List of Projects Supported by TTH Research

TTH Research has extensive experience in the Spacecraft Industry. We can take a project through all stages of development from initial trade studies and preliminary design to flight qualification testing and on orbit/flight support. We are also one of the few companies that have thermal engineers proficient in modeling/designing thermal subsystems using loop heat pipes and capillary pump loops.

CTC

Cargo Transport Carrier (CTC) is a shipping container being designed to transporting a variety of small payloads on the Shuttle for installation and usage on the International Space Station. TTH Research provided the thermal design and analysis.


MAP

The Microwave Anisotropic Probe(MAP) is a NASA/Goddard satellite. MAP will make a map of the temperature fluctuations of the cosmic microwave background radiation with much higher resolution, sensitivity, and accuracy than COBE. The new information contained in these finer fluctuations will shed light on several key questions in cosmology. By answering many of the current open questions, it will likely point astrophysicists towards newer and deeper questions about the nature of our universe. TTH provided thermal analysis and thermal qualification test support. MAP was considered to be one of the most complex thermal vacuum test done at Goddard.
NASA's MAP Webpage

NEMO

Naval EarthMap Observer (NEMO) is a joint effort between Naval Research Laboratory and a commercial partner as a dual-use remote sensing satellite for demonstrating, developing, and distributing hyperspectral technology and imagery to the government and commercial sectors. NEMO had a panchromic camera and hyperspectral camera which had very tight alignment requirements which led to the use of composite materials for the optical bench and brackets. TTH Research was responsible for the thermal design and analysis of the large optical bench and its components.

Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission Support

HOST

In October 1998, the Hubble Team conducted the HST Orbital Systems Test (HOST) on board STS-95. to test key pieces of new Hubble hardware before they would be installed in the telescope. The new technologies on the HOST platform included an advanced computer, digital data recorder, and a new experimental cryogenic cooling system for the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) instrument on the Hubble. The replacement cryogenic cooling system for NICMOS contains a capillary pumped loop (CPL) which TTH Research served as a CPL/LHP technologist providing the fluid dynamic analysis for the CPL system.

ASC

The Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) sees in wavelengths ranging from visible to far ultraviolet. With a field of view twice the size of Hubble's current surveyor, ACS's wide field camera will conduct new surveys of the universe. Astronomers will use it to study the nature and distribution of galaxies in order to understand how our universe evolved. TTH Research has provided qualification testing modeling and support for this new instrument.

TERRA

Terra is the name of NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) flagship satellite. The Terra mission was launched on December 18, 1999, with five sensors aboard Terra that are designed to enable scientists to comprehensively examine our world’s climate system — to observe and measure the changes on the Earth’s landscapes, in its oceans, and within the lower atmosphere. One of the main objectives is to determine how life on Earth affects, and is affected by, changes within the climate system, with an emphasis on better understanding the global carbon cycle. Terra is the first US satellite to use capillary pumped loops, which are used on 3 of the 5 sensors. TTH Research served as a CPL/LHP technologist for this program.
NASA Terra Webpage

CAPL1,2 &3

CAPL was a series of Shuttle Flight Experiments that provided flight data of three configurations of capillary pump loops. CAPL 2 was flown as a flight demonstration for the capillary pumped loop designs on the TERRA satellite. For CAPL3 TTH Research served as a CPL/LHP technologist. For CAPL 1 & 2, TTH personnel (working for NSI on-site at Goddard, the prime contractor for these experiments at the time) provided the project management and thermal design and analysis, development, testing, flight support and data analysis for these two Capillary Pumped Loop experiments. CAPL flew on the Space Shuttle as a flight demonstration for using capillary pumped loops on the TERRA satellite.

FAME

FAME is a space astrometry mission that measures the positions, proper motions, parallaxes, and photometry of 40,000,000 stars brighter than V=15th magnitude to between 50 and 500 microarcseconds accuracy, depending on the magnitude. TTH Research provided thermal design and analytical support for this program.

ICM

The Interim Control Module (ICM) at the Naval Research Laboratory was a contingency option for attitude control and reboost of the International Space Station (ISS) that would allow NASA to preserve the on-orbit construction schedule in case of delays in the launch of the Russian Service Module. ICM was to launch on board the Space Shuttle, deploy from the Shuttle's cargo bay, and mate with the ISS at the Russian Control Module (called Zarya). Once on orbit ICM would provide sufficient fuel for 1 to 3 years of operation. ICM is currently in a caretaker status and is being preserved in readiness in case it is needed for future ISS missions. TTH Research provided thermal design and analytical support, and was responsible for the design of the heat pipe system.

WINDSAT

Wind Satellite (WindSat) will demonstrate the capability to exploit passive microwave polarimetry to measure the full ocean surface wind field (wind speed and wind direction), sea surface temperature, cloud liquid water, rain rate, snow/ice age/thickness, soil moisture, and vegetation index. TTH Research provided thermal design analysis, and testing support for this program.

Other Programs support by TTH Research

At the Naval Research Laboratory, TTH Research provided thermal design and analytical support for the following programs: Shimmer, Centralize Thermal Bus (CTB) ,Advanced Materials and Modulating Retro Reflector (MRR) .