A significant step in addressing the safety of commercial space vehicles is the development and testing of a flight information recorder or “black box”. It is envisioned that Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) would be an integral part of the “black box” and would record information on structural integrity during all stages of spaceflight. Consideration of SHM data is useful in pre-flight diagnostics, in-orbit operation and tuning, and in analysis of structural behavior (or disintegration) during spacecraft reentry. SHM information would also play a prominent role in space vehicle re-certification for the next flight.
More »Proposed flights will allow to test selected SHM technologies in realistic environment and investigate sensor performance. Potential customers include commercial companies and government entities involved in development and operation of space systems.
More »Organizations Performing Work | Role | Type | Location |
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New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | Lead Organization | Academia | Socorro, New Mexico |