed. FPI based spectrometers will be designed to be smaller and lighter than grating or prism type devices and to provide greater wavelength resolving capability. The FPI system seeks to combine the features of high line resolution, active background discrimination, smart digital signal processing, and rocket engine flight capability. The design, fabrication, and test of a breadboard FPI spectrometer have been completed and the breadboard instrument has clearly demonstrated the viability of the approach. The breadboard instrument design and test results are also presented.

Bickford, R. L.