Equipment To Collect, Store, And Analyze Data, Mission Unclear

Changes in NASA's budget, which seem to shift the focus of manned spaceflight to private companies, notwithstanding ... G Systems, which is a test and measurement automation company specializing in challenging data acquisition requirements, delivered its first system for a new Orion crew exploration vehicle test station at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor to NASA for Orion, awarded G Systems three contracts valued at over $1 million as part of a multi-phase delivery plan to design, integrate, and install an automated data acquisition and analysis test station for Orion by June 2010. The test stations will provide critical data to ensure structural endurance and spacecraft safety.

G Systems' first system, the Data Acquisition System (DAS), will be used at the Orion Structural Test Facility (OSTF) to view, collect, store, analyze, and transfer data from more than 1,400 analog data channels. Primary data input will be from strain gauges applied to the Orion Crew Module, Service Module (SM), Launch Abort System Fairing Assembly (LASFA), and heat shield structures during ground testing. The G Systems designed DAS will collect stress data such as torque, strain, and pressure to simulate and measure the effects the Orion spacecraft will experience during take-off, space flight, and re-entry.

The second test and measurement system, the Data Distribution System (DDS), includes hardware and custom software to collect, distribute, and analyze audio, video, and parametric data collected by the DAS. The DDS will be capable of receiving streaming, real-time test data from greater than 3,500 data channels. The DDS will also control a number of cameras and be able to record, display, and playback all acquired signals simultaneously on multiple client PCs via a network.

The third test system provided by G Systems is a computerized pressure and vent system which integrates with the DAS for pressure testing the Crew Module. This system is capable of pressurizing the cabin using either air or helium. The tool also includes an operator control terminal for setting and regulating pressure and monitoring temperature.

G Systems will provide complete test systems that include hardware and software design, fabrication, system integration, training, and support acceptance testing at the Michoud Assembly Facility.

"These Orion test systems will take advantage of G Systems' extensive experience in cost-effectively delivering complex high channel count test systems requiring time-synchronized data acquisition and analysis," said Doug Kibler, G Systems' Senior Sales Manager. "The new system provides NASA and Lockheed Martin a robust platform for stress testing with precision measurements and data management."

FMI: www.gsystems.com