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EURECA Post-Flight Inspection: Observations on External Surfaces and Cooling Loop
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Abstract
In parallel to the detailed quantitative analyses performed by ERNO and ESTEC Material Division (subject of another paper), ESTEC carried out a thermal visual inspection of EURECA thermal control hardware aiming at understanding what kind of impact the LEO environment can have on materials and design configurations.
The first part of the paper deals with the findings of the inspection. A brief description of the EURECA TCS design is given first, followed by the observations on the after-flight configuration. Some discrepancies between the as-designed and as-built configurations as well as the impact of the orbital environment on the hardware characteristics are the most significant outcome of the inspection.
The cooling loop and its components were not directly inspected at ESTEC. The relevant activities are still on going at ERNO (EURECA prime contractor) and NASA. This paper includes all information available at the date of issue. Further results will be presented at the conference.
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De Parolis, M. and Racca, G., "EURECA Post-Flight Inspection: Observations on External Surfaces and Cooling Loop," SAE Technical Paper 941569, 1994, https://doi.org/10.4271/941569.Also In
References
- “Post-flight Freon Loop Leakage Measurements”
- “TCS Design description” Spazio Alenia
- “EURECA Thermo-optical Measurements” ESTEC Internal Communication 23 11 93
- RITA Post-Retrieval Investigations 14 12 1993
- ESTEC Memo QM/93K730/MF 18 11 93
- “EURECA Thermal Control Flight Performance” Hahn W. Racca G. Blackwood A. SAE Paper 932053
- “EURECA freon cooling loop performance” Racca G. “EURECA Technical Report” April 1994
- “Vibration characteristics of pumped fluid systems” Eilers D. Racca G.D. 1986