11th Propulsion Conference · 1975 · 16 citations · 0 references
EngineeringAerospace EngineeringMaterials EngineeringAerospace StructuresPropulsionSpacecraft DesignInterplanetary Spacecraft DesignMissile ControlPropulsion SystemsSpacecraft ConfigurationSpacecraft StructuresSystems Engineering For SpacecraftControl Of SpacecraftMission DesignObservation Mission DesignPower Subsystem DesignPropellant Management DevicesPropellant Production In SpacePropellant Tank DesignReaction Control Thrusters
A program was conducted to provide the technology base for the SS/RCS flight tankage. Through a combination of analysis, subscale testing and computer predictions, a surface tension acquisition/expulsion system design was developed for the Orbiter RCS application. A full-scale tank system was fabricated and ground verification testing was conducted. Cleaning, inspection, fill and drain, and one-g expulsion performance were demonstrated. Results show that the fine-mesh screen, compartmented tank system provides the performance, flexibility, reusability, and other characteristics required by the pulsing, high flowrate RCS. It provides the required expulsion under widely differing high-g boost abort and reentry vectors oriented 119 deg apart and during on-orbit operation under omnidirectional low-g conditions.