High-Capacity, High-Speed, Solid-State Hydrogen Gas Generator

Deployable aerodynamic decelerators are an enabling technology for missions to planets and moons with atmospheres as well as for returning payloads to Earth. These decelerators require a gas source for inflation, and the objective is to provide an improvement over existing pressurized gas inflation systems. A hydrogen gas generator suitable for the inflation of Hypersonic Aerodynamic Inflatable Decelerators (HIADs) was developed and tested. Key areas of Phase I work included the design of a heat generation and transfer system to function under zero-g conditions, component designs resistant to damage from the launch environment, design of an associated filtration and containment system, the fabrication and test of generators incorporating the foregoing designs, and the development of thermal models of the system. Live tests successfully proved the operation of all of the new design features developed in Phase I. Phase II work will include: scaling up Phase I generator designs, building and testing larger generator examples with the largest being suited to 12-meter HIADs, environmental testing of the generators, nondestructive testing to assess the effects of environmental testing, a zero-g drop test, development of handling and lifecycle plans for the generators, and the deliverable of a fully functional generator to NASA. More »