The document summarizes the redesign of the external tank's forward bipod fittings for the Space Shuttle's return to flight. The redesign eliminates large insulating foam ramps that were prone to shedding debris, replacing them with electric heaters to prevent ice buildup. Testing showed the redesign meets safety requirements by preventing ice formation and resisting aerodynamic stresses. The first redesigned tank is scheduled for delivery in October 2004.
Original Description:
NASA Facts booklet on the Space Shuttle forward bipod fitting.
The document summarizes the redesign of the external tank's forward bipod fittings for the Space Shuttle's return to flight. The redesign eliminates large insulating foam ramps that were prone to shedding debris, replacing them with electric heaters to prevent ice buildup. Testing showed the redesign meets safety requirements by preventing ice formation and resisting aerodynamic stresses. The first redesigned tank is scheduled for delivery in October 2004.
The document summarizes the redesign of the external tank's forward bipod fittings for the Space Shuttle's return to flight. The redesign eliminates large insulating foam ramps that were prone to shedding debris, replacing them with electric heaters to prevent ice buildup. Testing showed the redesign meets safety requirements by preventing ice formation and resisting aerodynamic stresses. The first redesigned tank is scheduled for delivery in October 2004.
External Tank Return to Flight Focus Area Forward Bipod Fitting When the Space Shuttle returns to flight, the External Tank will have a redesigned forward bipod fitting – a design that meets the recommendation Bipod of the Columbia Accident Investigation ramp, as Board to minimize potential debris by flown eliminating the large insulating foam bipod ramps. The new design eliminates these ramps in favor of History electric heaters. The External Tank Project Office began developing bipod redesign concepts The insulating foam ramps were in after insulating foam from the left bipod place to prevent ice buildup – another ramp area came off during the October potential debris source -- on the tank’s 2002 launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis bipod fittings. Each external tank has on the STS-112 mission. During the two bipod fittings that connect the tank launch of Columbia on its STS-107 to the Orbiter through the Shuttle's two mission in January 2003, a similar loss forward attachment struts. prompted NASA's Office of Space Flight to mandate a redesign of the bipod ramp before the Shuttle fleet could return to flight.
The bipod ramps were wedge-
shaped foam structures, approximately 30 inches long, 14 inches wide and 12 inches tall. The ramps were applied by hand spraying BX250/265 foam over the bipod fittings during the final stages of the tank's preparation. The final ramp shapes were created by hand carving Bipod Location the foam to required dimensions. Dissection of existing bipod ramps on to 300 watts of power when operated tanks in inventory conducted during the at 120 volts AC. The heaters will only STS-107 investigation indicated that function pre-launch, and will be hand-spraying over the complex powered and monitored through geometry of the fittings was prone to connections in the Ground Umbilical produce internal voids and defects. Carrier Plate, which separates when These internal voids and defects have the shuttle is launched. The control been shown to contribute to foam loss of the heaters will be through ground- during ascent. based Programmable Logic Controllers that will vary the heater power based on temperature sensors co-located with the heaters at the copper plates. Additional temperature sensors on the bipod fittings will monitor the fitting temperatures to ensure they stay well above freezing. To minimize the potential for a launch scrub, the heaters and temperature sensors have built-in redundancy to permit successful operation even in the presence of certain hardware failures. Bipod Redesign Other Fitting Modifications Although the original bipod fittings Design Changes were covered with insulating foam The bipod redesign will allow the ramps, the bipod spindles, which fittings to fly mainly exposed --minus connected the fittings to the struts, the insulating foam ramps. The fittings remained exposed. These spindles themselves are the same basic design were required to rotate to accom- as before. However, to prevent ice modate the shrinkage of the tank that formation while the shuttle sits on the occurs when it becomes extremely launch pad loaded with extremely cold cold. These spindles each contained cryogenic liquid hydrogen fuel, the a heater element, and it will no longer redesign adds four rod heaters placed be required. below each fitting in a new copper plate. The copper plate with heaters is Elimination of the spindle heaters sandwiched between the fitting and an meant a smaller end cover could be existing phenolic thermal isolating pad. used on the fitting. Since the fittings This thermal isolator helps to reduce will now fly exposed to the aerodynamic heat loss from the copper plate into the heating environment, the end covers extremely cold liquid hydrogen tank. will get much hotter during flight and to withstand higher temperatures will now The heaters are cartridge-type heaters be made from Inconel 718. The fittings with a wire coil inserted into a tube themselves are made from Titanium filled with magnesium oxide. They are and are already capable of 0.25 inches in diameter and 5 inches withstanding these higher in length. Each heater can produce up temperatures. The new design also requires Thermal testing performed at Eglin Air additional cabling to operate the Force Base, Fla., demonstrated the heating system. It includes eight capability of the heater system to circuits – four for each bipod – that prevent ice or frost formation on the run from the External Tank Ground launch pad. These thermal tests Umbilical Carrier Plate to the heaters encompassed all tanking and de- under the bipod fitting. tanking scenarios, and the environmental chamber at Eglin The new design is an alternative permitted all possible environmental derived from three original redesign conditions (extreme combinations of options proposed by the project office temperatures, humidity, and winds) to to the Space Shuttle Program Require- be examined. ments Change Board on May 9, 2003, and later presented by the Columbia Wind tunnel testing performed at Arnold Accident Investigation Board to Engineering Development Center at the public. Arnold Air Force Base, Tenn., demon- strated the design's aerodynamic Testing capabilities and its ability to resist Testing is an important factor in any aerodynamic loads and high temper- redesign or modification because it atures generated during ascent. validates the integrity of the design. Though testing cannot duplicate actual Although most of the foam that covered flight, it can significantly reduce risk the bipod area has been eliminated because it allows for careful with the redesign, the base area must observation and precise control over still be covered with hand-sprayed the test article. The new bipod fitting foam. To ensure that this foam is free design has undergone wind tunnel from internal defects that could cause tests, structural tests, and thermal foam loss during flight, the foam tests, during both its design and application techniques for this area implementation phases, to certify it is have been refined and thoroughly ready for flight. These tests ensure the tested through a process Verification new design does not affect the current and Validation program. External Tank loads and stresses. Implementation Structural testing performed at NASA's The bipod redesign will be retrofitted Michoud Assembly Facility in New on the eight existing tanks and Orleans demonstrated the load implemented on all new tanks. capability – its ability to withstand external forces acting on the structure -- Lockheed Martin Space Systems of the redesigned fitting. The structural will do the work at NASA's Michoud testing included both the effects of Assembly Facility in New Orleans. cryogenic -- subzero -- temperatures at Delivery of the first retrofitted tank to the fitting mounting area and the high the Kennedy Space Center in Cape temperature effects of aerodynamic Canaveral, Fla., is expected in heating of the fitting itself. October 2004.