SpaceX marks its testing spot at NASA Plum Brook

PERKINS TWP. — It's the second go-round for first-class spacecraft undergoing tests at a heralded station in Erie County.SpaceX personnel recently brought back a refined version of its Falcon 9 payload fairing to the NASA Plum Brook Station for additional analysis.First arriving at Plum Brook in 2013, officials characterize a payload fairing as a shroud situated atop a missile. The cone-like covering shields items it brings aloft, protecting spacecraft against impacts created by dynamic pressures and aerodynamic heating experienced during a launch.The newest rounds of testing started in September and should continue into February.All the tests, either ending in recent weeks or scheduled to take place soon, will occur from inside Plum Brook's Space Environmental Complex. Formerly known as the Space Power Facility, it's a one-of-a-kind, multifaceted experimental arena testing hardware under simulated launch and spaceflight conditions.NASA Plum Brook Station director David Stringer provided context into three tests and where they'll occur from:1. Inside the world's largest vacuum chamber, which can determine if spacecraft can withstand extreme temperatures and pressures found in spaceOn four separate occasions, testing successfully showed the payload fairing can separate."When the payload fairing launches into space, at a certain point, you get so little air that you no longer need to be aerodynamically shielded," Stringer said. "When you are in the upper stage, without the shroud, the engine can burn longer and will have less weight to push."SpaceX personnel want reassurance the payload fairing can separate at their command, and tests at Plum Brook can help ensure this, Stringer said.2. Inside the world's most powerful sound chamber, which can replicate noise spacecraft typically experiences while in orbitFuture tests will help determine whether the payload fairings can withstand the shockwaves generated throughout and after a launch."This facility allows us to test full-size spacecraft against the physical stresses they would experience during ascent," Stringer said.3. Inside the facility for modal, or frequency, testsThose tests should also happen sometime in the coming weeks."That is very useful in knowing the susceptibility of spacecraft to specific ascent conditions," Stringer said. Representatives of SpaceX — touted as the world's fastest-growing and leading launch services provider, it designs manufacturers and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft — declined an opportunity to interview for this news story. They also prohibited any media, such as photography and video, inside the testing venue.Though NASA officials did comment, expressing their gratitude for SpaceX returning to Plum Brook."By them coming back and testing here, it means they continue to think we are important to their development of safe and reliable spacecraft," Stringer said. "We have information here at Plum Brook they can't get anywhere else, and we work hard to make sure we treat them well while they are here."Reach reporter Andy Ouriel at ouriel@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @AndyOuriel.In this 2013 photo, NASA Plum Brook facility manager Jerry Carek gives a tour to NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver of the California-based SpaceX Falcon 9 payload fairing. A refined version of the fairing recently returned to Plum Brook for additional analysis.