OPAL Critical Design Review

1
OPAL Critical Design Review
2
CDR Agenda
3
OPAL System Overview
4
System Components
Launch Vehicle
Ground Station
Opal
5
OPAL Mission

• Laboratory development
• SQUIRT program
• Lab research
• Educational objectives
• Students
• AMSAT
• Satellite payloads
• Mothership/Daughtership Testbed
• Magnetometer Testbed
• Accelerometer Testbed

6
Schedule Overview

• Month of February
• Completion of engineering model testing
• Flight construction
• Month of March
• Acceptance testing of flight vehicle
• Month of April
• Operational testing of flight vehicle
• Delivery May 1, 1999
• Launch September 1999

7
SSDL Ground Station

• OSCAR class ground station
• Components
• Transceiver 2m and 70cm bands, 160W output on 2m
• TNC 1200/9600 baud modem
• Yagi antennas
• Located on 4th floor of Durand

8
OPAL Launch Opportunity

• Orbital Sciences OSP Spacelift Vehicle
• Weber State University JAWSAT
• Multi-Payload Adapter

9
OSP Spacelift Vehicle

• Four Stage Solid-fuel
• Minuteman stages1 and 2
• Orion 50XL 3rd stage
• Orion 38 4th stage
• Launch from Vandenberg AFB September 1, 1999

10
JAWSAT Multi-Payload Adapter

• Five payloads
• OPAL, Stanford University
• Falconsat, Air Force Academy
• ASUSat, Arizona State University
• Optical Calibration Sphere, Air Force Research
  Lab
• PEST, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

11
OSP/JAWSAT Launch Configuration
OSP Vehicle With JAWSAT
JAWSAT with OPAL
12
Orbit
13
MPA Integration Schedule

• May 1, 1999 Payload delivery to WSU for
  integration and acceptance testing
• July 1, 1999 Assembly shipped to VAFB
• Aug 12, 1999 Integration with launch vehicle
  4th stage
• Sept 1, 1999 Launch from VAFB

14
The OPAL Satellite

• Subsystem Overview

15
OPAL System Diagram
3
5V Reg
CDH
12 V Power
Beacon
Comm
TNC encode/ decode
PTT
Radio (TX/RX)
ROS, HES, Temp. Sensors Data
Actuator Enables
Master Enable
Instr. Enable
8V Regulated Power
Antennas
2
Pico-Sat Payload
Instrumentation
ROS, HES, Temp. Sensors Data
Actuator Enable
Power
1
12V Power
Temp. Sensors
5V Regulated Power
Solar Panels
Temp., Current, Volt. Data
Batteries
Power
Temp. Sensors
Power
16
Structure Subsystem
17
Structure Subsystem
18
Structure Subsystem
19
Structure Subsystem
20
Structure Subsystem
Materials Aluminum Honeycomb (1/2 and 1/4
thick) Connectors Threaded inserts, attached
with epoxy
21
Structure Subsystem
Power Tray
Bracket Attachments
Box Attachments
Wire Holes
Launch Interface Attachments
Protective Cover
Regulator/ Telemetry
Batteries
Batteries
Through-Hole Inserts
Bottom View
Top View
Antenna Mounts
22
Structure Subsystem
PicoSat Tray
Laucher circuit
PicoSat Laucher
Bottom View
Top View
23
Structure Subsystem
CPU Tray
Accel. Payload
Accel. Payload
CPU
PicoSat Laucher
Radio
Bottom View
Top View
24
Top Tray
Antenna Mounts
Protective Cover
Magnetometer
Wire Holes
Bottom View
Top View
25
Structure Subsystem
26
Structure Subsystem

• Remaining Challenges
• Some Fabrication of Parts
• Antenna Mounts
• Small panel attachment on PicoSat side
• Static Loads Test
• Materials, Personnel, Facility
• Make Duplicate Parts for CSA mass model
• Extra Top Panel
• Extra L-Brackets
• Weber State Delays with JAWSAT testing
• Without mass model, the testing schedule is being
  pushed back

27
OPAL Launch Vehicle Interface
28
Launch Vehicle Interface Requirements

• Support OPAL under launch loads
• Reliably release OPAL
• Provide separation velocity of 0.5 ft/s
• Provide separation confirmation signal back to
  JAWSAT

29
Launch Vehicle Interface Testing

• Small-Sat Conf. Paper presented 9/95 detailing
  interface design and verification testing
• Testing on interface completed with Sapphire on
  interface to 30 gRMS
• Testing with OPAL mass model on interface at NASA
  Ames 11/98 to 150 of launch loads

30
OPAL Launch Vehicle Interface
31
Work to Do

• Obtain and integrate separation confirmation
  switch
• Make pigtail to connect to JAWSAT
• Create contact point for OPAL separation turn-on
  switch

32
Power Subsystem

• Carlos García-Sacristán
• February 3, 1999

33
Requirements

• Size Tray14 diameter, 2 high Panel area lt 5
  ft2
• Supply
• 3W average
• up to 6A of continuous current
• 12V, regulated 5V and 8V
• Must survive launch vibrations
• Must operate in vacuum and at expected satellite
  temperatures (around -10C to 40C for tray,
  -20C to 100C for panels)

34
Design Philosophy

• Use commercial components
• Very simple design (bare bone system)
• Accept degradation, low performance margins
• Accept risk, but minimize single failure points
• Co-design OPAL SAPPHIRE, improve design
• Seek industry help
• components
• technical tasks

35
Basic Design
Batteries

GND
GND

External Power Supply
Solar Panels (7)
Current Sensing Board
To CPU Tray
8V
To Picosat Tray
5V
Bottom Panel Microswitches (3)
Telemetry Box
36
Telemetry Box

• Gather analog telemetry on
• Voltage (batteries and regulators)
• Temperature (batteries and panels)
• Current (batteries and panels)
• Very simple sensors, non-critical telemetry
  multiplexed.
• Commercial off-the-shelf regulators
• efficiency gt 80
• thermally connected to heat sinks

37
Batteries

• 10 commercial, NiCd batteries in series (single
  string, 12 V, 5 Ah)
• No charge control (overdesigned in capacity)
• Enclosed in metal boxes with vacuum-rated potting

38
Solar Panels

• Body Mounted
• GaAs and Ge, providing 6W at 16V
• Design finished
• Manufacture to start in February 99

39
POWER Status

• Solar Panels design finished, going to Lockheed
  in early February to start manufacture
• Batteries prototype and flight finished.
• Regulation and Telemetry prototype finished,
  flight built and operational (next step
  conformal coating)

40
Power Budget
41
OPAL CmDH

• February 3, 1999

42
CPU Board
43
MC68332

• 32 bit microcontroller
• Time Processing Unit
• Communication with TNC
• Accelerometer shaker solenoid
• Beacon
• Queued Serial Module
• Communication with data acquisition boards

44
Vesta SBC332 Mother Board

• 1 megabyte RAM
• 2 X Dallas DS1250-70 512k non-volatile
• 256 k ROM
• 2 X SEI 28C0101TRFM-20 128K rad-hard
• Watchdog Timer
• 2 RS-232 level serial ports
• Electrolytic Capacitors removed

45
Vesta SPI332 Digital I/O and A/D board

• 16 channel digital I/O
• 8 channel 12 bit A/D converter
• Modifications
• Direct mounting of components
• DAC removed
• Bias voltages changed
• PAL removed

46
Software Subsystems

• Communications
• Payload
• Telemetry
• Data Storage
• Scheduler
• Command Interpreter
• Ground Code

47
OPAL Software
On Connection
Command Interpreter
Check Connection
Check Command
Start
Command not found
On Disconnect
Valid Command
Print Error Message
Scheduled Events
Scheduled Events
Execute Command
Watchdog
Success
Telemetry
Evaluate Results
Attempt to fix
Log Error in Database
System Monitors
User Tasks
Set Beacon
48
Communications

• TNC control functions
• Set baud rates
• Data downloading mode (uuencode, binary)
• Connection timeout
• Users are main source of TNC errors
• Beacon
• TNC trouble shooting
• Loading default settings

49
TNC FSM
50
Payload

• Picosatellite
• 2 separate enables to survive SEU
• Launch sequence
• Sensors
• 10000 herz sampling frequency needed
• Dynamically loaded functions

51
Telemetry

• Satellite health
• Flexible
• Any of the 64 values can be grouped together and
  monitored
• Optimized for certain groups
• Beacon

52
Data Storage

• Simple file system
• Controls all downloading an uploading of code
• UNIX commands
• Multiple file types

53
Scheduler

• Tasks to be executed one or more times in the
  future
• Tasks that can be scheduled
• Telemetry measurements
• Sensor measurements
• Batch files
• Fast Priority Queue

54
Command Interpreter

• Dynamic lookup table
• Multiple access levels
• Help system
• Command history and !!

55
Ground Code

• GSP
• Perl scripts
• UNIX conversion plotting utilities
• UNIX has same byte order as the 68332
• GNUplot ppmtogif allow automatic web publishing

56
COMMUNICATIONS

• Team Members
• Jennifer Owens (owensjm_at_stanford.edu)
• Jin Kang (sjk_at_stanford.edu)
• Dominik Schmidt (etruscan_at_stanford.edu)
• Advisors
• John Ellis
• Lars Karlsson
• Dick Kors
• David Lin

OPAL Critical Design Review - February 3, 1999
57
Functional Requirements

• The communications subsystem transfers science
  and engineering data from OPAL to the SSDL Ground
  Station, and receives/interprets commands
  uplinked from the ground station to OPAL.
• On-orbit, the system must
• Maintain reliable data links to the ground
  station at the desired data rate
• Demonstrate the Beacon Mode communications
  concept

58
Functional Block Diagram
59
Hardware Design

• For ground communication, OPAL uses packet
  radio transmissions over amateur radio
  frequencies. The terminal node controller (TNC)
  and radio transceiver are commercial-off-the-shelf
  (COTS) units which have been modified to
  function in the space environment.
• Structures
• Transceiver box at 8.4x6.3x4.1 cm
• TNC (housed with CPU) 10.8x5.4x1.9 cm
• Support four monopole antennas on opposing faces
• Power
• Radio
• Transmit mode 3.76W (470 mA at 8Vdc)
• Standby mode 1.2W (150mA at 8Vdc)
• TNC
• 0.96W (80mA at 12Vdc)

60
Components

• Radio Transceiver
• EFJohnson 3472 Synthesized UHF Data Transceiver
• 2W Output Power
• -30ºC to 60 ºC OTR
• Half-Duplex at 450-470 MHz

• Terminal Node Controller (TNC)
• PacComm Modem Umpad
• 9600 bps
• Frequency Shift Keying (FSK)
• -30ºC to 65 ºC OTR

61
Components (cont.)

• Antennas
• 1/4 Wavelength (? 70 cm)
• Four -- Monopole
• Delrin Mounts

• Mobile Transceiver (for testing)
• Kenwood TM-V7
• 9600 bps

62
Link Budget
63
Current Status

• Flight Prototype
• Radio link is up and running on engineering model
• Beacon is implemented, needs to be tested with
  Beacon receiving station, needs additional work
  on health assessment software
• System Testing
• Radio/TNC tuning (deviation, etc.) to be
  conducted off-site (with mentor support)
• Flight System
• Radiation-tolerant parts under investigation

64
Verification Testing

• On-Board Electronics
• Integration supported by Comm team
• Electrical interface to be verified with
  break-out box
• Aliveness Test
• Functional Testing (short and long form)
• Antennas
• RF modulation and reception to be verified
• Antenna matching is critical
• End-to-End Data Flow
• Establish link to ground station
• Perform functional sequence tests and simulations

65
Concerns Action Items

• Radiation Concerns
• What can we do to mitigate the risks?
• Contingency Plans?
• Actions
• Find components that may be substituted for
  weak ones
• Antenna Concerns
• Current configuration interferes with launch
  vehicle fairing.
• Matching must be done after solar-panel delivery
• Actions
• Do as much as possible without solar panels
  in-place
• Work with mentors to develop specific plans for
  antenna matching

66
OPAL Picosatellite Launcher
67
Picosatellite Launcher Mission

• Demonstrate the feasibility of mothership-daughter
  ship technologies by successfully executing an
  end-to-end proof of concept mission
• OPAL design team
• will develop a mothership system capable of
  storing and launching picosatellites
• Picosatellite design teams
• will design and construct fully functional
  picosatellites

68
Picosatellite Teams and Missions

• Aerospace Corporation
• test DARPA MEMS RF switches
• test intersatellite communications link
• communicate through Stanford Big Dish
• Santa Clara University Artemis team
• lightning science
• Amateur radio enthusiasts
• amateur radio transponder

69
Previous Launcher Design

• Too many unresolved issues
• Too many moving parts
• Too many points of failure
• Too many motors
• Too few resources to get it working
• Launch vibration concerns
• Mechanisms expert discredited launcher

70
Design Drivers

• Constrain picosatellites during launch vibration
• Reliable release system
• Ability to swap picosatellites after OPAL is
  sealed up
• Exit velocity from 1-3 feet per second

71
Launcher Cross-section View
Wedge
Door Wedge
Area for Spring
Door
Launch Rails
Picosatellites
Backstop
72
Door Modifications
Engaged Door Slider
Retracted Door Slider
Door
Door Latches
Launch Rail
73
Picosat Tray Layout
Auxiliary Receiver
NEA Actuators
Picosatellite Launcher Tubes
Cable Guides
Launcher Instrumentation and Actuator Firing
Boards
Tray Spacers
74
Picosat Envelope
75
Picosat Launch
76
Force on Picosats

• Belleville washer springs behind wedge to provide
  compliance in system
• Provide nominal force of 61 lb (max 110 lb)
• Force scales linearly with added deflection 1.2
  lb per 0.001 change in deflection Allows
  0.05 deflection from nominal
• Approx 40 lb force required to prevent separation
  of picosats from door at 15 g load

77
Launcher Testing

• Functional test
• Preliminary thermal testing
• Instrumentation testing
• Actuator firing test
• Thermal cycle testing
• Vibration functional testing

78
Picosatellite Delivery Schedule

• Feb. 3, 1999 Functional Prototype
• Mar. 1, 1999 Structural/Mass Model due Picosat
  must have identical structural features (mass,
  antennas, latches) as the flight model
• June 1, 1999 Flight Picosat CDR
• July 15, 1999 Flight Picosat Delivery

79
Status

• Flight production drawings complete
• Fabrication begins next week
• Flight instrumentation and boards
• Software control of instrumentation and launch
  sequence complete

80
Picosatellite Launcher

• Launcher Circuitry

81
Launcher Circuitry System Diagram
82
Launcher Circuitry Instrumentation
Reflective Object Sensors
Hall Effect Sensors
Temperature Sensors

• 5 sensors per tube, total of 20 sensors
• Signals multiplexed to CPU
• Possible velocity sensing with ROS

83
Launcher Circuitry NEA Requirements

• NEA response time vs. current graph
• 4A for 20ms
• Firing circuitry must be able to source this
  current load.

84
Launcher Circuitry Firing Circuitry
85
Launcher Circuitry Operations

• 2 enable signals to reduce probability of SEU
  firing a tube.
• Picosatellite tubes will be launched separately
• Order of picosatellite launch to be determined.

86
Launcher Circuitry Status and Work To Do

• Prototype circuitry built and undergoing testing.
• Capable of firing NEA actuators
• Testing of spurious signals from CPU during power
  cycle/reset.
• Slight modifications to PCB design
• Flight fabrication

87
Magnetometer Testbed
88
Magnetometer TestbedMission

• Primary mission objective
• Characterize the functionality and operation of
  the APS533, a miniature 3-axis fluxgate
  magnetometer fabricated by Applied Physics
  Systems.

• Characterization is defined as
• Determining short-term magnetometer performance
  degradation due to launch and initial exposure to
  the space environment
• Determining long-term magnetometer performance
  degradation due to extended exposure to the space
  environment.
• The principal investigator is Jim Lockhardt from
  the Gravity Probe-B mission.

89
Magnetometer TestbedMission Success Criteria

• Minimum success criteria for determining
  short-term degradation
• Obtain three data sets, each consisting of 720
  magnetometer data points taken over two
  consecutive orbits at evenly spaced time
  intervals, within one week after OPAL's launch
  into space.
• Minimum success criteria for determining
  long-term degradation
• Obtain four data sets, each consisting of 720
  magnetometer data points taken over two
  consecutive orbits at evenly spaced time
  intervals The individual data sets will be taken
  at one-week intervals starting after the
  short-term degradation objective has been
  completed.
• A magnetometer data point consists of the X, Y,
  and Z-axis field measurements, a temperature
  reading, and a time stamp.

90
Magnetometer TestbedOther Mission Details

• Upon completion of the minimum success criteria,
  data set collection will continue at one-week
  intervals for the duration of the OPAL lifetime
  or until the data sets are no longer deemed
  useful by the principal investigator.
• A method to analyze the data sets will be
  developed jointly by the OPAL team and the
  principal investigator.
• After verification of initial data sets and their
  analysis by the OPAL operations team, the raw
  data sets will be delivered to the principal
  investigator for analysis within one week of data
  download.
• Magnetometer performance will be measured by
  comparing the vector magnitude of the earths
  magnetic field as measured by the sensor to the
  predicted vector magnitude of standard
  geomagnetic modeling software.

91
Magnetometer Testbed APS533

• Technology 3 axis fluxgate magnetometer
• Dimensions 0.75 in diameter x 1.5 in long
  cylinder
• Mass 18 g
• Sensitivity 4V / G
• Power lt 200mW at -5V supplies

92
Magnetometer TestbedSystem Diagram
93
Magnetometer TestbedImplementation (1)

• Power regulation
• 5V provided by 7805
• -5V provided by Maxim MAX764
• Output data
• X, Y, Z axis measurements (directly to CPU ADC)
• Boom temperature (muxed to ADC)
• Current measurement (muxed to ADC)

94
Magnetometer TestbedImplementation (2)

• Original boom length 14.6 in
• Boom must be shortened to accommodate launch
  vehicle.
• Boom length now 4 in

95
Magnetometer TestbedStatus and Future Work

• Status
• Magnetometer integrated into boom.
• Prototype of power conditioning circuitry built.
• Software written to perform operation testing.
• Future Work
• Test power system.
• Integrated temperature sensor into boom.
• Integrate magnetometer into flight bus.
• Build flight power system.
• Characterize operation in Helmholz chamber at
  Ames.
• Develop analysis tools.

96
Accelerometer Testbed
Amy Chaput Wade Henning James Cutler
97
Accelerometer Testbed Mission

• The primary mission objective of the
  accelerometer testbed is to characterize the
  functionality and operation of several
  commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) accelerometers
  during flight in space. The following COTS
  devices (each representing a different sensor
  technology) will be tested
• 1. A capacitative sensor, the ADXLO5 from Analog
  Devices.
• 2. A piezoelectric sensor, the PCB 336M27 from
  PCB Piezotronics.
• 3. An inductive sensor, the GS-30CT from GeoSpace
  Corporation.

98
Accelerometer Testbed Characterization

• Characterization of the accelerometers is defined
  as determining short-term sensor degradation due
  to launch and initial exposure to the space
  environment and determining long-term sensor
  degradation due to extended exposure to the space
  environment.
• The OPAL satellite will provide a stimulation
  source for the accelerometers with which to
  monitor sensor performance.
• Ground testing of the accelerometer testbed will
  provide a set of control data with which to
  compare recorded flight data.
• The principal investigator is Prof. Tom Kenny
  from Stanford University.

99
Accelerometer Testbed Sensor Types 1

• ADXL05 Capacitative technology
• Measures changes in capacitance in a circuit
  etched on a silicon die
• Advantages
• Small and easy to mount on PC board
• Inexpensive
• GS-30CT Geophone, Magnetic technology
• Use coils motion with respect to a magnet to
  generate a signal
• Advantages
• Require no power
• Disadvantages
• Large and difficult to mount to PC board

100
Accelerometer Testbed Sensor Types 2

• PCB 336M27 Piezoresistive technology
• Use the piezoelectric properties of a quartz
  crystal to measure acceleration
• Advantages
• Clean, large output signal
• Disadvantages
• Expensive
• Difficult to mount on PC board
• Current source
• Coax connector

101
Accelerometer TestbedBlock Diagram
Batteries
5V Reg
GEO
GEOs
Accel. Master ON/OFF
12V Reg
CPU
-5V Reg
Command
PCB
PCBs
Data
MUX
Amp
Address
ADXL
ADXLs
Data
102
Accelerometer TestbedPhysical Layout

• Sensor Board 1
• Power regulators
• 12, 5, -5
• Mag. and Accel.
• Master switches
• Multiplexer
• Current sensors
• Sensor Board 2
• Shaker solenoid
• Shaker switch
• GEOs
• Amplifiers
• PCBs
• ADXLs
• Temperature Sensor

OPAL Top Tray
Geophones harnessed in alum. seat
SB2
PCBs tapped onto solenoid backplate
CPU Box
MAX764 -5V Boards
Solenoid mounted to SB2 with strike plate
Inter-Board Bus
CPU Bus
SB1
103
Accelerometer TestbedFabrication

• Design exported to APCircuits Inc. to manufacture
  printed circuit boards.
• Circuitry designed on PADS Power Logic, PADS
  Power PCB
• Bus link using donated flight rated AIRBORN
  connectors

104
Accelerometer Testbed Degradation

• Short Term /Acute Failure
• No signal from sensor, stops working between
  tests ie. Due to design conflict with space
  environment
• Failure prior to first test i.e. Due to launch
• Long Term
• Gradual change in signal form or strength over
  multiple tests
• Potential unknown effects with space radiation
  environment
• Unamplified GEO signal available to determine
  circuitry effects

105
Accelerometer Testbed Operations 1

• Goal 8 data sets in 1 month of all six
  accelerometers
• Experiment performed twice per week
• Minimum Success 2 data sets with consecutive
  measurements from one of each sensor type
• Accelerometers will be on 25 of each orbit
  Circuits will not experience radiation damage
  unless biased
• Power consumption
• Accelerometers 0.12 W
• Solenoid 0.72-2.16 W (depending on freq.
  tuning)
• Process and verify data in GNUPlot on UNIX
• Data delivery to PI within one week
• Spectrum analysis

106
Accelerometer Testbed Operations 2

• Command Sequence
• Set accelerometer master switch ON
• Sample battery current 1- obtain baseline
• Set Shaker Master to 10 Hz square wave 50 D.C. -
  shaking begins
• Sample battery current 2 (Can be used later to
  determine if shaker is indeed running)
• Sample accelerometers - One second each, GEOs,
  ADXLs, PCBs, Unamplified GEO, direct CPU Unamp
  GEO line
• Sample Freq. 6666 Hz 1000 samples in 0.15 sec
• Sample SB2 Temperature, SB1 Accel Current,
  reference voltage.
• Shaker OFF
• Download data at ground station pass

107
Accelerometer Testbed Testing

• System integration test complete CPU, power
  regulation, amplifiers.
• Full test on 2/1/99 GEO data sampled at 50Hz
  excitation
• ADXL and PCB sensors still need to be connected

Old boards geophone data sampled and downloaded
to GNUPlot by CPU, July 10, 1998
Data from new assembly shows solenoid and sensors
must be tuned to new the physical layout
108
OPAL Testing

• David Diaz
• 3 February, 1999

109
OPAL Testing

• Test process
• Required testing
• Testing completed to date
• Future testing
• Roadblocks

110
Test Process

• Each test includes
• Test plan draft
• Test plan approval by OPAL team and test facility
• Any applicable specifications set forth by
  external sources

111
Required Testing

• Vibration
• Ambient thermal and thermal-vacuum
• Integration testing

112
Testing Completed to Date 3/97

• Bus (CPU/Power/Comm) ambient thermal
• 2 thermal cycles, from -15C to 50C
• OPAL turned on and systems tested at equilibrium
  temperatures
• After first cycle, OPAL was left running all
  night
• Individual components and interfaces functioned
  normally

113
Testing Completed to Date 11/98

• Structure/picosat/launcher/launch interface
  vibration
• 3-axis accelerometer data collection on upper
  middle payload tray and interface web
• 125 of specified load levels for 91 sec.
• Lowest resonant frequency is 50 Hz, other
  frequencies at 100 and 200 Hz

114
Testing Completed to Date 11/98

• Vibe test was successful and no problems were
  encountered
• Structure and
• launch interface
• functioned
• normally

115
Testing Completed to Date 1/99

• Preliminary launcher ambient thermal
• Cold temp 20F, hot temp 150F
• Launcher/picosats cold
• Launcher cold/picosats hot
• Launcher door hot, rear of launcher cold
• Launcher/picosats hot
• Simulated actuator firing 10 times in each mode
• Launcher operated normally

116
Future Testing 2/99

• Launcher/picosat vibration
• Functional test
• Looking for possible failure modes
• Multiple cycle 1-axis vibration using revised
  launch load profile
• Simulate door actuator firing after each cycle
• Data collection on control accelerometer only

117
Future Testing 2/99

• Launcher ambient thermal
• Functional test (formal version of prelim. test)
• Looking for possible failure modes
• Thermal cycling from -15C to 50C
• Simulate door actuator firing after each cycle
• Data collection includes temperature data at the
  front and rear of launcher

118
Future Testing 3/99

• Flight qualification vibration test
• 3-axis vibration of integrated flight hardware
• Accelerometer data collection on payload trays
  and interface web
• Simulate 125 of revised load profiles for 91 sec.

119
Future Testing 3/99

• Flight qualification thermal-vacuum test
• Multiple thermal cycles from -15C to 50C of
  integrated flight hardware
• Temperature data collection during entire test
• System checks performed at each equilibrium
  temperature

120
S/C Integration Test Plan
Can occur any time between Comm IT and Flight
Structure Assembly
121
LV Integration Test Plan
122
Testing Roadblocks

• Hardware and test plans for 2 tests are complete,
  but no testing facilities confirmed
• Test plans for remaining tests are in progress
• Contacting many companies to negotiate free or
  discounted use of facilities
• Any assistance with locating test facilities
  would be greatly appreciated!

123
Conclusions
124
Summary

• Month of February
• Completion of engineering model testing
• Flight construction
• Month of March
• Acceptance testing of flight vehicle
• Month of April
• Operational testing of flight vehicle
• Delivery May 1, 1999
• Launch September 1999