Space Vehicle Testing

Requirement verification and validation is a critical component of building and delivering space vehicles with testing as the preferred method. This Master’s Project presents the space vehicle test process from planning through test design and execution. It starts with an overview of the requirements, validation, and verification. The four different verification methods are explained including examples as to what can go wrong if the verification is done incorrectly. Since the focus of this project is on test, test verification is emphasized. The philosophy behind testing, including the “why” and the methods, is presented. The different levels of testing, the test objectives, and the typical tests are discussed in detail. Descriptions of the different types of tests are provided including configurations and test challenges. While most individuals focus on hardware only, software is an integral part of any space product. As such, software testing, including mistakes and examples, is also presented. Since testing is often not performed flawlessly the first time, sections on anomalies, including determining root cause, corrective action, and retest is included. A brief discussion of defect detection in test is presented. The project is actually presented in total in the Appendix as a Power Point document

Electron-cyclotron-resonance plasma-assisted radio-frequency-sputtered strontium titanate thin films

Strontium titanate thin films were deposited by electron-cyclotron-resonance plasma-assisted radio-frequency magnetron sputtering. Electron-cyclotron-resonance plasma assistance was employed because of its ability to be used as a source of low-energy bombardment by a high density of species that are highly activated. It was found that both the structure and composition improve with the application of microwave plasma during the deposition. Analysis of the capacitance-voltage characteristics of metal-insulator-semiconductor devices revealed that the quality of the film/substrate interface is dependent on the pressure, atmosphere, and temperature of the deposition. Interfacial traps which give rise to charged surface states and silicon oxide formation have detrimental effects on films deposited on bare silicon substrates. Films on platinum-coated silicon substrates show good dielectric properties. The small-signal dielectric constant and dissipation factor at a frequency of 100 kHz were 170 and 0.033, respectively. For a 0.37-µ m-thick film a charge storage density of 28 fC/µ m2 and a unit area capacitance of 3.7 fF/µ m2 were obtained at an applied electric field of 200 kV/cm