Engineering topics

Sampair, Thomas R.

Publications and source records attributed to Sampair, Thomas R..

5 records

NASA NTRS1993

A generalized approach to the thermal analysis of the Long Duration Exposure Facility's flight experiments

The generalized method employed in the thermal analysis of a Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) flight experiment is presented. The method consists of thermal math model development, defining the orbital heating rates, and applying the appropriate temperature boundary conditions. This approach has proven to be an accurate method for predicting experiment component temperatures for the worst case orbital environments and calculating daily average component temperatures for any part or all time portions of the 5.8 year mission. The application of this method to the thermal analysis of the Ultra-Heavy Cosmic-Ray Nuclei experiment (UHCRE) is presented as an example of this approach.

Sampair, Thomas R.↗

NASA NTRS1992

A generalized approach to the thermal analysis of the Long Duration Exposure Facility's flight experiments

The generalized method used in the thermal analysis of the LDEF flight experiments is presented. The approach consists of developing a mathematical lumped parameter node representation of the experiment; defining the source and sink temperature boundary conditions; calculating the albedo, infrared, and solar orbital heating fluxes; and solving with a finite difference technique. The temperature predictions can be made either on a per orbit basis or for any length of mission time using a daily averaged calculated composite flux. The thermal analysis of the Ultra Heavy Cosmic Ray Experiment (UHCRE-A0178) is presented as an example of this approach.

Sampair, Thomas R.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Long duration exposure facility post-flight thermal analysis, part 1

Results of the post-flight thermal analysis of the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) mission are presented. The LDEF mission thermal analysis was verified by comparing the thermal model results to flight data from the LDEF Thermal Measurements System (THERM). Post-flight calculated temperature uncertainties have been reduced to under +/- 18 F from the pre-flight uncertainties of +/- 40 F. The THERM consisted of eight temperature sensors, a shared tape recorder, a standard LDEF flight battery, and an electronics control box. The temperatures were measured at selected locations on the LDEF structure interior during the first 390 days of flight and recorded for post-flight analysis. After the LDEF retrieval from Space on 12 Jan. 1990, the tape recorder was recovered from the spacecraft and the data reduced for comparison to the LDEF predicted temperatures. The LDEF mission temperatures were calculated prior to the LDEF deployment on 7 Apr. 1980, and updated after the LDEF retrieval with the following actual flight parameter data: including thermal fluxes, spacecraft attitudes, thermal coatings degradation, and contamination effects. All updated data used for the calculation of post-flight temperatures is also presented in this document.

Berrios, William M.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Long duration exposure facility post-flight thermal analysis, part 2

Results of the post-flight thermal analysis for the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) mission are presented. The LDEF mission thermal analysis was verified by comparing the thermal model results to flight data from the LDEF Thermal Measurements System (THERM). Post-flight calculated temperature uncertainties have been reduced to under +/- 18 F from the pre-flight uncertainties of +/- 40 F. The THERM consisted of eight temperature sensors, a shared tape recorder, a standard LDEF flight battery, and an electronics control box. The temperatures were measured at selected locations on the LDEF structure interior during the first 390 days of flight and recorded for post-flight analysis. After the LDEF retrieval from Space on 12 Jan. 1990, the tape recorder was recovered from the spacecraft and the data reduced for comparison to the LDEF predicted temperatures. The LDEF mission temperatures were calculated prior to the LDEF deployment on 7 Apr. 1980, and updated after the LDEF retrieval with the following actual flight parameter data: thermal fluxes, spacecraft attitudes, thermal coatings degradation, and contamination effects. All updated data used for calculation of post-flight temperatures is also presented in this document.

Berrios, William M.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Effects of low Earth orbit environment on the Long Duration Exposure Facility thermal control coatings

One of the benefits of the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) was the opportunity to study the before and after effects of low earth orbit space environment on the spacecraft thermal control coatings. Since the LDEF's thermal control was totally passive by design, the selection of the external surface absorptivity to emissivity ratio (alpha/epsilon) and the ability for the coating to retain the alpha/epsilon over time was an important consideration in the thermal design of the LDEF. The primary surface coating chosen for the LDEF structure was clear chromic anodized aluminum with an average design alpha/epsilon of 0.32/0.16. External surface absorptivity (alpha) and emissivity (epsilon) were measured on all intercostals, longerons, tray mounting flanges, thermal control panels, and a limited number of experiment surface coatings after the experiment trays were removed from the LDEF structure. All surface alpha/epsilon measurements were made using portable hand held infrared and solar spectrum reflectometers. The absorptivity measurements were taken with a Devices and Services SSR-ER version 5.0 solar spectra reflectometer which has a stated uncertainty of +/- 0.01, and all normal emissivity measurements were made using the Gier Dunkle DB-100 infrared reflectometer also with a stated uncertainty of +/- 0.01. Both instruments were calibrated in the laboratory by LaRC instrumentation personnel before being used in the field at KSC. A combined total of 733 measurements were taken on the anodized aluminum hardware which included the structure (intercostals, longerons, and center ring), earth and space end thermal control panels, and experiment tray mounting flanges. The facility thermal control coatings measured in this survey cover 33 percent of the total exposed LDEF surface area. To correlate low earth orbit environmental effects on the anodized coatings, measurements were taken in both exposed and unexposed surfaces and compared to quality assurance (QA) measurements taken on the new surfaces at the time of hardware fabrication in 1978. The results of investigation are presented.

Sampair, Thomas R.↗