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NASA NTRS1993

COMET service module capillary pumped loop thermal control system test results

The COMmercial Experiment Transporter (COMET) is a satellite that will be launched aboard the Conestoga rocket. The COMET Service Module is designed, integrated and tested by Defense Systems Incorporated for Westinghouse Commercial Space. The Capillary Pumped Loop (CPL) was integrated into the Service Module by OAO Corporation for Defense Systems Incorporated. The Service Module's primary function is to carry payloads to space, providing them with utilities such as tightly controlled thermal environment, electrical power, attitude control, data management, and communications while in orbit. This paper presents the results of functional and performance testings of the CPL Thermal Control System (TCS) for the COMET Service Module.

Yun, James Seokgeun↗

NASA NTRS2003

System for Testing Thermal Insulation of Pipes

An apparatus and method have been developed for measuring the rates of leakage of heat into pipes carrying liquids, the purpose of the measurements being to quantify the thermal performance of the insulation system. The apparatus is designed primarily for testing pipes used to carry cryogenic liquids, but can also be used for measuring the thermal performance of other insulated pipes or piping systems. The basic measurement principle is straightforward: The outer surface of the pipe insulation is maintained at a fixed warmer temperature. The interior of the pipe is maintained in a narrow fixed lower-temperature range by means of a regular liquid (e.g., water) that is pumped through the pipe at a known flow rate or a cryogenic liquid (e.g., nitrogen) that is saturated at atmospheric pressure and replenished until steady-state conditions are achieved. In the case of water or another liquid pumped through, the inlet and outlet temperatures are measured and heat-leak power is calculated as the mass flow rate of the liquid multiplied by the specific heat of the liquid multiplied by the inlet-to-outlet temperature rise of the liquid. In the case of liquid nitrogen or another low-temperature boiling liquid, the heat-leak power is calculated as the rate of boil-off multiplied by the latent heat of vaporization of the liquid. Then the thermal-insulation performance of the pipe system can be calculated as a function of the measured heat-leak power, the inner and outer boundary temperatures, and the dimensions of the pipe. The apparatus can test as many as three pipes simultaneously. The pipes can have inner diameters up to .15 cm and outer diameters up to .20 cm. The lengths of the pipes may vary; typical lengths are of the order of 18 m. Two thermal guard boxes . one for each end of the pipe(s) under test . are used to make the inlet and outlet fluid connections to the pipe(s) (see figure). The connections include bellows that accommodate thermal expansion and contraction of the pipes. The guard boxes and pipe(s) are positioned so that the pipe(s) slope upward from the upstream to the downstream end at an angle of at least 2 . The upward slope allows vapor bubbles to accumulate at the downstream end. The thermal guard boxes keep the ends of the pipes at the lower interior temperature to prevent spurious lengthwise leakage of heat into the pipes. It is important to prevent this spurious heat leakage because, if it were allowed to occur, it could contribute a large error in the measured heat-leak power. The upstream thermal guard box includes a heat exchanger through which liquid flowing into the pipe(s) is subcooled to the saturation temperature corresponding to the ambient pressure. Conversely, this heat exchanger can also be used to warm the flowing liquid to a desired fixed temperature. The apparatus includes a temperature control device that is placed around each pipe under test. Each device is operated under thermostatic control to maintain the outer surface of the pipe insulation at the specified test temperature. All measurements are recorded on a portable data-acquisition system.

Fesmire, James E.↗

NASA NTRS2014

Thermal Testing of Thermal Protection System (TPS) Materials

High temperature testing of thermal protection system (TPS) materials is a critical aspect of heat-shield materials development, as it determines the suitability and performance envelope of the materials. The present talk provides an overview of different high temperature test facilities that are available for conducting thermal tests for TPS materials. The facilities include arcjet testing, solar tower testing facilities and laser test facility. The facilities are selected based on the requirements and objectives of the tests and each have their benefits and limitations. The paper also describes the process of determining the test environments based on mission profiles and requirements. Some of the recent thermal tests of TPS materials are discussed in this paper. These tests have helped improve the TRL (Technology Readiness Level) level of novel TPS materials and make them viable TPS material candidates for future missions.

Thermal Protection Materials↗

NASA NTRS2010

26th Space Simulation Conference Proceedings. Environmental Testing: The Path Forward

Topics covered include: A Multifunctional Space Environment Simulation Facility for Accelerated Spacecraft Materials Testing; Exposure of Spacecraft Surface Coatings in a Simulated GEO Radiation Environment; Gravity-Offloading System for Large-Displacement Ground Testing of Spacecraft Mechanisms; Microscopic Shutters Controlled by cRIO in Sounding Rocket; Application of a Physics-Based Stabilization Criterion to Flight System Thermal Testing; Upgrade of a Thermal Vacuum Chamber for 20 Kelvin Operations; A New Approach to Improve the Uniformity of Solar Simulator; A Perfect Space Simulation Storm; A Planetary Environmental Simulator/Test Facility; Collimation Mirror Segment Refurbishment inside ESA s Large Space; Space Simulation of the CBERS 3 and 4 Satellite Thermal Model in the New Brazilian 6x8m Thermal Vacuum Chamber; The Certification of Environmental Chambers for Testing Flight Hardware; Space Systems Environmental Test Facility Database (SSETFD), Website Development Status; Wallops Flight Facility: Current and Future Test Capabilities for Suborbital and Orbital Projects; Force Limited Vibration Testing of JWST NIRSpec Instrument Using Strain Gages; Investigation of Acoustic Field Uniformity in Direct Field Acoustic Testing; Recent Developments in Direct Field Acoustic Testing; Assembly, Integration and Test Centre in Malaysia: Integration between Building Construction Works and Equipment Installation; Complex Ground Support Equipment for Satellite Thermal Vacuum Test; Effect of Charging Electron Exposure on 1064nm Transmission through Bare Sapphire Optics and SiO2 over HfO2 AR-Coated Sapphire Optics; Environmental Testing Activities and Capabilities for Turkish Space Industry; Integrated Circuit Reliability Simulation in Space Environments; Micrometeoroid Impacts and Optical Scatter in Space Environment; Overcoming Unintended Consequences of Ambient Pressure Thermal Cycling Environmental Tests; Performance and Functionality Improvements to Next Generation Thermal Vacuum Control System; Robotic Lunar Lander Development Project: Three-Dimensional Dynamic Stability Testing and Analysis; Thermal Physical Properties of Thermal Coatings for Spacecraft in Wide Range of Environmental Conditions: Experimental and Theoretical Study; Molecular Contamination Generated in Thermal Vacuum Chambers; Preventing Cross Contamination of Hardware in Thermal Vacuum Chambers; Towards Validation of Particulate Transport Code; Updated Trends in Materials' Outgassing Technology; Electrical Power and Data Acquisition Setup for the CBER 3 and 4 Satellite TBT; Method of Obtaining High Resolution Intrinsic Wire Boom Damping Parameters for Multi-Body Dynamics Simulations; and Thermal Vacuum Testing with Scalable Software Developed In-House.

Packard, Edward A.↗

NASA NTRS1978

LARGO hot water system thermal performance test report

The thermal performance tests and results on the LARGO Solar Hot Water System under natural environmental conditions is presented. Some objectives of these evaluations are to determine the amount of energy collected, the amount of energy delivered to the household as contributed by solar power supplied to operate the system and auxiliary power to maintain tank temperature at proper level, overall system efficiency and to determine temperature distribution within the tank. The Solar Hot Water system is termed a Dump-type because of the draining system for freeze protection. The solar collector is a single glazed flat plate. An 82-gallon domestic water heater is provided as the energy storage vessel. Water is circulated through the collector and water heater by a 5.3 GPM capacity pump, and control of the pump motor is achieved by a differential temperature controller.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS1972

Liquid propellant thermal conditioning system test program

Results are presented from more than 1500 hours of testing on a liquid hydrogen thermal conditioning unit. Test parameters included: mixer and vent flow rates; tank size; ullage volume; pressurant gas; pressurant temperature; pressure level; and heat rate. Gaseous hydrogen and helium were used as pressurants. Analytical models were developed to correlate the test data and relate the performance to that anticipated in zero gravity. Experimental and theoretical results are presented which relate the variables controlling vapor condensation at a moving interface.

Bullard, B. R.↗

NASA NTRS1980

Design and fabrication of titanium multi-wall Thermal Protection System (TPS) test panels

A titanium multiwall thermal protection system panel was designed. The panel is a nine sheet sandwich structure consisting of an upper and lower face sheet; four dimpled sheets, three septum sheets, and clips for attachment to a vehicle structure. An acceptable fabrication process was developed, and the panel design was verified through mechanical and thermal testing of component specimens. A design was completed which takes into consideration fabrication techniques, thermal properties, mechanical properties, and materials availability.

Blair, W.↗

NASA NTRS2003

NASA Tech Briefs, October 2003

Topics covered include: Cryogenic Temperature-Gradient Foam/Substrate Tensile Tester; Flight Test of an Intelligent Flight-Control System; Slat Heater Boxes for Thermal Vacuum Testing; System for Testing Thermal Insulation of Pipes; Electrical-Impedance-Based Ice-Thickness Gauges; Simulation System for Training in Laparoscopic Surgery; Flasher Powered by Photovoltaic Cells and Ultracapacitors; Improved Autoassociative Neural Networks; Toroidal-Core Microinductors Biased by Permanent Magnets; Using Correlated Photons to Suppress Background Noise; Atmospheric-Fade-Tolerant Tracking and Pointing in Wireless Optical Communication; Curved Focal-Plane Arrays Using Back-Illuminated High-Purity Photodetectors; Software for Displaying Data from Planetary Rovers; Software for Refining or Coarsening Computational Grids; Software for Diagnosis of Multiple Coordinated Spacecraft; Software Helps Retrieve Information Relevant to the User; Software for Simulating a Complex Robot; Software for Planning Scientific Activities on Mars; Software for Training in Pre-College Mathematics; Switching and Rectification in Carbon-Nanotube Junctions; Scandia-and-Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia for Thermal Barriers; Environmentally Safer, Less Toxic Fire-Extinguishing Agents; Multiaxial Temperature- and Time-Dependent Failure Model; Cloverleaf Vibratory Microgyroscope with Integrated Post; Single-Vector Calibration of Wind-Tunnel Force Balances; Microgyroscope with Vibrating Post as Rotation Transducer; Continuous Tuning and Calibration of Vibratory Gyroscopes; Compact, Pneumatically Actuated Filter Shuttle; Improved Bearingless Switched-Reluctance Motor; Fluorescent Quantum Dots for Biological Labeling; Growing Three-Dimensional Corneal Tissue in a Bioreactor; Scanning Tunneling Optical Resonance Microscopy; The Micro-Arcsecond Metrology Testbed; Detecting Moving Targets by Use of Soliton Resonances; and Finite-Element Methods for Real-Time Simulation of Surgery.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2009

Deployable Aeroshell Flexible Thermal Protection System Testing

Deployable aeroshells offer the promise of achieving larger aeroshell surface areas for entry vehicles than otherwise attainable without deployment. With the larger surface area comes the ability to decelerate high-mass entry vehicles at relatively low ballistic coefficients. However, for an aeroshell to perform even at the low ballistic coefficients attainable with deployable aeroshells, a flexible thermal protection system (TPS) is required that is capable of surviving reasonably high heat flux and durable enough to survive the rigors of construction handling, high density packing, deployment, aerodynamic loading and aerothermal heating. The Program for the Advancement of Inflatable Decelerators for Atmospheric Entry (PAIDAE) is tasked with developing the technologies required to increase the technology readiness level (TRL) of inflatable deployable aeroshells, and one of several of the technologies PAIDAE is developing for use on inflatable aeroshells is flexible TPS. Several flexible TPS layups were designed, based on commercially available materials, and tested in NASA Langley Research Center's 8 Foot High Temperature Tunnel (8ft HTT). The TPS layups were designed for, and tested at three different conditions that are representative of conditions seen in entry simulation analyses of inflatable aeroshell concepts. Two conditions were produced in a single run with a sting-mounted dual wedge test fixture. The dual wedge test fixture had one row of sample mounting locations (forward) at about half the running length of the top surface of the wedge. At about two thirds of the running length of the wedge, a second test surface drafted up at five degrees relative to the first test surface established the remaining running length of the wedge test fixture. A second row of sample mounting locations (aft) was positioned in the middle of the running length of the second test surface. Once the desired flow conditions were established in the test section the dual wedge test fixture, oriented at 5 degrees angle of attack down, was injected into the flow. In this configuration the aft sample mounting location was subjected to roughly twice the heat flux and surface pressure of the forward mounting location. The tunnel was run at two different conditions for the test series: 1) 'Low Pressure', and 2) 'High Pressure'. At 'Low Pressure' conditions the TPS layups were tested at 6W/cm2 and 11W/cm2 while at 'High Pressure' conditions the TPS layups were tested at 11W/cm2 and 20W/cm2. This paper details the test configuration of the TPS samples in the 8Ft HTT, the sample holder assembly, TPS sample layup construction, sample instrumentation, results from this testing, as well as lessons learned.

Hughes, Stephen J.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Shuttle active thermal control system development testing. Volume 7: Improved radiator coating adhesive tests

Silver/Teflon thermal control coatings have been tested on a modular radiator system projected for use on the space shuttle. Seven candidate adhesives have been evaluated in a thermal vacuum test on radiator panels similar to the anticipated flight hardware configuration. Several classes of adhesives based on polyester, silicone, and urethane resin systems were tested. These included contact adhesives, heat cured adhesives, heat and pressure cured adhesives, pressure sensitive adhesives, and two part paint on or spray on adhesives. The coatings attached with four of the adhesives, two silicones and two urethanes, had no changes develop during the thermal vacuum test. The two silicone adhesives, both of which were applied to the silver/Teflon as transfer laminates to form a tape, offered the most promise based on application process and thermal performance. Each of the successful silicone adhesives required a heat and pressure cure to adhere during the cryogenic temperature excursion of the thermal-vacuum test.

Reed, M. W.↗

NASA NTRS1986

A computerized test system for thermal-mechanical fatigue crack growth

A computerized testing system to measure fatigue crack growth under thermal-mechanical fatigue conditions is described. Built around a servohydraulic machine, the system is capable of a push-pull test under stress-controlled or strain-controlled conditions in the temperature range of 25 to 1050 C. Temperature and mechanical strain are independently controlled by the closed-loop system to simulate the complex inservice strain-temperature relationship. A d-c electrical potential method is used to measure crack growth rates. The correction procedure of the potential signal to take into account powerline and RF-induced noises and thermal changes is described. It is shown that the potential drop technique can be used for physical mechanism studies and for modelling crack tip processes.

Marchand, N.↗

NASA NTRS2020

Thermal system and environmental testing of the Mars Helicopter

The Mars Helicopter will be a technology demonstration conducted during the Mars 2020 mission. The primary mission objective is to achieve several 90-second flights demonstrating the feasibility of heavier than air flight on Mars and capture visible light images via forward and nadir mounted cameras. These flights could possibly provide reconnaissance data for sampling site selection for other Mars surface missions. A solar array and batteries for flight operations, imaging, communications, and survival heating power the Helicopter. The thermal design is driven by minimizing survival heater energy while maintaining compliance with allowable flight temperatures in a variable thermal environment. Due to the small size of the Helicopter and its complex geometries, along with the fact that it operates with very low power and small margins in the extreme Mars environment, additional care had to be paid while planning thermal tests and designing the thermal system. The first section of the paper describes the evolution of the thermal system of the Mars Helicopter. After the first thermal vacuum test of the engineering model, the thermal team has conducted a partial effect analysis on the thermal design components that had a major impact on the system performance. Several design choices derived by analysis and test have been made to meet the energy allocation and the temperature requirements. These changes included increased gas gaps to reduce gas conduction, low emissivity coatings for internal components, blanket implementation, optimization of wire routing and fine-tuning of surface operations to optimize waste heat recovery. The second part of the paper describes the flight model thermal vacuum test and the subsequent thermal model correlation necessary to confirm the fidelity of the analysis results.

Pauken, Michael↗

NASA NTRS1973

Reusable surface insulation thermal protection systems test evaluation status

Changes in coating morphology of mullite, silica, and ceramic mullite fiber at two heating rates are described followed by a discussion of the changes in surface chemistry that occur during convective heating tests. Subsequently, the surface chemistry changes observed are compared to similar data obtained from radiantly heated coatings and the significance of the difference between the results is discussed. Finally, the changes in chemistry of the coatings in cross section before and after convectively heated cyclic testing are discussed and the significance of surface chemistry changes are described. Results indicate that the thermal conductivity of mullite surface insulation is higher than that of silica insulation, based on thermal response data. Acoustic excitation of cracked silica tiles does not lead to catastrophic failure such as spallation or tile loss. Cracks in mullite material after thermal exposure lead to fracturing of the coating and surface insulation material after acoustic excitation.

Strouhal, G.↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Roman Space Telescope - Demonstration of Integrated Thermal Control System Test for the Optical Telescope

On-orbit optical stability of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (RST) is a key requirement that enables multiple science objectives and drives multiple aspects of telescope design and analysis. Thermoelastic changes are typically large contributors to optical instability, and both extremely low CTE materials and extremely stable temperatures are needed to achieve the RST optical stability requirements. We will present the results from a test that demonstrated the L3Harris capability to sense and control temperatures to milli-kelvin levels of stability across a range of operating temperatures.

RST, Roman Space Telescope, Temperature Sensing, T↗

NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Roman Space Telescope – Demonstration of Integrated Thermal Control System Test for the Optical Telescope Assembly

Peter Miller↗

NASA NTRS2017

Vehicle-Level Oxygen/Methane Propulsion System Hotfire Testing at Thermal Vacuum Conditions

A prototype integrated liquid oxygen/liquid methane propulsion system was hot-fire tested at a variety of simulated altitude and thermal conditions in the NASA Glenn Research Center Plum Brook Station In-Space Propulsion Thermal Vacuum Chamber (formerly B2). This test campaign served two purposes: 1) Characterize the performance of the Plum Brook facility in vacuum accumulator mode and 2) Collect the unique data set of an integrated LOX/Methane propulsion system operating in high altitude and thermal vacuum environments (a first). Data from this propulsion system prototype could inform the design of future spacecraft in-space propulsion systems, including landers. The test vehicle for this campaign was the Integrated Cryogenic Propulsion Test Article (ICPTA), which was constructed for this project using assets from the former Morpheus Project rebuilt and outfitted with additional new hardware. The ICPTA utilizes one 2,800 lbf main engine, two 28 lbf and two 7 lbf reaction control engines mounted in two pods, four 48-inch propellant tanks (two each for liquid oxygen and liquid methane), and a cold helium system for propellant tank pressurization. Several hundred sensors on the ICPTA and many more in the test cell collected data to characterize the operation of the vehicle and facility. Multiple notable experiments were performed during this test campaign, many for the first time, including pressure-fed cryogenic reaction control system characterization over a wide range of conditions, coil-on-plug ignition system demonstration at the vehicle level, integrated main engine/RCS operation, and a non-intrusive propellant mass gauging system. The test data includes water-hammer and thermal heat leak data critical to validating models for use in future vehicle design activities. This successful test campaign demonstrated the performance of the updated Plum Brook In-Space Propulsion thermal vacuum chamber and incrementally advanced the state of LOX/Methane propulsion technology through numerous system-level and subsystem experiments.

Morehead, Robert L.↗

NASA NTRS1985

System test and flight results from infrared astronomical satellite external thermal subsystem

The Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) received its system level thermal testing in a solar simulator in September and October 1982 and was launched in January 1983. In order to reduce costs and meet a tight launch schedule, a system thermal test approach was employed which combined the goals of thermal design development tests, thermal balance tests, and thermal vacuum qualification tests. This approach relied heavily on the use of a computer-controlled automatic data handling and heater control system which reduced reliance on human monitoring of test data in comparison to past projects. The validity of this approach has been borne out by flight results. During the whole mission most temperatures were within the desired range and close to predictions. Included under the external thermal subsystem are room temperature electronics and radiatively cooled surfaces with temperatures below 100 and 200K.

Salazar, R. P.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Cost effectiveness as applied to the Viking Lander systems-level thermal development test program

The economic aspects of thermal testing at the systems-level as applied to the Viking Lander Capsule thermal development program are reviewed. The unique mission profile and pioneering scientific goals of Viking imposed novel requirements on testing, including the development of a simulation technique for the Martian thermal environment. The selected approach included modifications of an existing conventional thermal vacuum facility, and improved test-operational techniques that are applicable to the simulation of the other mission phases as well, thereby contributing significantly to the cost effectiveness of the overall thermal test program.

Buna, T.↗