Hubble Space Telescope solar array damper

Joseph R. Maly; Scott C. Pendleton; J. Salmanoff; Garcia J. Blount; Kevin Mathews

doi:10.1117/12.349781

2 June 1999 Hubble Space Telescope solar array damper

Joseph R. Maly, Scott C. Pendleton, J. Salmanoff, Garcia J. Blount, Kevin Mathews

Proceedings Volume 3672, Smart Structures and Materials 1999: Passive Damping and Isolation; (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.349781
Event: 1999 Symposium on Smart Structures and Materials, 1999, Newport Beach, CA, United States

Abstract

This paper describes the design of a solar array damper that will be built into each of two new solar arrays to be installed on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) during Servicing Mission 3. On this mission, currently scheduled for August 2000, two 'rigid' solar array wings will replace the 'flexible' wings currently providing power for HST. In addition to increased power, the new arrays will provide the capability for HST to survive re-boost to a higher orbit. The objective of the damper is to reduce the dynamic interaction of these new wings with the Telescope spacecraft. The damper, which is integral to the mast of the solar array, suppresses the fundamental bending modes of the deployed wings at 1.2 Hz (in-plane) and 1.6 Hz (out-of-plane). With the flight version of the damper, modal damping of 2.3% of critical is expected over the temperature range of -4 degrees Celsius to 23 degrees Celsius with a peak damping level of 3.9%. The unique damper design, a combination of titanium spring and viscoelastic damper, was developed using a system finite element model of the solar array wing and measured viscoelastic material properties. Direct complex stiffness (DCS) testing was performed to characterize the frequency- and temperature-dependent behavior of the damper prior to fixed- base modal testing of the wing at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC).

Citation Download Citation

Joseph R. Maly, Scott C. Pendleton, J. Salmanoff, Garcia J. Blount, and Kevin Mathews "Hubble Space Telescope solar array damper", Proc. SPIE 3672, Smart Structures and Materials 1999: Passive Damping and Isolation, (2 June 1999); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.349781

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