You are on page 1of 2

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NASA Ames Contributions to Return to Flight

After the loss of the space shuttle Columbia and
crew on Feb. 1, 2003, NASA engineers and
scientists turned their grief into a determined
resolve to prevent a repeat of the tragic accident
and to return the shuttle to safe ﬂight.

For the past three years, NASA has tapped the

wealth of knowledge and expertise within the
agency to ensure the space shuttle’s ﬂight wor-
thiness, astronaut safety and develop plans for
in-ﬂight contingencies ranging from minor tile
damage to a major structural breach.

NASA Ames Research Center, located in California’s

Silicon Valley, is playing a vital role in the in NASA’s
space shuttle program.

NASA Ames personnel and facilities are involved

several key aspects of the program, from the
analysis of new space shuttle system designs Plot of several trajectories depicting the path of debris shed from the
External Tank generated by the Columbia.
to development of in-ﬂight analysis tools; from
improvements in thermal protection durability and ties meld the expertise acquired through decades
repair to the analysis of large data sets used in of aerospace research and development with
cutting-edge information technology and unique

Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) models are

helping NASA develop design modiﬁcations
to space shuttle systems, characterize debris
ﬂow patterns and understanding the conditions
the shuttle’s thermal protection system experi-
ences during re-entry. The CFD models are being
created and validated using a refurbished three
percent space shuttle model in the center’s 9-foot-
by-7-foot supersonic wind tunnel. The model
was built during the development of the original
Photo of the 3 percent wind-tunnel model of the Space Shuttle in the NASA
Ames Unitary Wind Tunnel. space shuttle design in the 1980s. NASA Ames’
ballistic gun range, originally used in the past to
complex simulations by one of the world’s fastest develop Apollo capsule designs, was used to
supercomputer, the Columbia supercomputer. develop debris trajectory CFD models.

The NASA Ames space shuttle effort taps into In preparation for the STS-121 ﬂight, NASA Ames
the center’s critical core capabilities in computa- tests determined the aerodynamic effects on
tional ﬂuid dynamics, information technology and key shuttle components with the removal of the
thermal protection systems. These core capabili- liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen Protuberance
100,000 computational hours. The speed of

the computer continues to allow NASA to create
and analyze simulations in a fraction of the time
previously required. Other information technology
expertise is helping NASA gather, organize and
analyze information before, during and after space
shuttle operations and monitor vehicle health.

As a recognized leader in thermal protection

systems, Ames continues to use its expertise
to develop increasingly durable thermal protection
systems (TPS) and on-orbit TPS repair systems.
Repair panel heated in the arc jet stream of the NASA Ames Interaction Concepts for ﬁxing cracks or holes include plugs
Heating Facility. (cover plates), patches (pre-ceramic polymers
Air Load (PAL) ramps. The tests also increased impregnated cloth) and paste-like materials
NASA’s understanding of the forces exerted on the (pre-ceramic polymers) are being assessed for
external tank foam including the unexpected areas effectiveness in the NASA Ames arc jet facility
of foam shedding on the STS-114 ﬂight. at up to 3000 degrees Fahrenheit to simulate
re-entry conditions.
Using the center’s Columbia supercomputer,
engineers and scientists are compiling and NASA Ames continues its integral role to provide
analyzing the tremendous amounts of data on-going technical, scientiﬁc and engineering
collected from tests at Ames and at other NASA support for the space shuttle program. NASA
centers. Using this capability, NASA simulated Ames will continue to provide the critical data
various pre-launch, ascent, on orbit and descent shuttle managers need during before, during
conditions. Columbia simulated the trajectory and after a mission. NASA Ames personnel and
of the foam shed on the STS-114 ﬂight, increas- facilities stand ready for the analysis of any in-ﬂight
ing NASA’s understanding of the behavior of situation and NASA’s mission to explore the moon,
foam debris. The Columbia super computer has Mars and beyond.
simulated 60 shuttle scenarios using more than

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NASA Ames Research Center

Moffett Field, California, 94035