Computer Science – Performance
Scientific paper
Jan 2002
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2002iaf..confe.965h&link_type=abstract
IAF abstracts, 34th COSPAR Scientific Assembly, The Second World Space Congress, held 10-19 October, 2002 in Houston, TX, USA.,
Computer Science
Performance
Scientific paper
The X-38 of NASA which is an experimental vehicle to prove crucial technologies of a future Crew Return Vehicle (CRV) for the International Space Station (ISS) will be equipped with a large number of newly developed components and systems. In particular, the thermal protection system of the most severely loaded surface areas such as the nose cap and the control surfaces represent a promising approach with respect to thermal endurance and re-usability aspects. The foremost nose section, the body flaps and a wing leading edge segment are all made from SiC-based fiber ceramics. Moreover, the body flap is an entire hot structure. The Nose Skirt Assembly and the Body Flap were developed and manufactured by German industry (MAN Technologie, DLR and ASTRIUM) within the frame of the national TETRA program. The Leading Edge Unit was developed and manufactured by MAN Technologie within the ESA-ARTP. As another effort within the TETRA program aimed at extending the national competence range, IABG developed and built a high-temperature test facility enabling full-scale flight qualification of thermal protection components. The main purpose of this facility was to allow application of all relevant load categories encountered during re-entry flight, i.e. thermal, mechanical and oxidative loads. The facility is in service since April 1999. Within the scope of the X-38 qualification tests the flexibility of the test facility could be demonstrated. Three full scale thermal protection components of X-38 which were very different in size, shape and test requirements were successfully flight qualified in the years 1999 - 2001. For all of the three components, namely the Leading Edge Unit, the Nose Skirt Assembly and the Body Flap, the time- dependent and locally variable temperature profiles of the re-entry flight had to be simulated in order to verify the structural integrity under thermal loads. Within these tests a superposition of the thermal loads with oxidative loads, with the application of a re-entry type pressure profile and with the performance of embedded subsystem tests could be demonstrated. As there is a growing need for large component testing when thinking of future RLV's, the publication will present the test facility and its key features which are required for the performance of full scale qualification tests. It will furthermore give an overview of the qualification tests successfully performed on the three components of X-38 mentioned above. Embedded subsystem testing as performed for the Nose Skirt Assembly and the Body Flap will also be covered.
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