Integrated Health Monitoring Approach for Reusable Cryogenic Tank Structures

Reliability, safety and economic feasibility of future space transportation systems rely not only on their technical and operational improvements, but even as a key task on implementatio n of Health Monitoring Systems with new and advanced sensor technologies. The application of such systems will give the possibility to reduce significantly the maintenance costs and turnaround time for future Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLV). This paper describes current development tasks and activities in the field of Integrated Health Monitoring /Management for RLV, in particular, for large reusable cryogenic tank structures. Integrated Health Monitoring refers both to in-flight monitoring and on-ground verification phase. Dedicated engineering tasks include identification of critical components and conditions, selection of measurable parameters, detailed trade-off and definition of candidate sensors, their adequate accommodation, diagnostic expert systems and data analysis. Innovative on-board and ground-based sensor technologies are discussed. Special emphasis is given to Laser Shearography as one of the most promising NDI method for inspection of cryogenic tank structures subsystems and components. The importance to apply telerobotic inspections in restricted tank areas is highlighted.