NASA Launch Services Group Uses Software for Shock Certification

The Dynamic Environments Group, part of the NASA Launch Services Program Office, applied a commercial digital software tool in a new manner and made its first use of software for certification. The work streamlined spacecraft and rocket force analysis and strengthened shock and vibration analysis tied to launch and ascent.

Finite element analysis divides a complex structure into smaller components for prediction of how a spacecraft or rocket will respond to forces and launch conditions. It allows issues to be addressed on the ground before launch.

The computer-based method helps forecast rocket and spacecraft behavior before hardware is built.

The group developed a standardized finite element modeling workflow. It takes the place of older tools and supplies a common template that steers engineers through vibration profiles and shock conditions.

In a commercial launch provider case, the provider's rocket had been selected for a NASA mission, and the company supplied vibration testing but not shock testing. The Dynamic Environments Group concluded that shock testing was needed.

The group verified the company's flight-environment test results, applied a template for comparing what-if cases and visualizing structures, and gained insights addressing shock during transport.

Brian Beaver is chief of the Flight Analysis Division, and Alex Hardt is an aerospace engineer with the Launch Services Program Office. The tool had existed for decades but had not usually been used by dynamic environments teams. The group is using software in a new area of dynamics.

For readers tracking the lunar industry, launch loads matter because rockets and spacecraft are designed to absorb shocks and vibrations, yet those forces can still cause wear or flight failures. Most problems cannot be repaired or corrected after a rocket leaves the launch pad.

The work is relevant to commercial launch providers because the group verified a company's flight-environment test results, identified a missing shock test, and used analysis to address shock during transport. The effort strengthens mission safety.

Standardization is relevant because dynamic environments engineers use finite element modeling tools infrequently and often must re-learn complex workflows.