Dr. Huu Trinh and his team with the Propulsion Systems and Test Departments at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., successfully completed a series of tests to simulate cold-flow using the same propulsion system components as those used for the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft. In this image, Dr. Trinh examines some of the equipment used in the LADEE flow testing.
The test team at Marshall conducted the cold-flow test to identify how fluid flows through the propulsion system feed lines, especially during critical operation modes. The LADEE team will use the test data to help identify, address and correct any potential flow issues in the propulsion system before launch.
NASA’s Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif., manages the development, design and science of the LADEE spacecraft. The Lunar Quest Program Office is located at Marshall. The spacecraft, scheduled to launch this fall from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Va., will orbit the moon to gather information about the lunar atmosphere, conditions near the surface of the moon, and search for lofted lunar dust. A thorough understanding of these characteristics will address long-standing unknowns and help scientists understand other planetary bodies as well.
Image credit: NASA/MSFC/Emmett Given