Everyone has that moment in life in which you see a celebrity or athlete on TV and dream about doing something great like that one day. But how does one person in Northeast Ohio contribute to anything that is history making?
You may remember our previous post about the very small but significant contribution to the mission of the Orion Spacecraft. Two years ago we published a blog that described our work at the Plumb Brook test chamber, and now you may have seen the news surrounding the Artemis mission in Florida that is scheduled for launch today. Much of the testing at Plum Brook Station in Ohio has been made possible by several contributing companies in the Northeast Ohio area, including Tec Inc. You can see more about that facility's part in the Artemis mission here.
The NASA website covers every step on the way to today's launch with photos and information on it's journey.
"In 2019, the Orion spacecraft for Artemis I arrived in Ohio, where a team of engineers and technicians tested it under extreme simulated in-space conditions at the world’s premier space environments test facility. The Space Environments Complex (SEC) at NASA’s Neil A. Armstrong Test Facility was one of the first steps on the Artemis missions’ path tol send the first woman and the next man to the lunar surface."
We’ve realized the American dream at our engineering firm in Eastlake, Ohio and contributed in small part to this historic undertaking of making deep space exploration possible. A few years ago, Tec conducted an assessment and studied the suitability of NASA Plum Brook’s test chamber for the testing the rocket engine and fuel source for the Orion spacecraft.
This may be viewed as insignificant but consider the minute details of each mission that must be perfected and the rigorous testing that NASA completes before the investment of the American people moves onto the next steps of launching people into space. Providing an assessment of the testing facility and a report to NASA to determine necessary to make to the testing facility can have a great impact on the success of NASA's missions.
Our assessment at Plum Brook identified the existing building non-compliance items as well as the mechanical and electrical systems within the facility that would prevent the testing of the Orion and Artemis spacecrafts. Furthermore, the study identified corrective actions for NASA to upgrade the facility in preparation of testing. This included:
Changing the use group of the testing chamber to H-3 with corresponding fire rating improvements to the surrounding walls and doors.
Additional high and low level exhaust ventilation added to the testing chamber and vibratory pit area.
The addition of a combustible gas detection system added within the pit area and electrical equipment seal off fittings to properly comply with the hazardous location boundaries.
So while many of us dream of accomplishing something great like space exploration, it is within reach at our firm to be a significant contributor to this reality. Engineers at Tec Inc. did that!
Read more about the Artemis project on NASA’s website.