News
Text Size
Summit attendees will have the opportunity to tour White Sands Test Facility on from 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, September 23. Featured on the tour will be an overview of COPV testing and capabilities (Building 201- South High Bay), the Hypervelocity gun lab, Hypergol and Oxygen testing in the 800 Area, and the Propulsion Area.
Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels (COPV)
WSTF offers leading expertise in the testing, nondestructive evaluation (NDE), and analysis of composite material structures. Composite structures and materials are evaluated at WSTF through hazardous destructive testing, various NDE techniques, and computational analysis of composite material response to mechanical and thermal loadings. WSTF possesses a large database of composite material compatibility with aerospace fluids, impact response of materials in oxygen enriched and cryogenic environments, and the residual strength of composite structures after sustaining impact damage.
WSTF specializes in developing custom tests and analyses, regardless of the complexity, to meet almost any requirement. Based on the experience in aerospace graphic/epoxy COPVs, a course has been created to train aerospace visual inspectors of flight composite pressure vessels to meet multiple standards requiring visual inspectors. The course is taught internationally.
Hypervelocity Test Laboratory
The WSTF Remote Hypervelocity Test Laboratory (RHTL) is an access-controlled hazardous test area capable of simulating micrometeoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) on spacecraft materials and components. This unique NASA facility was designed to safely handle and test hazardous targets, and simulates impacts on shields, spacecraft, satellites, and spacesuits. Four two-stage light gas guns (2SLGGs) propel single 0.05 mm to 22.2 mm diameter projectiles to velocities in excess of 7.5 km/s.
Oxygen Systems
WSTF specializes in the study of oxygen compatibility in space, aircraft, medical, and industrial applications. We investigate the effects of increased oxygen concentration on the ignition and burning of materials and components used in these applications. Typically, fire hazards are associated with the presence of ignition sources and with materials incompatibility. At WSTF, we perform compatibility assessments to identify potential problems within oxygen systems. We test materials and components to determine their suitability for use in oxygen systems. We also perform postfire failure analyses to identify the cause of a fire and can recommend design criteria to avoid future problems.
WSTF also teaches two training courses offered through the American Society for Testing and Materials: Oxygen Systems: Operation & Maintenance is a half-day course designed for those who assemble, operate, and maintain oxygen systems and Fire Hazards in Oxygen Systems, a two-day course aimed primarily at those who design oxygen systems.
Propulsion Capabilities
WSTF offers numerous ambient pressure and altitude stands to test rocket propulsion test systems as well as single rocket engines. Propellant capabilities include hypergolic and liquid oxygen/hydrocarbons. Both propellant and test article temperature conditioning is available, as well as the capability to provide saturated propellants to the test article inlets.
Six test stands provide vacuum test capability, and three test stands provide ambient testing to an altitude of 5,000 ft (1,500 m) above sea level for the space shuttle, International Space Station, government agencies, or commercial industry.
