space shuttle ground vibration tests press kit

8/8/2019 Space Shuttle Ground Vibration Tests Press Kit

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M A actsheetNational Aeronautics andSpace AdministrationWashington. DC 20546AC 202 755-8370

RELEASE NO: 7 8 - 4 7

March 1978


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RELEASE NO: 78-47

CONTENTS

General Release ................................. 1-6Mated Vertical Ground Vibration TestMilestones .. 978............................. 8Test Configurations............................. 9-10Orbiter Overland Routes ......................... 11The Teat Facility ............................... 12-13Dynamic Test Suspension System .................. 13-14Shuttle to be Stacked on Hydrodynamic Stands .... 14-15How Shuttle is Vibrated ......................... 15-16Test Support Responsibilities................... 17-18

March 1978

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C ewsNational Aeronautics andSpace AdministrationWashington, D.C. 20546AC 202 755-8370

David GarrettHeadquarters, Washington, D.C.(Phone: 202/755-3090)

Amos CrispMarshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.(Phone: 205/453-0034)

RELEASE NO: 78-47

SHUTTLE BEING TE STED AT MARSHALL CENTER

For Release:IMMEDIATE

America's spaceship o f the future, the Space Shuttle, hasarrived in Alabama to be assembled for the first time as a com-plete vehicle for ground vibration tests at NASA's MarshallSpace Flight Center in Huntsville.

In a huge facility originally constructed for testingthe Saturn V Moon rocket, engineers will evaluate the struc-tural dynamics and their effect on the control system of theShuttle.

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The first test article confiquration will include theorbiter and external tank to simulate the hiqh altitude por-tion of a Shuttle mission after the solid rocket boostershave separated. The liquid oxyqen tank of the external tankwill be filled with smaller and smaller quantities of fleionizedwater to simulate use of propellant bv the main encrines. Theliquid hydrogen tank will be pressurized but empty.

For the second test configuration, solid rocket boostersfilled with inert propellants will be stacked in the standalong with the orbiter and tank. This configuration simulatesliftoff conditions. This will be the first stacking of allSpace Shuttle components as they will appear for launch.Followinq this test series, all components will aqain beremoved from the stand.

The third test confiquration will be the same as thesecond except that the solid rocket boosters will be emptv,simulating the portion of a Shuttle mission just prior tobooster separation. Followinq this final test series, Shuttlecomponents will he removed from the stand and prepared forreturn to points of origin.

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S h u t t l e e l e m e n t s f o r t h e t e s t w i l l a r r i v e d u r i ng t h en e x t seve ra l m on th s. The o r b i t e r i s th e p o r t i o n of t h eS h u t t l e w hich c a r r i e s t h e c r e w and payload t o E a rt h o r b i tand ha s p erfo rm ed t o n e ar p e r f e c t i o n i n f l i g h t t e s t s i nC a l i f o r n i a . T h e s a m e Boeinq 747 a i r c r a f t which c a r r i e d t h eo r b i t e r a l o f t f o r t h e f l i g h t t e s t s f e r r i e d it p i gg y b ac k t ot h e M a r s h a l l C e n t er .

A r r i v i n g i n s eg me nt s by r a i l f rom Utah, t h e W e s t C o a s tand o t h e r l o c a t i o n s , t h e s o l i d r o c k e t b o o s t e r s w i l l b eassembled a t M a r s h a l l . The b o o s t e r se g m en t s a r e e x p e c t e d t oa r r i v e a t t h e c e n t e r d u r i n g t h e M ay -J uly t i m e p e r i o d . T h el a r g e s t S h u t t l e e l e m e n t , t h e e x t e r n a l t a n k , a s se mb le d a tNew O r l e a n s , a r r i v e d by ba r g e on t h e T e n n es se e R i v e r e a r l yi n March.

Fo r f l i g h t , t h e b oo s te r s , e x t e r n a l t a nk and o r b i t e r w i l lb e j o i n e d t o fo rm o ne u n i t . The b o o s t e r s a r e a t t a c h e d t o t h es i d e s o f t h e t a n k and t h e o r b i t e r i s f a s t e n e d o n t o p of t h et a n k b etw ee n t h e b o o s t e r s . The b o o s t e r s p r o v i d e t h r u s t i n gpow er d u r i n g t h e f i r s t two m i n u te s o f f l i q h t . The m aine n g i n e s , p u l l i n g p r o p e l l a n t s f ro m t h e e x t e r n a l ta n k , b ur nf o r a b ou t t h e f i r s t e i g h t m in u t e s of f l i g h t ,

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The reusable Space Shuttle will become America's work-horse for future space missions. Its payload bay measures4.57 meters (15 feet) in diameter and 18.28 m (60 ft.) inlength and can accommodate payloads up to 2 9 , 4 8 4 kilograms( 6 5 , 0 0 0 pounds) in low Earth orbit. The Shuttle will be ableto take a variety of satellites to orbit, retrieve satellitesand return them to the ground, or to repair satellites already

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in orbit.

The Shuttle will a l s o be the carrier vehicle for Space-lab, which consists of a shirtsleeve lahoratorv module forscientists to conduct orbital experiments in addition topallets for experiment hardware which needs to be exposedto the space environment. Spacelab flights are scheduledto begin in 1980.

NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, has respon-sibility for the orbiter and the integration of all elementsinto the final vehicle.

The Marshall Center has the responsibility f o r designand development of the main engines, the external tank andthe solid rocket boosters and some major testing of thevehicle and its components.

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NASA's Kennedy Space Center, F l a . , and VandenbergAir Force Base, C a l i f . , have been se lected a s the S h u t t l elaunch and landing a re as .

(END OF GENERAL RELEASE. BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOLLOWS.)

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Test Art ic leConfiguration 1

1. Orb iter , Solid RocketBoosters Ful l , ExternalTank

2. Orbite r, Solid RocketBoosters Empty,External Tank

3. Orbiter , External Tank

Orbiter , External Tank

Orhiter , External Tank

TEST CONFIGURATIONS

Tes tCondition

1. Liftoff

2. Solid RocketBoosterBurnout

3. Boost (MainEngine e only)

4. Mid Boost

5 . End Boost

Timein

Mi ee io n(S e conds )

T t O

T t 125

T t 125

T t 301

T t 477

SimulatedLOX Level(Gallons)

140,600

101,000

101,000

45,750

3,450

Shuttle Vehicle etackedand mated to s imulateliftoffEmpty SRM segm entssimulate pre-SRBseparat ionMated to sirnulate poetSRB jettisonSimulate conditions atmain engines mid-burn

Simulate conditione atmain engines ne arburnoutlThree basic test article configurations used to create five teet conditions2Deionized corrosion inhibited water used to eimulate liquid oxygen. Liquid hydrogen tank will bepressurized but empty

3SRBs filled with in ert propellants

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ARMY AIR F IELD

PI2:U lP I II1 I

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TO GATE 8

MSFC HEADQUARTERS

DASH LINES SHOW ROUTES THE ORBITER VEHICLEWILL TAKE BETWEEN THE ASSEMBLY BUILDING 4756,THE TEST STAND AND THE AIRFIELD.

TEST STAND

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"E "EST FACILITY

The Space Shuttle will not be the first occupant ofthe 36-story-tall test tower where it will be installed.In fact, the test facility has an active history.

The dynamic test stand at NASA's Marshall Space FlightCenter, Huntsville, Ala., was constructed originally forthe huge Apollo/Saturn V launch vehicle.Following its construction in 1964 and testing systeminstallation in 1965, the dynamic stand was used in 1966and 1967 for ground vibration testing of the Saturn V. Thetests were conducted with the Apollo/Saturn V mounted ver-tically in the stand.In the late 1960s, interior guide rails extending fromthe top to the bottom of the building were installed to pro-vide Marshall experimenters with a low-cost method of ob-taining brief periods of weightlessness. Scientific packagesplaced inside a capsule dropped along the guide rails forover 91.5 meters (300 feet) briefly achieving weightlessness.In 1972-73, tests involving the Skylab space station wereconducted in the stand.Because the Space Shuttle's configuration, an airplane-shaped orbiter, huge external tank for engine propellantsand the long, cylindrical solid rocket boosters, differedso much from the cylindrical Saturn V, the newer vehiclewould not fit into the original stand. Building a new

Shuttle facility would have taken many millions of dollars.However, facility engineers at the Marshall Center wereready with plans to enlarge the Saturn stand at a cost farbelow the price of a new facility.The basic foundation for a larger structure was alreadyin place and the original tower was constructed so that acomplete bay could be moved outward and reused to enlargethe structure with a minimum of new structural steel andsiding. By salvaging the structural steel of the east bay,Marshall facility engineers achieved an estimated savingsof $300,000 in that area alone.A contract to enlarge the stand was awarded in late1975 and the east side of the tower was extended. 7.3 meters(24 feet) to provide a 7.3 x 29.9 m (24 x 9 8 ft.) additionso that the test bay would be large enough for the SpaceShuttle.

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During 1977, new work platforms to fit the Shuttlewere added in addition to other support equipment for thetests.

Original dimensions of the stand were 29.9 x 29.9 m(98 x 98 ft.). As it now stands, it is 29.9 x 37.2 m (98x 122 ft.) at the base and remains 109.7 m (360 ft.) high.In its extended position, a 181,440-kilogram (200-ton)derrick atop the facility reaches about 131 m (430 ft.)high. A 158,760-kq (175-ton) derrick is mounted on oneside of the stand.

Modifications inside the stand include work platformson eight levels shaped for access to the Space Shuttle con-figuration and two large hvdrodynamic support stands forthe solid rocket boosters.Cost of facility modifications necessary to prepare

the stand for Space Shuttle testing is estimated at about$2,880,000.

DYNAMIC TEST SUSPENSION SYSTEM

A unique suspension system with air bags and cableswill be used to suspend the Space Shuttle's Orbiter Enter-prise and external tank in the test tower for the firstphase of the Shuttle ground tests at the Marshall Centerduring 1978.The suspension system includes a large overhead trusswhich will be installed like a crossheam between two teststand walls at the 65.8-m (216-ft.) level. The air bagsand cables will be attached to the truss.Although the Orbiter Enterprise and external tank willweigh about 544,320 kq (1.2 million pounds), this suspen-sion system will allow the freedom of movement necessary

for the acquisition of test data.Suspending the orbiter and tank, which is the first

phase of testing and scheduled to begin in April, duplicatesas nearly as possible the flight conditions of the SpaceShuttle from the time the solid rocket boosters drop o f f ,two minutes into the flight, until the main engines shuto f f six minutes later. Following tests involving the entireSpace Shuttle assembly will use a different suspensionsystem.

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Under t e s t c o n d i t i o n s , t h e c y l i n d e r s w i l l b e p r e s -s u r i z e d t o a b o u t 1 0 5 , 4 5 0 qrams/sq c m (-1,509 s i ) a n d c h a r g e dw i t h a b o u t 3,785 l i t e r s ( 1 , 0 0 0 g a l l o n s ) o f a s p e c i a l t y p eo f o i l . The b e a r i n g s a t o p t h e p i s t o n s c r ea t e t h e " f l o a t i n g "c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s d e s i r e d f o r t h e t e s t s .

D urin g t h e f i r s t p h as e o f t h e t e s t , t he hydrodynamics t a n d s w i l l n o t b e u se d. O nly t h e o r b i t e r a nd e x t e r n a lt a n k w i l l be i n s t a l l e d i n t h e t e s t tower and suspended f roma l a r g e a i r b ag s ys te m l o c a t e d i n s i d e a crossbeam.F o r t h e s e co n d t e s t p ha se , t h e s o l i d r o c k e t b o o s t e r s ,f i l l e d w i t h i n e r t p r o p e l l a n t s , w i l l b e s ta c k e d i n s i d e t h et e s t f a c i l i t y on t op of t h e hydrodynamic s t a nd s . Then t h ee x t e r n a l t an k w i l l b e a t t a c h e d t o t h e b o o s t e r s , and t h eo r b i t e r w i l l be mated t o t h e e x t e r n a l ta n k .T h e t h i r d t e s t phase w i l l b e t h e same a s T e s t PhaseTwo e x ce p t t h a t t h e s o l i d r o c k e t b o o st e r w i l l be empty.The h yd ro d yn am ic s t a n d s , o r i g i n a l l y u s ed i n dynamict e s t i n g t h e A po llo S a t ur n V v e h i c l e , h av e b ee n r e f u r b i s h e da nd m o d if ie d f o r t h e S h u t t l e t e s t s . M a r s h a l l C e n t e r e n g i -n e e r s e s t i m a t e t h a t t h e r e f ur b is h m en t and m o d i f i c a t io n c o s t sw e r e a b ou t o n e -f o u rt h t h e c o s t of a new system. M a r t i nM a r i e t t a A e ro s pa c e, D en ve r D i - v i s i o n , p r e p a r e d t h e s t a n d sf o r t h e S h u t t l e t e s t s , u nd er c o n t r a c t t o t h e M a r sh a ll C e n t er .

HOW SHUTTLE I S VIBRATED

A key e l e m e n t i n S pa ce S h u t t l e g ro un d v i b r a t i o n t e s t i n ga t t h e M ar sh al l C e n t e r d u r i n g 1 9 7 8 w i l l b e t h e s y st em t h a ta p p l i e s v i b r a t i o n s t o t h e S h u t t l e w h i le it s i t s v e r t i c a l l yi n a 1 0 9 . 7 -m ( 3 6 0 - f t . ) t a l l dynam ic t e s t s t a n d . C a l l e d t h eS h u t t l e Modal T e s t and An aly s i s Sys tem (SMTAS), t h i s sys temc an p ro v id e t h e r e q u i r e d v i b r a t i o n a l c y c l e and f o r c e i n p u t sa s w e l l a s a c q u i r e t h e r e s p o n se d a t a f ro m t h e v e h i c l e .The SMTAS w i l l p r o v i d e a u t o m a t ic c o n t r o l o f up t o 2 4p r e s e l e c t e d s h a k e r c h a n n e l s fr om t h e a v a i l a b l e 3 6 68-kg(150- lb . ) sha ke r s and 20 953.5-kq (1,OOn-Lh.) s h a k e r s w h i c ha r e used t o a p p ly s i mu l ta n eo u sl y p r e c i s e e x c i t a t i o n f o r c e sa t p r e s e l e c t e d p o i n t s on t h e S pa ce S h u t t l e .

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The shakers will be affixed h v soft mounts to thetest facility structure. Shaker rods will extend to theSpace Shuttle and be attached to it at hard points overspars, ribs or other structural elements but not overunsupported skin surfaces. To protect the Shuttle hard-ware, the SMTAS is capable of manual or automatic cutoff.The shakers are electrodynamic. The SMTAS will pro-

vide the drive amplifiers to control the force -- howhard the rods p u s h and pull -- and the frequency, or rateof vibration.While the major part of the data will be acauiredby the SMTAS , data will also be recorded through testfacility channels.

Data acquisition will be the responsibility of theSpace Division, Rockwell International, under contractto NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston.


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TEST SUPPORT RESPONSIBILITIES

T e s t HardwareO r b i t e rE x t e r n a l T a n kS o l i d R o ck et B o o s t e r sS o l i d R o c k e t M o t o r s

O r b i t e r S u p p o r tF e r r y F l i q h t t o M a r s h a l l

C e n t e rMate-DemateG r o u n d T r a n s p o r t a t i o n

P r e p a r a t io n f o r T e s t

E x t e r n a l T a n k S u m o r tG r o u n d T r a n s p o r t a t i o n

P r e p a r a t io n f o r T e s t

Rockwell I n t e r n a t i o n a lS p a c e D i v i s i o nM a r t i n M a r i e t t a Corp.M a r s h al l S p ac e F l i q h t C e n t e rThiokol Chemica l Corp .

Johnson Space C e n t e r

Kennedy Space C e n t e rM a r s h a l l C e n t e r / C o n t r a c t o r ' sCargoRockwel l I n t e r n a t i o n a l

M a r s h a l l S p ac e F l i g h t C e n te r /M a r t i n M a r i e t t a Corp.M a r t i n M a r i e t t a C o r p .

S o l i d R oc ke t R o o s t e r S u p p o r tG round T r a n s p o r t a t i o n M a r s h a l l S p a ce F l i g h t C e n t e rP r e p a r a t io n f o r T e s t U n i t ed S p a ce R o o s t e r s , I n c .

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Installation in Test Stand (overall responsibilityMarshall Space Flight Center)Hoisting Operations Bendix Corp.Stacking of SRBs United Space Boosters, Inc./Thiokol Chemical Corp.Mating of External Tank Martin Marietta Corp.Mating of Orbiter Rockwell International

Mated Vertical Ground Vibration TestsTest Direction Marshall Space Flight CenterVibration and Data Acquistion Marshall Space Flight Center/Rockwell International/Johnson Space Center

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space shuttle ground vibration tests press kit

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