International Space Station: Investing in Humanity s Future

Transcription

1 International Space Station: Investing in Humanity s Future Near Real-Time Monitoring and Non-Destructive Testing & Evaluation (NDT & E) of the ISS Exterior Andrew Charles andytheresa@gmail gmail.com ASTE 527 December 15, 2009

2 National Vision vs. International Cooperation U.S. decision to stop ISS funding in 2015 may have reversed advances in international cooperation Roscosmos leadership are developing an all-russian follow- on to the ISS, presumably to reduce reliance on the U.S. ESA is exploring follow-on options to demonstrate their scientific and engineering prowess Reinvesting in the ISS supports two goals Space Exploration: : Extending its life increases the time available to conduct experiments on long-term life in space International Cooperation: : Other countries will see that American concern for cooperation outweighs our dedication to a unilateral vision

3 Capitalize on Current Momentum Five space organizations are currently supporting the goals and aspirations of the ISS Russia is aggressively looking at deep space exploration China and India are pursuing human space flight The U.S., with more money budgeted than the other four combined, is at a crossroads the American or International goal Now is the time to show our interest in international cooperation and shepherd (vice lead )) the effort by investing in the motivation of other countries

4 Three Areas of Life Extension Evaluation of Internal Components NASA s NDE WG Evaluation of External Skin NDT&E Maintenance and Repair "I don't see any problems, with the exception of penetration of the modules' skin by a meteoroid. [The vehicles] can fly 20 or 30 years and, if we don't have a direct hit, we can replace practically every internal component. We learned a lesson from Mir that anything that can fail in this period of time can be replaced. - Senior Russian official at RKK Energia

5 Rationale for NDT&E? Kessler syndrome: Ever increasing threat from orbital debris Increased space population and operations 2009 Iridium/Cosmos collision and 2007 Chinese ASAT test has increased particles ZARYA module was noted to have a 1/2cm hole during a space walk to install debris shields In 2002 the Hubble Telescope solar panels (only 100km higher than ISS) were hit over 725,000 times Columbus Debris Shield ESA Additional dangers from damage aggregate of ion and free electron impact ISS resides in the F2 layer of the ionosphere, the densest region of e - and dominated by O + (added oxidation threat) Added benefit of testing NDT&E capabilities for harsher environments

6 Non-Destructive Testing & Evaluation Current assessment process involves manned EVA or waiting for a manned craft to come into close proximity Near-Term: Surface crawler could conduct more frequent evaluations, providing more accurate aging estimates and failure warnings Optical imager or laser profilometer for surface evaluation Electromagnetic acoustic transducers (EMAT) for wall thickness measurements Eddy current instruments for sub-surface evaluation Long-Term: As NDT degradation due to lift-off is reduced, a two-tiered approach would allow even more frequent re-visitation Orbiting scanner with change-detection software onboard the ISS for gross evaluation Surface scanners for more detailed and penetrating inspections

7 Crawler Design Electric-powered crawler(s) can deliver precision sensors to areas of concern or can continually roam the surface Electric Thrusters Tracked vehicle can traverse ISS terrain 4 low-thrust motors (milli-( or micro-newton) aid in keeping the tracks on the ISS Pressure sensors in the track identify when the track is off the surface Possibly tethered to the Mobile Remote Servicer Base System (MBS) Eddy Current Communications maintained with ISS for steering and reporting EMAT LASER profilometers

8 NDT & E Future Studies Continue efforts of Aerospatiale Matra,, UCLA s Stebastian Breugnot,, and NASA s s NDE Working Group in exploring on-orbit NDT methods Seek methods to improve µm level NDT&E at extended lift-off distances Explore impact of Field Emission Electric Propulsion (FEEP) and other thruster emissions on ISS components Develop the ability for NDT tools to selectively penetrate layered material, e.g. the orbital debris shield, or to monitor the surface beneath such layers

9 References Breugnot, Sebastien, Microwave Detection of Laser Ultrasonic for Non-Destructive Testing, Proposal for NASA s STTR 2006 Solicitation, (accessed November 7, 2009). Council of the European Union, Council Resolution Taking Forward the European Space Policy, 2891st Competitiveness (Internal Market, Industry and Research) Council meeting, September 26, 2008, (accessed November 1, 2009). Houston Chronicle, International Space Station Construction Continues, Chron.com, 2009, (accessed November 2, 2009). Nanofocus, µsurf Explorer, (accessed November 7, 2009). NDT Resource Center, The Focal Point for NDT Education, Center for Nondestructive Evaluation, Iowa State University, (accessed November 7, 2009). Nicolini, Davide, Pierre-Etienne.Frigot, ESA Designs Its Smallest Ever Space Engine to Push Back Against Sunshine, ESA.com, March 10, 2009, (accessed November 15, 2009). Platts, Warren, Kessler on the Kessler Syndrome, Spaceflight.com, March 8, 2009, (accessed December 3, 2009).

10 References Simburg, Rand, The Uncertain Future of the International Space Station: Analysis, Popular Mechanics, July 29, 2008, (accessed November 1, 2009). Simonet, D, G Ithurralde, JP Choffy, and JP Bonnafé, Non Destructive Testing in Space Environment, 15 th World Conference on Nondestructive Testing, Rome, Italy, October 15-21, 2000, (accessed November 7, 2009). Staff Writers, European Ministers Prepare A Roadmap Towards A Common Vision, Space Travel: Exploration and Tourism, October 16, 2009, (accessed November 1, 2009). Unknown, Cosmonauts Complete ISS Shield Work, spacetoday.net, June 7, 2007, (accessed November 15, 2009). Unknown, Mitigation of Orbital Debris, Secure World Foundation, (accessed December 3, 2009). Zak, Anatoly, Russia 'to Save Its ISS Modules, BBC News, May 22, (accessed November 7, 2009).