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