See what is new in technology development in the Space Launch
Initiative. Highlights include:
NASA’s Marshall Center completes laboratory set-up for integrated
navigation system on second generation reusable launch vehicle
“ARMOR” suggests tough, practical protection for second generation
reusable launch vehicle
Space Launch Initiative’s Propulsion project completes catalyst
sensitivity testing with hydrogen peroxide
NASA’s Marshall Center completes laboratory set-up for
integrated navigation system on second generation reusable launch
vehicle
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., has
completed its set-up for a laboratory testbed to develop an advanced
navigation system in second generation reusable launch vehicles. The
laboratory has begun testing combinations of Global Positioning System
(GPS) components a satellite-based location and navigation
system with Inertial Navigation System (INS) components
sensors on a vehicle that determine angular velocity and
acceleration at various points. The GPS and INS components work
together to provide a space vehicle with guidance, navigation and
control. The integration will enable the vehicle operating system to
track where the vehicle is in space, what its trajectory is and should
be, and how to adapt to errors to stay on course. The use of inertial
navigation systems for navigation is not new to space technology
the Space Shuttle currently uses it. However, Space Launch
Initiative is expanding the technology to integrate GPS and INS
components to allow the vehicle to better define its position, adapt
to flight errors and continue on course.
By testing various GPS and INS components together, the Marshall
Center team will determine the best combination based on requirements
for the second generation Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV). Testing
results also will provide ready-made pairs of various GPS and INS
components for future RLVs. This advanced technology will lower
operational cost and enhance the safety of RLVs by providing a more
comprehensive navigation system with greater capabilities —
including the ability to react to a flight error and compensate to
continue the mission.
For more information, please contact June Malone at the Marshall Media
Relations Department at (256) 534-0034, or by e-mail at
june.malone@msfc.nasa.gov
“ARMOR” suggests tough, practical protection for second generation
reusable launch vehicle
What’s better than a lightweight Space Shuttle skin that can
take a 3,000-degree-Fahrenheit beating — and still return the
spacecraft safely home? A skin that can do all that without needing
extensive maintenance before the next flight. With that goal in mind,
engineers have begun testing a new thermal protection system (TPS)
technology called ARMOR, short for Adaptable, Robust, Metallic,
Operable, and Reusable TPS at NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton,
Va. ARMOR is one of several new concepts for advanced thermal
protection being investigated as part of NASA’s Space Launch
Initiative (SLI).
Current alloys used for the panels protect to 1,800-2,000 degrees
Fahrenheit. Researchers are working to develop alloys that can
protect at the extreme temperature experienced at reentry:
3,000-degrees-Fahrenheit.
BFGoodrich Aerostructures Group of Chula Vista, Calif., has fabricated
several ARMOR panels for Langley. The damage-resistant, yet
light-weight, metallic panels can be manufactured to be readily
removed for inspection or repair. Development of a highly effective
thermal protection system is an important step in the quest for
routine, low-cost access to space. The next generation of reusable
launch vehicles will need to incorporate added protection from
low-speed impacts during ground operations, launch and landing;
high-speed on-orbit impacts from micrometeoroids and space debris; and
rain erosion during ascent and landing.
For more information, call Keith Henry at the Langley Public Affairs
Office at (757) 864-6120 or e-mail at h.k.henry@larc.nasa.gov
Space Launch Initiative’s Propulsion project completes catalyst
sensitivity testing with hydrogen peroxide
NASA engineers, along with General Kinetics of Lake Forest, Calif.,
have recently completed an effort to test the sensitivity of hydrogen
peroxide catalysts to propellant impurities. Catalysts are used to
speed up the decomposition process of certain chemicals to create
usable by-products. Hydrogen peroxide is a desirable propellant for
the second generation reusable launch vehicle because it is non-toxic,
environmentally friendly, and stored at room temperature.
The sensitivity tests run 98 percent hydrogen peroxide through a
pipe-like test article that contains a filter-like metallic screen.
The metallic screen interacts with the hydrogen peroxide, causing the
hydrogen peroxide to rapidly decompose to super heated steam and
oxygen. The steam and oxygen can then be used as an oxidizer for a
rocket engine or to drive a turbopump.
Engineers tested the metallic screens with hydrogen peroxide solutions
that included various stabilizers, such as tin, phosphate, and
nitrate. Stabilizers are added to the hydrogen peroxide solution
during production to offset any typical contaminants that might have
come in contact with the solution such as aluminum, organic
carbon compounds, or stainless steel and cause the peroxide to
decompose during storage. High levels of these substances can
deteriorate the efficiency and life of the catalyst. By testing
solutions of hydrogen peroxide with various stabilizers and
contaminants, NASA engineers can understand the tolerance of the
catalyst to impurities, and can develop an industry standard for
rocket grade hydrogen peroxide. The tests can also verify a hardware
technology that will increase reliability and operability by using a
long-life component for the second generation reusable launch vehicle.
For more information, please contact June Malone at the Marshall Media
Relations Department at (256) 534-0034 or by e-mail at
june.malone@msfc.nasa.gov
For additional news and information on the Space Launch Initiative,
please visit the Space Launch Initiative on the Web at:
http://www.slinews.com/ or http://www.spacetransportation.com/
Note to Editors/News Directors: The Space Launch Initiative Media
Update is a regular progress report to keep you informed about the
technology development activities of the program. Interviews and
photos supporting the Space Launch Initiative are available to news
media representatives by contacting June Malone at the Marshall Media
Relations Department at (256) 534-0034.
