Vibroacoustic Analysis and Experimental Validation of the Structural Responses of NASA Mars Exploration Rover Spacecraft Due to Acoustic Launch Load

摘要

Structural responses of a spacecraft during liftoff are dominated by the intense acoustic pressure fieldimpinging on the exterior of the launch vehicle. Statistical Energy Analysis (SEA) model of the NASAMars Exploration Rover (MER) spacecraft has been developed and the SEA model was analyzed to predictthe vibroacoustic responses of the spacecraft under the diffuse acoustic loading condition. The MERspacecraft was subjected to the broadband acoustic excitation in JPL’s reverberant chamber simulating theacoustic environment during launch. The measured structural responses at various locations of thespacecraft have been correlated with the SEA results. Resonant response of the Transverse Impulse RocketSystem (TIRS) motor mounted on the MER spacecraft has been analytically predicted using the response ofthe surrounding panel obtained from the SEA modeling. Comparisons have been made between the SEAresponses and the acoustic test data and good agreements have been found at various locations of thespacecraft.