Flexible Screen Propellant Management Device for Near Term In-Space Demonstration

While evaluating lunar ascent and descent stage propellant acquisition options in 2008 and 2009 for NASA GRC, IES conceived a novel, flexible screen propellant management device (PMD). The concept provides a highly simplified and easy to build PMD as an alternative to a total communication device or one incorporating a start basket. Water bench tests with a very primitive prototype yielded encouraging results, and additional, simple bench-level testing with LN2 was also encouraging. An opportunity exists to refine the concept, develop a larger, more flight-like apparatus, and test it in a cryogenic tank currently being designed and subsequently intended for use on the Cryogenic Orbital Testbed (CRYOTE) experiment. Designing a full size flight qualifiable flexible screen PMD under a Phase 1 SBIR effort, followed by hardware fabrication, qualification and flight demonstration on a flight test platform concurrently in development, will allow this concept to be demonstrated for a fraction of the cost that would be required for a dedicated flight of a flexible PMD experiment. The concept TRL should move from 3 to 5 during Phase 1, and 5 to 7 during Phase 2.

For commercial space applications (e.g. satellites and commercial launch operations), the proposed innovation may be useful for improved propellant management in the upper stage during coast periods, as well as providing a means of propellant acquisition in the satellites themselves. Cryogenic propellants are expected to replace toxic storables, and small cryogenic orbital maneuvering, payload delivery, and servicing vehicles are expected to play a greater role in both commercial and military space operations. The proposed innovation would benefit all of these applications.

Future space missions to the Moon and Mars are planning to use cryogenic propellants and will require propellant acquisition in low or zero-g environments for many phases of these missions. Furthermore, maintenance and acquisition of cryogenic propellants while in Earth orbit will likely become more prevalent as space vehicle architecture evolves. The proposed innovation can potentially simplify and increase the reliability with which these propellant acquisition tasks are achieved.

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