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This SAE Metric Aerospace Recommended Practice (MAP) establishes the requirements for preparing a specification for fluid couplings for spacecraft servicing. The objective of this document is to provide design, development, verification, storage, and delivery requirement guidelines for the preparation of specifications for fluid couplings and the ancillary hardware for use with serviceable spacecraft designed for use in the space environment. ...The objective of this document is to provide design, development, verification, storage, and delivery requirement guidelines for the preparation of specifications for fluid couplings and the ancillary hardware for use with serviceable spacecraft designed for use in the space environment. The couplings shall be capable of resupplying storable propellants, cryogenic liquids, and gases to a variety of spacecrafts. ...The couplings shall be capable of resupplying storable propellants, cryogenic liquids, and gases to a variety of spacecrafts.

The functions performed by pyrotechnic systems and devices in the Apollo spacecraft during a lunar exploration mission and in aborts are presented. The devices and systems are described. ...The modular cartridge concept and the standard electroexplosive device used throughout the spacecraft are innovations and are discussed in detail. Some of the techniques used to attain the high levels of reliability, to assure crew safety, to control quality, and to eliminate human errors are briefly presented.

Thermal conductances are computed for relatively simple node geometries that are typical of analytical models of spacecraft. Heat-transfer rates computed with these conductances are compared to heat-transfer rates computed from exact, closed-form mathematical formulas.

Also described are the primary mission objective, the spacecraft configuration, requirements and design drivers, mission environments, and design parameters.

Former maintainability concepts for weapon systems are reviewed briefly, pointing out their inadequacies for manned spacecraft. The reliability concepts for manned spacecraft which require that all systems function during a mission are examined. ...This paper discusses a concept of reliability, which includes the relationship of man to total system reliability, and the techniques and controls used to insure spacecraft mission success through reliability. Former maintainability concepts for weapon systems are reviewed briefly, pointing out their inadequacies for manned spacecraft. ...Examples of man's contribution to the reliability of aircraft and spacecraft systems are discussed. These concepts will permit achievement of mission success that approaches 100 percent, using hardware with a reliability of 80 percent.

The technological requirements and the development program required in producing a spacecraft have significant effects on the manufacturing operations of an aerospace corporation, particularly when there is no prospect of follow-on production. ...The technological requirements and the development program required in producing a spacecraft have significant effects on the manufacturing operations of an aerospace corporation, particularly when there is no prospect of follow-on production. The spacecraft’s internal and external environment considerations, weight controls, reliability, traceability, and limited production are reviewed with respect to their influence on manufacturing costs, schedules, operations, skill levels, and training requirements.

JPL is entering a new era of spacecraft (s/c) mission operations. The number of s/c tracked is steadily increasing. For many missions, the mission durations are getting longer and mission operations requirements are becoming more complex.

Vapor Compression Distillation technology has proved its readiness as a spacecraft wastewater processor as evidenced by selection of this technology for the Urine Processor Assembly aboard Space Station Freedom.

The application of cryogenic fluid storage systems to manned spacecraft is considered attractive primarily because of the substantial weight and volume saving afforded compared with high-pressure gaseous storage at ambient temperature.

As assembly of the International Space Station (ISS) proceeds, predictive techniques are used to determine the best approach for handling a variety of cabin air quality challenges. These techniques use equipment offgassing data collected from each ISS module before flight to characterize the trace chemical contaminant load. Combined with crew metabolic loads, these data serve as input to a predictive model for assessing the capability of the onboard atmosphere revitalization systems to handle the overall trace contaminant load as station assembly progresses. The techniques for predicting in-flight air quality are summarized along with results from early ISS mission analyses. Results from ground-based analyses of in-flight air quality samples are compared to the predictions to demonstrate the technique’s relative conservatism.

The durability of ceramic is limited due to chemical reactions with the atmosphere and due to sublimation. Another aspect of the ceramic composites are their non-isotropic mechanical and thermal characteristics. Models for both the erosion and the heat transport properties have been established. These models were validated by comparison with experimental results. Applications to different design problems are shown.

This paper describes a Stirling Cycle Refrigerator that has been built and tested by Stirling Technology Company (STC) for the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Its intended application is the space station food refrigerator freezer. The Stirling Cycle Refrigerator described herein has few moving parts, is nontoxic to both humans and the environment, is insensitive to gravity, and has a moderate efficiency. Its temperature setpoint is adjustable, making it adaptable to other space station applications including a -70 °C freezer and freeze drier, a -183 °C freezer, and a -196 °C snap freezer. Test results have been very promising, with a Coefficient of Performance (COP) of 1.1 at -26 °C (-15 °F) and a heat load of 130 watts. Reliability tests on individual components and the entire Stirling Cycle Refrigerator system show a 10-year life is possible. In addition, the benefits of using this technology for the space station refrigerator freezer will be described.

The changing and expanding nature of internal contamination issues is explored in this paper. An approach to assessing and managing internal contamination issues early in a program has been developed based on a graphic model of potential contaminant sources, flow paths, and sensitive receptors. The model provides a basis for system-aticaly identifying issues, assessing risk, identifying where the knowledge base must evolve, and mitigating significant effects. Space engineering practice must evolve to deal with the new issues. Potential solutions to internal contamination problems are discussed. Failure to comprehend and act on internal contamination issues early in a program could mean that necessary characteristics are not incorporated into the hardware and software eventually causing adverse effects on crew health, habitability, and productivity, and on research, scientific instruments and hardware in the system.

The development of this computerized system was sponsored by NASA specifically for the Acceptance Checkout Equipment for the Apollo Spacecraft (or ACE-S/C). This checkout equipment is being used to monitor Apollo Spacecraft performance at the Grumman facility at Bethpage, Long Island; at the NAA facility at Downey, California; at the Manned Spacecraft Center at Houston, Texas; and at the NASA Merritt Island complex at Cape Kennedy. ...This checkout equipment is being used to monitor Apollo Spacecraft performance at the Grumman facility at Bethpage, Long Island; at the NAA facility at Downey, California; at the Manned Spacecraft Center at Houston, Texas; and at the NASA Merritt Island complex at Cape Kennedy. Although the computerized system was designed for a specific hardware project, the surveillance and product improvement tools used are of such a generalized nature that they would be applicable in other hardware projects, whether intended for earth or space applications.

Thus a versatile usable air monitor is provided allowing for the first time the detection and monitoring of trace gas dynamics of a spacecraft atmosphere. The plan is to accommodate ANITA in a Destiny (US LAB) Express Rack on ISS.

Through the last decade ESA (European Space Agency) have developed a TGM (Trace Gas Monitoring) system for spacecraft air analysis from paper study to a fully operational breadboard [1–9]. The TGM system is a combination of FTIR spectrometry and specially developed analysis techniques.

This paper reports a development of a εH measurement system. The system has been evaluated by comparing the measurement data with the data, which were obtained by conventional reliable techniques in the laboratory. From the evaluation results it was confirmed that the measurement accuracies of the present systems is Δε = ±0.05. Now this system is being improved for higher measurement accuracy, and it will be commercialized in 2007.

Developmental efforts are seeking to improve upon the efficiency and reliability of typical packed beds of sorbent pellets by using structured sorbents and alternative bed configurations. The benefits include increased structural stability gained by eliminating clay bound zeolite pellets that tend to fluidize and erode, and better thermal control during sorption leading to increased process efficiency. Test results that demonstrate such improvements are described and presented.

This study involved a detailed investigation of the sensitivity of some of the major parameters on a typical 1975 near earth orbit spacecraft and mission. A mechanized analytical math model and a mission simulation model were utilized to evaluate the effects of: spacecraft system weight, volume and reliability; mission duration and resupply rate; and maintenance requirements on the total spacecraft requirements to achieve various probabilities of crew survival and mission success. ...A mechanized analytical math model and a mission simulation model were utilized to evaluate the effects of: spacecraft system weight, volume and reliability; mission duration and resupply rate; and maintenance requirements on the total spacecraft requirements to achieve various probabilities of crew survival and mission success. ...A mechanized analytical math model and a mission simulation model were utilized to evaluate the effects of: spacecraft system weight, volume and reliability; mission duration and resupply rate; and maintenance requirements on the total spacecraft requirements to achieve various probabilities of crew survival and mission success. Preliminary information developed in the NAS 2-3705 contract is presented.