1 National Aeronautics and Space Administration John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field Dave Taylor Deputy Director, Plum Brook Station NASA Glenn Research Center

2 National Aeronautics and Space Administration John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field Cutting Corners on Environmental Testing Altair Project <10% of spacecraft fully complying with the MIL- STD suffered failures More than 60% failed when only half the recommended environmental tests were performed 2001 Aerospace Corporation study of 454 U.S. satellites found an exponential relationship between percentage of satellite failures and Environmental Test Thoroughness Index (ETTI), the degree to which a spacecraft’s acceptance and qualification test program complies with MIL-STD 1540B

3 National Aeronautics and Space Administration John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field Ground Testing in Relevant Environments BASIC PREMISE: Large (full) scale ground testing in relevant lunar/planetary surface environments is important Development/demonstration of technologies Mission risk reduction WHY? Experience has shown that lunar and martian environments are very challenging Lunar/planetary surface missions generally: Are expensive Take a long time to implement Are highly visible Technology development / demonstration Success in the lab does not necessarily mean success in the field Mission developers are looking for technologies with a “track record” Technology down-selects better supported if based on performance in a relevant environment Low Tolerance for Mission Risk

4 National Aeronautics and Space Administration John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field NEW FACILITY Ground Testing in Relevant Environments So, ideally, we’d like to test as close to flight configuration as we can in an environment that is as close to the lunar surface as we can get Oh, and resources are extremely limited so the testing needs to be as inexpensive as possible!

5 National Aeronautics and Space Administration John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field Major Test Facilities at PBS Cryogenic Component Lab (CCL) Space Power Facility (SPF) Spacecraft Propulsion Research Facility (B-2) Hypersonic Tunnel Facility (HTF) Combined Effects Chamber (CEC) (Future)

6 National Aeronautics and Space Administration John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field KEY FEATURES –Large size (25’ dia. Spherical chamber) –Pressure and Vacuum capability (1800 to Torr) –Liquid hydrogen cold wall (40K temps) –Able to accommodate regolith simulant in the chamber, including stratification for drilling & excavation demonstrations –Built-in shaker system that can be used for settling and stratification –Simple design makes chamber inexpensive to maintain and operate –Existing support systems at B-2 Complex! Combined Effects Chamber (CEC) Plum Brook Station’s Combined Effects Chamber, recently relocated to the B-2 Complex, may be a good candidate for a large scale Surface Test Facility SYSTEMS AND COMPONENT TESTING FOR: –Landers (robotic and human) –Rovers (robotic and human) –In-situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) systems –Surface power systems –Heat radiators and deployment systems –Surface habitats –And much more

7 National Aeronautics and Space Administration John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field Interested? Is there interest in the lunar surface systems community in the ground test capabilities that CEC might be able to offer? Interest? Thank you for your time. See next slide for possible next steps. Y N

8 National Aeronautics and Space Administration John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field Suggested Approach Customer Driven Incremental Test Capability Development 1.Identify & assemble interested parties (that’s why I’m here!) 2.Define LSA test capability requirements What does the community need and when? What are the priorities? 3.Incorporate LSA testing requirements into short and long range facility plans at Plum Brook Station 4.Build Advocacy Make sure that NASA understands that this capability is important to the LSA community (see next chart) 5.Implement incremental capabilities as resources become available 6.Make test capabilities available to all interested parties Leverage existing resources at Plum Brook Station to operate and maintain capabilities at the lowest possible cost HELP!