2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This paper reports on the results of a unique undergraduate student internship and research experience conducted at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, supported by a U.S. Department of Education award. The program specifically aims to engage students from minority servicing institutions in research and internships while enhancing their academic and professional development. The student selected for this experience is from a minority background underrepresented in STEM, and this internship provided hands-on exposure to research in aerospace and mechanical engineering.

The ET50 Special Test Equipment Design Branch at the Marshall Space Flight Center designs and modifies test stands supporting the other test branches: Propulsion, Environmental, Structural, and Dynamics. ET50 supported the Payload Adaptor (PLA), also known as the Payload Attachment Fitting (PAF), which is a part of the Integrated Spacecraft Payload Element for the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The Payload Adaptor is the interface between the launch vehicle and the co-manifested payload, and its test stand is currently being modified to begin a series of rigorous tests that will verify its design, analysis, and fabrication. For fabrication, the technicians required a mobile exterior and stationery interior platform to allow them safe and necessary access to the Payload Attachment Fitting assembly stand, and they requested that ET50 design these platforms. Using Creo and other Finite Element Analysis (FEA) packages, ET50 designs 3-dimensional models and paper drawings to carry out manufacturing.

To understand, develop, and integrate the structural design test process, the use of Computer-Aided Design provided an efficient design technique to meet the requirements of stress analysis and fabrication. Beginning with a skeletal structure and items provided by Creo and external vendors, the 3-D CAD models and preliminary drawings were constructed and distributed for a stress report. This report documented the stress analysis of these products, which confirmed the strength and durability of the hardware and ensured that both platforms could withstand the functional loads during the assessment. After stages of review and drawing signatures, the drawing, stress report, and CAD model were released to the fabricators. The production and application of these platforms are specifically designed to ensure that the PLA is built effectively to secure attachment and successful deployment for the SLS mission.