More Details On:
Spacecraft Structure
The
spacecraft's primary structural frame was of conventional construction using an aluminum
alloy inner frame with an aluminum honeycomb mid-deck and eight enclosure shear panels.
The ISA structure was a lightweight graphite-epoxy composite, conical shell structure
(8.8 kg) with aluminum forward and aft rings. It was based on materials and structures
technologies developed under the cognizance of the United States Air Force's Phillips
Laboratory by McDonnell Douglas Corporation. The ISA structure carried launch and
kick motor loads from its aft ring to its forward ring that was mated with the spacecraft
primary structure. Balanced and opposed electronics decks were added to the ISA after
its initial design to accommodate BMDO radiation experiments. 
The
added framework consisted of graphite-epoxy rails bonded to the interior of the ISA.
The ISA's total mass (excluding electronics and SRM components) was 47.0 kg. The
spacecraft's primary structure and the ISA structure were mated with the Martin Marietta
Aerospace Corporation Titan IIG launch vehicle using an aluminum monocoque adapter
ring containing the aft-half of the Marman clampband interface.
Structural Components
|
Component |
Construction Materials |
| Spacecraft Primary Structure | |
| Primary Structural Frame | Aluminum Alloy |
| Mid-Deck & Eight Enclosure Panels | Aluminum Honeycomb Panel With Aluminum Alloy Face Sheets |
| Solar Panel Support Structure | 6061-T6 Extrusion & Sheet With Titanium Hardware |
| Solar Array Assembly Substrates | Composite Isogrid |
| Sensor Bench Assembly | Aluminum Honeycomb Panel With Beryllium Stand-Off |
| Interstage Adapter | |
| Forward & Aft Adapter Ring | Milled Aluminum Alloy |
| Skin | Carbon (Graphite) Fiber/Epoxy Composite |
| Longerons | Carbon Fiber/Epoxy |
| Launch Adapter | |
| Forward & Aft Payload Adapter Ring | Milled Aluminum Alloy |
| Skin & Stringers | Aluminum Alloy |
| *Spacecraft Total Injected Weight Was 1689.6 kg (Total Propellant Weight Was 230.9 kg) | |
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