Glenn Ships High Fidelity ISS Flight Training Hardware to Johnson

By: Emily Groh

Members of NASA's astronaut program must engage in years of rigorous training prior to becoming a crew member of an actual space flight. Aside from surviving the physical demands of space travel, they must be equipped to handle the complex equipment and experiments designed for use while in orbit. Crews preparing for future missions on the International Space Station (ISS) are no exception.

Astronauts bound for the ISS will soon receive state-of-the-art training on NASA Glenn's new Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) Crew Training Units (CTU). On May 31, the racks were delivered to NASA Johnson to be added to the Space Station Mockup Training Facility's Destiny Science Module. The racks are designed to simulate the actual FCF equipment so crew members will be able to successfully operate the flight hardware to study fluid physics and combustion science in microgravity while onboard the ISS.

Glenn has been managing the development of the CTUs for a year and a half. Under contract with Glenn, Hernandez Engineering designed and built the training racks. NASA Marshall was responsible for hardware procedure verification while Johnson completed the training facility setup.

Commenting on the success of the project, Project Manager Dave Lamar said, “Glenn is setting the standard for high fidelity, long duration flight trainers. They are the best that Johnson has right now, and they can't wait to use them.” He adds, “It has been a real treat to work with all the highly motivated and skilled people at Hernandez who helped see the final product shipped to its destination.”

The CTUs are detailed, high fidelity, yet lightweight versions of the two-rack FCF flight hardware which is composed of the Fluids Integration Rack (FIR) and the Combustion Integration Rack (CIR). They are made from a variety of materials including aluminum, steel, composite, and plastic. Each component has been tested for safety, maintainability, and structural integrity to ensure that they will last for up to 15 years.

The CTU design team's work was especially important because it provided a means to validate the flight hardware design early in the development process, which resulted in cost and schedule savings for the entire FCF program. Beginning in spring 2006, two crews per year will be trained on the CTUs in preparation for flights on the ISS. Members of the FCF training team at Glenn will work with the astronauts at Johnson prior to their departure.

According to Technical Manager Tony Johnson, “This project demonstrates Glenn's ability to manage a complex technical project from start to finish and successfully deliver high fidelity hardware to be used for years to come.