NASA models sudden launch shocks in greater structural detail
NASA engineers have developed a standardised modelling workflow to assess shock and vibration in rockets and spacecraft. The Kennedy Space Center team used prepared templates during a commercial rocket’s certification, including transport shocks. The approach examines component interactions in greater detail and supports engineering assessments; the announcement does not describe a newly completed spacecraft flight test.
Science··Midday
Templates support launch certification
Engineers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in the United States have developed a standardised workflow to model shock and vibration in rockets and spacecraft. The US space agency’s Launch Services Program uses it to assess the mechanical environments hardware must survive. The approach was described by Brian Beaver, flight analysis chief, and Alex Hardt, an aerospace engineer, which adapts commercial engineering software to examine structures and interactions between their components.[1]
Transport shocks entered the assessment
In the certification example, an unnamed rocket company submitted vibration-test results. Shock testing was absent, and NASA asked for further calculations of sudden mechanical loads. The engineering team used prepared templates to explore different assumptions and examine conditions associated with flight and transport. Sudden shocks and sustained vibration impose different loads, so the earlier vibration testing did not answer every question raised in the assessment.[1]
Models divide complex structures into smaller elements
Finite element analysis divides a structure into small elements whose behaviour can be calculated. Earlier assessments could rely more heavily on engineering rules, similar hardware and scaling relationships. The newer workflow incorporates geometry and component interactions in greater detail, supporting NASA’s assessment alongside the launch provider’s or payload owner’s analysis. It concerns engineering calculations and certification support; physical testing requirements still depend on the mission and its specified environments.[1]
