NASA’s Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM) has officially been commissioned and began on-orbit testing of a non-toxic, high-performance propellant. GPIM launched on June 25, 2019 on board a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.

The small satellite, designed and built by Ball Aerospace, is NASA’s first opportunity to demonstrate the practical capabilities of a high-performance, environmentally benign “green” propellant in orbit.  The propellant, called Ascent (formerly AF-M315E) is a Hydroxyl Ammonium Nitrate fuel and oxidizer monopropellant developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory. The non-toxic propellant provides fewer handling restrictions and preparations at launch facilities, thereby reducing time and cost. Ultimately, it is expected to provide better mission performance by propelling spacecraft to travel longer distances at faster speeds with less propellant.

As a subcontractor to Ball, Aerojet Rocketdyne designed and built the GPIM thrusters that provide propulsion for the spacecraft; and Plasma Processes supplied the high-temperature thruster combustion chambers and catalyst beds to Aerojet Rocketdyne.  

During its scheduled 13-month mission, the GPIM satellite will use its propulsion to demonstrate on-orbit maneuvers including attitude control shifts, orbital inclination changing and orbit lowering, according to NASA.

GeoPlasma, a joint venture of Geocent/Metairie, LA and Plasma Processes/Huntsville, AL, was informed by NASA that its innovative materials for radiation shielding and thermal barrier coatings will fly aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The materials will be evaluated for their potential application for future lunar habitation, long-duration deep space missions (such as Mars), and other unspecified defense applications within the Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE-11) platform.

GeoPlasma, with partners The University of Alabama in Birmingham and The University of Tennessee, developed multi-functional lightweight composite materials to shield crew and critical avionics against Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCRs) and secondary particles. The research is funded by NASA’s Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Program and is integral to future spacecraft and habitat structures.

Scott O’Dell and Dr. Subhayu Sen, principal investigators of the work report that “GeoPlasma has matured these materials to the extent that NASA has selected them to fly and test on the MISSE-11 platform.” The platform is mounted externally to the ISS and subjects materials to the effects of the space environment. Materials properties, including thermal and structural, are measured before and after the space environment to evaluate their potential for future application. Successful completion of the testing is mandatory to move candidate materials to a higher Technology Readiness Level (TRL).

The first batch of shielding and Thermal Barrier Coating materials was launched to the ISS on April 17, 2019. An extra-vehicular activity (EVA) will be performed by the astronauts to attach the samples external to the ISS. These samples are dedicated to characterizing thermal and radiation properties over a period of one (1) year. The samples mounted on the MISSE cartridge are shown in the accompanied image. A second batch of samples will launch in December 2019 and will be dedicated to characterizing any degradation in mechanical properties due to long term space environment exposure.

GeoPlasma was awarded additional SBIR funding to develop innovative material solutions for Thermal Barrier Coatings (TBCs) that have direct application for hot rocket and missile structures such as nozzles and leading edges.

Plasma Processes recently participated in the “Revive the Saturn V” campaign supporting the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Huntsville Alabama.  As part of the campaign, the center invited the public to share photos and stories about the Saturn V replica and even apply final touches to the project. A subset of the fundraising effort, dubbed “A Brush with Greatness,” provided donors who gave $1,000 the opportunity to help paint the lower section of the Saturn V replica when the work reached that point in the spring.

Scott O’Dell, Project Engineering Manager, puts his mark on the Saturn V restoration.

The U.S. Space & Rocket Center, which serves as the official visitor center for the Marshall Space Flight Center and is home to U.S. Space Camp, receives no funding from NASA or the federal government. While the center is a commission of Alabama, its state funding only covers three percent of its expenses. For projects like the Revive the Saturn V campaign, the center relies on donations.

The U.S. Space & Rocket Center, along with the City of Huntsville, is planning an Apollo 11 50th anniversary celebration that will include a Guinness World Records attempt at the most simultaneous rocket launches and an Apollo homecoming dinner. The replica Saturn V will stand at the center of these activities, hence the desire to have it looking its best.

The Revive the Saturn V campaign also falls under the center’s on-going Rocket Protector campaign, which is repairing and restoring the other historic missiles and launch vehicles that are displayed near the Saturn V replica in the center’s rocket and shuttle parks.

The 10-week “Revive the Saturn V” campaign seeks to raise $1.3 million to clean, reseal and paint the 363-foot-tall (110 meter) rocket replica that has stood at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center since 1999. Erected for the first moon landing’s 30th anniversary, the Saturn V replica has been exposed to 20 years of weathering and outdoor conditions, leaving it with peeling and missing paint, dirt and damage.

The campaign is also underwriting preventive maintenance to protect the Saturn V replica for the decades to come.