Chesterfield Station - Printable Version

Chesterfield Station - Printable Version

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Chesterfield Station - Deep Space Engineering - 04-15-2020

CHESTERFIELD STATION

Attention: ADMIN
Subject: CHESTERFIELD

This report is unclassified, however it may contain references to classified information and technologies. You may be required to verify your security clearance before reading this document. If you do not have necessary clearance, but require use this report, please consult your line manager for permission.

Deep Space Engineering has completed an assessment regarding Chesterfield Station. This assessment identified threats and vulnerabilities (hazards) that could cause the destruction of Chesterfield Station, compromise crew health, or necessitate the premature abandonment of the station. Deep Space Engineering has reviewed the structural integrity, as well as put in place a number of controls against these vulnerabilities, which included design requirements, safety controls, and procedural/operational controls. The hardware and software utilized on Chesterfield Station have been developed and tested by Deep Space Engineering, and has been successfully implemented in a number of stations across Sirius. Major systems this report will consider include electrical power, cooling, data handling, and navigational control. Assembly to date has gone exceptionally well and is a tribute to the Deep Space Engineering teams involved. There have been a small number of anomalies occur but all of these have been dealt with quickly as they occur.

The following is the report compiled by the engineering team at Deep Space Engineering.

1. Overview
- 1.1: May 827
- 1.2: September 827
2. Construction
3. Threats and Vulnerabilities
- 3.1: Debris damage/penetration
- 3.2: Collision with visiting vehicles
- 3.3: Pressure loss
- 3.4: Fire
- 3.5: Toxic spills
- 3.6: Contaminant Exposure
- 3.7: Catastrophic system failure
4. Data Handling
- 4.1: Data Systems
- 4.2: Transmissions within Liberty Space
- 4.3: Transmission outside Liberty
5. Maintenance Requirements- Lubricating Oils
- 5.1: Lubricating Oils
  - 5.1.1: Lubricant Condition
  - 5.1.2: Lubricant Contamination
  - 5.1.3: Machine Mechanical Wear Condition
- 5.2: Standard Analytical Tests
  - 5.2.1: Visual and Odor
  - 5.2.2: Viscosity
  - 5.2.3: Water
  - 5.2.4: Particle Counting
- 5.3: Special Tests
  - 5.3.1: Glycol Antifreeze
  - 5.3.2: Water
  - 5.3.3: Foaming
  - 5.3.4: Rust Prevention[/list
- 6. Maintenance Requirements - Electrical Condition Monitoring
  - 6.1: Electrical Condition Monitoring
  - 6.2: Standard Tests
    - 6.2.1: Insulation Power Factor
    - 6.2.2: Megohmmeter Testing
    - 6.2.3: High Potential Testing
    - 6.2.4: Battery Impedance Testing
    - 6.2.5: Surge Testing
    - 6.2.6: Motor Starting Current and Time
  - 6.3: Circuit Breakers
    - 6.3.1: Timing Tests
    - 6.3.2: Contact Resistance
- 7: Life Maintenance & Support
  - 7.1: Environment
  - 7.2: Atmosphere
  - 7.3: Vegetable Production System
    - 7.3.2: Water Wicking
  - 7.4: Water Recycling Plant
- Repair and Maintenance Log
  - 28.December.826
  - 15.March.827
  - 16.April.827
  - 10.June.827
  - 11.July.827
  - 13.August.827
  - 09.October.827
  - 12.October.827

// A work in progress.

RE: Chesterfield Station - Widow - 04-15-2020

1: OVERVIEW

1.1: May 827

At the time of writing this report, Chesterfield Station is 3/5 through assembly. The following weeks will have Deep Space Engineering staff bring components to the complex for upgrades to the station. Two of the planned upgrades include huge sets of solar array wings. The panels will carry a large number of additional solar cells. The new segments include giant rotary joints to allow the tips of the station "backbone" to move as the massive panels track the sun. Together, the new arrays will add 50 kilowatts of power for the complex, enough electricity for what would be an additional small housing community. The increased electrical power will set the stage for the addition of the research and development laboratories.

The second planned upgrade is a research and developmental laboratory which will be a module permanently located in Chesterfield Station. It will used for conducting scientific experiments, and research and development; This facility will be the cornerstone of Deep Space Engineering’s participation in the advancement of technology in Liberty. It will be positioned on the starboard side of the Station’s leading edge. The laboratory is intended to provide an environment for pursuing research and applications development in many fields. This facility will provide accommodation for multidisciplinary research. This facility, while being smaller than some of the larger more established laboratories, offers the same volume, power, data retrieval, vacuum/venting services, etc as many others. This is achieved by careful utilization of the available volume and by sometimes compromising crew access and maintainability in favor of payload accommodation.

The recent upgrades will also allow more room to be allocated to storage facilities to expand the business opportunities with the Junker Congress and the premium scrap industry.

1.2: September 827

At the time of writing this report, Chesterfield Station is 4/5 through assembly. A number of upgrades have been planned to continue the growth of Chesterfield Station over the next few months. This will require a number of additional deliveries above what is considered to be essential supplies to build and maintain. An additional 200 engineers have been deployed to Chesterfield Station to assist in the construction of these modules, and the logistical crews have been given orders to begin transporting required goods to Chesterfield Station.

One of the projects is an additional two storage modules. The Liberty built modules will be positioned in the center of the Station’s trailing edge along with the current storage modules. These will provide additional cargo storage to allow for increased turnover of Premium Scrap and an increase in essential items such as food, and water to support the additional crew onboard the station; as well as an increase in general maintenance supplies to assist in maintaining the additional modules added to Chesterfield Station.

An additional module is being provided for the increased demand for life support systems due to the increased number of crew now living onboard Chesterfield Station. This module is known as LS3. LS3 is a pressurized module that will safely house systems pertaining to the pressurization systems, the general heating, and the oxygen distribution of the station. A hydroponics module is also under construction in an attempt to reduce the amount of food required to be imported to Chesterfield Station.

Additional research facilities are also being constructed, specifically to develop and test a variety of technologies, systems, and materials that will be needed for the advancement of space exploration and habitation.

RE: Chesterfield Station - Widow - 04-15-2020

2: CONSTRUCTION

Chesterfield Station is constructed of aluminum alloy plate with integral stiffening stringers and internal framing welded together to create a pressure tight station. Redundant pressure window panes are provided in numerous locations around the station. The station supports all equipment, inertial measurement units, displays and controls, trackers, and crew accommodations for sleeping, waste management, seats, and galley. An additional bar, spa pool, and sauna has been added for staff entertainment.

The thermal protection system (TPS) consists of various materials applied externally to the outer structural skin of the station to maintain the skin within acceptable temperatures. The stations outer structural skin is constructed primarily of aluminum and graphite epoxy. The TPS also sustains the forces induced by deflections of the stations air frame as it responds to the various external environments. Because the TPS is installed on the outside of the stations skin, it establishes the aerodynamics over the station in addition to acting as the heat sink. The stations interior temperatures also are controlled by internal insulation, heaters, and purging techniques in the various phases of the mission. The TPS is a passive system consisting of materials selected for stability at high temperatures and weight efficiency. These materials are as follows:

Reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC)
Black high-temperature reusable surface insulation (HRSI) tiles
Black tiles called fibrous refractory composite insulation (FRCI)
Low-temperature reusable surface insulation (LRSI)
advanced flexible reusable surfaceinsulation (AFRSI)
thermal panes

The Life support systems have been designed to maintain a comfortable environment for the crew-members. It now maintains a fully controlled cabin atmosphere and living environment. Additionally, it is robustly designed to sustain critical functions for returning the crew safely home after a failure or catastrophic event, such as a toxic contamination or fire event or a breach in the pressurized cabin vessel. Deep Space Engineering's Air Revitalization System (ARS) is responsible for providing adequate ventilation for the crew, maintaining carbon dioxide, humidity, and trace contaminant concentrations at comfortable and safe levels, and maintaining the temperature at the desired crew selected set-point. It includes two different types of fan packages, each redundant, that are optimized over a range of operating points.

Multiple heat exchanges remove heat from the air and transfer it to the Thermal Control System (TCS). A regenerative system continuously removes carbon dioxide and humidity, while a high efficiency particulate filtration system removes dust, fungi, and microbes from the air. Air monitoring ensures critical gases are within safe parameters and a suite of emergency equipment protects against fire and toxic contamination vents. The system accommodates for both low (sleep) and highly active (exercise) periods for the full crew compliment. As such, many of these components are already sized to handle the crew as-is or may be minimally duplicated to accommodate the extended volume and mission requirements. The Stations TCS consists of both an active coolant network and passive heaters and insulation to protect the internal thermal environment from the extreme external temperatures and to collect and reject heat from internal components. The TCS is sized for a high heat load capacity and utilizes both radiators and a regenerative Phase Change Material (PCM) heat exchange to accommodate peaks of high thermal loads without relying on the use of expendable consumables. By leveraging the stations capabilities and initially minimizing the internal components, the TCS can be simplified to primarily passive thermal control while scarring for an active coolant network.

RE: Chesterfield Station - Widow - 04-15-2020

3: THREATS AND VULNERABILITIES

3.1: Debris damage/penetration

Debris damage and/or penetration has the potential to not only damage and number of components including the windows, solar panel arrays, or external fluid and power lines; it has the potential to destroy Chesterfield Station. In some circumstances, debris may also cause injury or loss of life to crew members aboard Chesterfield Station. Deep Space Engineering has spent some time researching this and has begun to incorporate designs that may prevent debris from being a major issue in the future, specifically constructing a shield module which will assist greatly in protecting the station and any crew aboard.

3.2: Collision with visiting vehicles

An inadvertent collision with a visiting vehicle could lead to the loss of crew members and/or the loss of Chesterfield Station. It should be noted that the safety-related requirements for visiting vehicles are the same regardless of which affiliation the spacecraft has, and the vessel's history. The visiting spacecraft is responsible for the development, delivery, and final verification of their vessel, but the Deep Space Engineering has the responsibility for the overall safety of the Chesterfield Station which encompasses visiting vehicles. Deep Space Engineering are responsible for safety requirements definition and review and approval of safety hazard identification and mitigation steps. Chesterfield Station has a multi-tiered approach to ensuring the safety of integrated operations with visiting vehicles. The first tier defines basic design criteria to ensure that the visiting vehicles are capable of berthing or docking to Chesterfield Station. The second tier establishes further protection against unexpected conditions through crew command and monitoring. The crew monitors the contact or capture conditions using visual targets. Commanding is a shared responsibility. The third tier of safety protection requires demonstration of key capabilities during the vessel's flight to Chesterfield Station. This is reflected in the detailed planning of all flights to and from the station. These carefully constructed layers provide confidence that the visiting vehicle has a functioning design and the operational controls are in place to prevent a collision.

3.3: Pressure loss

In the event of a rapid loss of cabin pressure software developed by Deep Space Engineering automatically closes the overboard vacuum vent valves, turns off the cabin fans, and closes the inter-module ventilation valves between the segments. Crew members will attempt to determine the station’s status and whether the leak can be isolated/repaired or if they are required to abandon the station.

3.4: Fire

Consistent with other hazards, fire prevention is the primary control of the fire threat on board Chesterfield Station. The potential for a fire is mitigated through focusing on carefully specified materials use; and careful selection and application of electrical, electronic, and electromechanical (EEE) components. Deep Space Engineering have developed smoke detectors, which are located throughout the station, and these are the primary methods of fire detection. Fire response equipment includes carbon dioxide (CO2) fire extinguishers and a water-based foam extinguishers. Portable oxygen (O2) masks are available throughout the station.

3.5: Toxic spills

The types and quantities of materials on board Chesterfield Station that could lead to loss of life or the station are vastly more limited than those that could lead to crew health concerns or abandonment of the station. The primary means of controlling toxic spills is by controlling the types and quantities of toxic materials that are used on Chesterfield Station. Robust containment methods are required when toxic materials are required for all operations or research. If all controls were to fail and in the unlikely event a toxic substance was release did occur, the crew would respond to the event by donning toxic response equipment and isolating the module where the spill occurred.

3.6: Contaminant Exposure

Chemicals are a major risk to crew members aboard Chesterfield Station. The primary threat to crew members aboard the station is hydrazine from any number of thrusters. Hydrazine inhalation may cause illness or loss of life. Hydrazine is an inorganic compound. It is a simple pnictogen hydride, and is a colorless and flammable liquid with an ammonia-like odor. The only safe method to handle this is if it is a solution. Deep Space Engineering implements operational controls to prevent exposure to this wherever possible. The hydrazine-exhausting thrusters have a minimum 'safe zone' in place to prevent any possibility of exposure to crew in Chesterfield station. This includes the prohibition of use of thrusters while docking with, and leaving Chesterfield Station. In case of risk of contamination, cleaning procedures are in place.

3.7: Catastrophic system failure

Catastrophic failure of any system as part of the Chesterfield Station could lead to crew member or station damage/loss. Sound design specification, and rigorous hardware and software testing are pivotal components of eliminating hazards and protecting against catastrophic system failures. If a hazard cannot be mitigated by design and operational requirements, the probability, severity, and risk-mitigating factors associated with that hazard are assessed by the program and a determination is made as to whether the item may be used as-is or whether an alternative must be found and a redesign undertaken.

RE: Chesterfield Station - Widow - 04-15-2020

4: DATA HANDLING

Data collected by Deep Space Engineering will serve as the initial test set for Chesterfield Algorithm and Analysis platform. This will collect unprecedented data about Deep Space Engineering projects all over Sirius. It will also generate exponentially higher data volumes than any observation missions currently (and previously) undertaken because of the quantity and nature of the data.

Deep Space Engineering is addressing these issues by:

Enabling Deep Space Engineering Researches to easily discover, process, visualise and analyse large volumes of data from Deep Space Engineering missions and validation and calibration activities.
Developing loads for repeatable and shareable science with a version – controlled science algorithm, development environment that supports tools, collocated with data and processing resources.
Developing Open Source Software in the open from Project Inception.

4.1: Data Systems

The Data system Evolution element of the program funds various research opportunities as well as potential interagency initiatives and promotion of Data and Services interoperability through developments and implementation standards.

The Data System element is composed of:

Collaboration connections for Planetary System Sciences
Citizen Science for Planetary Systems Program
Making Planetary Systems Data Records for use in Research Environments.

4.2: Transmissions within Liberty Space

The Remote Communication facilities provides communication links between the remote locations and the scientist and engineers back on Chesterfield. The High-Gain Antennas allow these communication facilities to receive transmissions from Chesterfield. The High-Gain Antenna can send a “beam” of information in a specific direction and it is steerable so the antenna can move and point itself directly toward Chesterfield Station. The benefit of this steerable antenna is that the entire facility doesn’t have to change positions to “talk" to Chesterfield Station: only its antenna is required to move.

There are a number of different kinds of Radio frequencies that are used to communicate between Chesterfield and the remote communication facilities:

Ultra High Frequencies (VHF) band (about 400mHz)
Up to 2 megabits a second, depending on the distance, path and space conditions and also planetary weather patterns.
X-Band – Current standards, when amplified at the facility to send data to Chesterfield more than 10 times more faster than previously possible.
KA band – previously untested frequency four times higher than X-Band which allows data to be transmitted quicker.

In orbit facilities have the problem of being located behind a planet for up to 16 hours of the day. To prevent this from being as much of an issue, a series of satellites are in orbit where the information is transmitted among each other until it can be sent to Chesterfield. This has the potential to distort or reduce the quality of the data received by Chesterfield Station. Each Planetary Communicator facility is expected to send 288 TB of data every 12 months. Some have already far exceeded this with the record being 432TB in 12-month period.

There are four levels of data that can be sent or received by the classical communications systems. These are as follows:

Level 0 - Reconstructed unprocessed instrument and payload data at full resolution with any and all communication artifacts (synchronization frames, communication headers, duplicate data) removed. In most cases Deep Space Engineering observation system provides data to the Active Archive Centres on Planet Pittsburgh as production data sets for processing by the science Data Processing segment or by one of the Science Investigator-led processing systems to produce higher-level products
Level 1A - Reconstructed, unprocessed instrument data at full resolution, time referenced and annotated with ancillary information including Radiometric and Geometric Calibration coefficients and georeferencing parameters computed and appended but not applied to level 0 Data.
Level 1B – Data that has been processed to sensor units (not all instruments have level 1B Service Data)
Level 2 – Derived geophysical variables at the same resolution and location as level 1 Source Data.
Level 3 – Variables mapped on uniform space-time grid scales, usually with some completeness and consistency.
Level 4 – Model output as results from analyses of lower-level data (eg. Variables derived from multiple measurements).

As the technology evolves and becomes more affordable, the use of more advanced tech is considered within Liberty

4.3: Transmission outside Liberty

Due to distances the signal is needing to travel in locations outside Liberty, it is not practical to use the radio wave-based signal used within Liberty. To transmit information gathered in Houses outside Liberty, a technique called Quantum Teleportation is required.

Quantum Teleportation is a process where information can be transmitted from one place to another with the help of classical communication and Quantum Entanglement between sending and receiving location. Because of its use of classical communication which cannot be processed faster than the speed of light, it cannot be used for faster than light transport or communication.

The basic protocol for these “qubits” has been generated in several directions, in particular regarding the dimension of system teleported and the number of parties involved- ie. Sender, controller and receiver.

The multipartite entangled state of two qubits has to be replaced by a maximally entangled state of qudits (a d-level system unit) and the bell measurement ( a joint quantum-mechanical measurement of 2 qubits that determines in which of the 4 Bell states the two qubits are in. The Qubits are in a superposition of 0 and 1 that is a linear combination of the two states. Bell states are a form of entangled and normalised basis vectors) by a measurement defined by a maximally entangled orthonormal basis. The generalisation to infinite-dimensional continuous-variable systems allows for the teleportation of data.

The use of multipartite entangled states instead of a bipartite maximally entangled state allows for several new features: Either the sender can teleport information to several receivers by sending the same state to all receivers which reduces the amount of entanglement needed for the process or teleporting multipartite states or sending a single state in such a way that the receiving parties need to cooperate to extract the information.

In general, mixed States (p) may be transported and a linear transformation (w) applied during teleportation, thus allowing data processing of quantum information. This is one of the most important foundational building blocks of quantum information processing.

In long distances there are a number of “booster” facilities, in which the information is received and re-transmitted until it eventually reaches Chesterfield Station receivers and can be decoded into usable information or re-transmitted to planet Pittsburgh.

RE: Chesterfield Station - Widow - 04-15-2020

MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS

28.December.826

During construction of stage three, crew members began the deployment of the two solar arrays. The first was deployed without incident, and the second array deployed about 80% before a 76-centimetre (2.5 ft) tear in a panel was noticed. A second, smaller tear was noticed upon further inspection. Replacement panels were sourced for the large tear, these were replaced without any additional concerns. It was possible to repair the smaller tear. Both damaged panels are now fully operational.

15.March.827

A minor air leak was detected on board Chesterfield Station.It was determined four and a half pounds of air per day were leaking into space and the internal pressure of Chesterfield Station dropped from nominal 14.7 psi down to 14.0 psi, although this did not pose an immediate threat to any crew on board. Using an ultrasonic probe the leak was traced to a vacuum jumper hose connected to a window in the new laboratory area of the station. The search for the leak had been hampered by noise emitted from scientific equipment on board. Successful identification and repair of the leak narrowly averted an evacuation and lock down of the station in an attempt to isolate the leak. Isolation and lock down would have affected station operations resulting in massive financial loss

16.April.827

The crew on board Chesterfield Station activated a smoke alarm in the cargo holding segment of the station when fumes from one of the three Elektron oxygen generators triggered concern about a possible fire. The crew initially reported an 'abnormal' smell. The smell was later found to be caused by a leak of potassium hydroxide from an oxygen vent. The associated equipment was turned off. The cargo holding segment of the station was locked down for a team to investigate this. After investigations had been completed, it was found there was no fire and the crew was not in any danger. The station's ventilation system was temporarily shut down to prevent the possibility of spreading smoke or contaminants through the rest of the station. A charcoal air filter was put in place to scrub the atmosphere of any lingering potassium hydroxide fumes. The oxygen generator was later repaired and later recommissioned. There have been no problems since.

10.June.827

A computer malfunction in the R&D segments of Chesterfield Station occurred at at 05:43. This malfunction left Chesterfield Station with only back up oxygen generation. The carbon dioxide scrubber, and other environmental control systems completely failed. This failure of environmental systems caused the temperature on the station to rise. A successful restart of the computers resulted in a false fire alarm that woke the crew at 07:39. By the afternoon of the 10.June.827, it was confirmed that all six computers governing command and navigation systems for R&D segments of the station, including two thought to have failed, were back online. The cooling system was the first system brought back online. Troubleshooting of the failure by the maintenance crew found that the root cause was considerable condensation inside the electrical connectors, which led to a short-circuit that triggered the power off command to all three of the redundant processing units. Once this is repaired, a plan will be developed and implemented to avoid the problem in the future.

11.July.827

A number of panels have been damaged by an incident involving a Liberty Navy Pilot. The pilot in question has notified engineers on Chesterfield Station of the friendly fire incident. Engineers were dispatched immediately to assess the damage and to repair/replace the damaged panels.

13.August.827

Chesterfield Stations early warning system notified staff of a large Xeno presence in the area. As an attack had been threatened all non essential staff were evacuated to Baltimore Shipyard. While the station was attacked, no notable damage was sustained. Engineers took a number of days to fully assess the external structural integrity of the station as well as performing internal pressure and integrity checks to ensure Chesterfield Station safe for the return of staff. Minor damage was recorded and repaired on the right solar panel, and one external plate near the store rooms was replaced.

08.October.827

Chesterfield Station has two Carbon Dioxide Removal Assemblies, one of which is for redundancy purposes. The Laboratory based Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly as the primary option. On the 11th October 827 the primary Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly suddenly shut down, causing the second Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly to be used. This problem was traced to a failure of the second of three temperature sensors. It was quickly restored. However it soon shut down again, on the 11th October 927 due to erratic data from the one remaining temperature sensor. The secondary Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly is currently in use, replacement parts have been ordered, and a shutdown of the laboratory has been scheduled on the 15 November 827 to repair the faulty temperature sensors.

12.October.827

Poor docking procedures by a visiting vessel causing damage to the docking bays prevented urgent supplies to crew on board Chesterfield Station. This caused food stores to run critically low. The crew on board Chesterfield Station were required to cut back their meal intake and awaiting a critical cargo delivery expected to arrive on 15.October.827. The crew scaled down their daily caloric intake by up to 10 percent, but still were able to meet their daily nutritional requirements and did not experience any discomfort (Under the current plan ,all staff will scale down to consume around 300 less calories per person per day). Deep Space Engineering had drawn up plans to evacuate the space station without use of the damaged docking bays should the repairs be delayed. Chesterfield Station was predicted to only have 7 days of the reduced sized meals remaining when the docking bays were expected to be repaired. On the the 15.October.827, the docking bays were repaired, and essential supplies were delivered. No evacuation was necessary however some crew was sent home on stress leave and replaced with staff from Baltimore Shipyard for the interim.

RE: Chesterfield Station - Widow - 04-15-2020

5: MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS - LUBRICATING OILS

5.1: Lubricating Oils

Analysis of the Lubricating oil is performed for the following three reasons:

To determine the machine mechanical wear condition
To determine the lubricant condition
To determine if the lubricant has become contaminated.

It is important to note that there is a wide variety of tests that will provide information regarding one or more of these areas, either individually or multiple results at once. The test used will depend on the sensitivity requited in the results of the test, the accuracy of the results of the test, the cost of the test, and the tested machines construction and application. Lubricating oil must be analyzed bi-annually.

5.1.1: Lubricant Condition

Lubricating oil in Chesterfield Station is typically drained from the equipment quarterly and reconditioned through filtering and/or replacing additives before being re-added to equipment reduce the environmental footprint of Chesterfield Station. Analyzing the oil to determine the lubricant condition must be completed bi-annually. Small reservoirs containing one gallon or less, typically has the oil changed on an operating time basis of 5000 hours.

5.1.2: Lubricant Contamination

Lubricating oil can become contaminated due to the machine’s operating environment, damaged equipment, improper filling techniques, or through mixing different lubricants. The root cause of any lubricating oil contamination needs to be determined and eliminated in order to avoid machine damage. As previously discussed, lubricating oil analysis is performed for three reasons:

To determine the machine mechanical wear condition
To determine the lubricant condition
To determine if the lubricant has become contaminated.

Tests have been developed to address indicators of these conditions and vary in cost dependent upon time and materials needed to accomplish the testing.

5.1.3: Machine Mechanical Wear Condition

All machines with motors of a selected size (in the case of Chesterfield Station, this is 7.5 HP or larger), any critical machines, or any high cost machines require routine sampling and periodic analysis. This will be the same as the vibration analysis periodicity (when using a portable vibration data collector). For machines that have a condition history of over one years worth of data, this is typically performed quarterly or semi-annually. For all other machines this must be performed monthly.

5.2: Standard Analytical Tests

Lubricating oil analysis should begin using simple, subjective techniques such as visual and odor examination before moving onto more sophisticated techniques. The more sophisticated techniques should be used when conditions indicate the need for additional information.

5.2.1: Visual and Odor

Simple inspections of the lubricating oils should be performed weekly by the operator. A visual inspection to look for changes in color, haziness or cloudiness, and visible particles must be completed as a minimum requirement. Although this test is very subjective and dependent on the personal opinion of the staff member performing the tests, this can be an indicator of recent water or dirt contamination and advancing oxidation. A small sample of fresh lubricating oil, in a sealed, clear bottle, can be kept on-hand for visual comparison. A burned smell may indicate oxidation of the oil and other odors could indicate contamination. Odor is more subjective than the visual inspection because sensitivity to smell is different between people and there is not an effective way to compare the odor between samples. The operator must be careful not to introduce dirt into the system when taking a sample.

5.2.2: Viscosity

This typically indicates the lubricating oils flow rate at a specified temperature. An increase or decrease in viscosity over time is an indicator of changes in the lubricant condition or lubricant contamination. Viscosity can be tested using portable equipment if required, however for a more accurate result it is suggested to test the sample in the laboratory on board Chesterfield Station.

5.2.3: Water

Water in lubricating oils will contribute to corrosion and the formation of acids. Free water in oil collects in the bottom of reservoirs and can be found by draining from the bottom. A simple, inexpensive test is performed to provide a gross estimate of solids and/or water in the oil. A sample is centrifuged in a calibrated tube and the resulting volume is measured. This test must be completed quarterly or after a situation where water may have been introduced into the system.

5.2.4: Particle Counting

Particle counting is used to identify metal and non-metal particles contained within the lubricating. Two methods are used and each has advantages and drawbacks. Both methods result in particle counts by size category.

The visual method of particle counting is time consuming and depends on the analyst skill. The benefit of the visual method is that the analyst is able to identify the types of particles such as dirt, seal material, and metal.
The electronic counting method is much faster and does not depend on the analyst’s ability but it does not distinguish or identify the particle make up.

5.3: Special Tests

Special tests are sometimes needed to monitor lubricant conditions on some high cost or critical systems. Usually the special test is monitoring a lubricant contaminate, a characteristic or additive depletion.

5.3.1: Glycol Antifreeze

Glycol contamination can be detected using infrared spectroscopy at levels greater than 0.1% which is considered adequate for condition monitoring.

5.3.2: Water

Water contamination can be detected using infrared spectroscopy at levels greater than 0.05% which is considered adequate for condition monitoring.

5.3.3: Foaming

Some oil may have anti-foam agents added to improve the lubrication capability in specific applications such as gearboxes or mixers. The test blows air through a sample of the oil and then the foam volume is measured. This is considered adequate for condition monitoring

5.3.4: Rust Prevention

Some systems are susceptible to water contamination due to equipment location or the system operating environment. In those cases, the lubricating oil may be fortified with a corrosion inhibitor to prevent rust. Upon inspection, results are either simply a pass or fail.

RE: Chesterfield Station - Widow - 09-28-2020

6: MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS - ELECTRICAL MONITORING

6.1: Electrical Condition Monitoring

A major portion of components onboard Chesterfield Station rely on electrical equipment to operate. This includes everything from the power distribution system to electric motors, the electrical systems efficient operation is crucial to maintaining operational capability. Electrical condition monitoring encompasses several technologies and techniques that provide critical information so a comprehensive system evaluation can be performed. Monitoring key electrical parameters provides the information to detect and correct electrical faults such as high resistance connections, phase imbalance and insulation breakdown. Since faults in electrical systems are seldom visible, these faults are costly (increased electrical usage), present safety concerns (fires) and life cycle cost issues (premature replacement of equipment). Voltage imbalances of as little as 5% in motor power circuits result in a 50% reduction in motor life expectancy and efficiency in 3 phase AC motors. A 25% increase in motor temperatures can be generated by the same 5% voltage imbalance accelerating insulation degradation.

6.2: Standard Tests

6.2.1: Insulation Power Factor

Insulation Power Factor, sometimes referred to as dissipation factor, is the measure of the power loss through the insulation system to ground. It is a dimensionless ratio, which is expressed in percent of the resistive current flowing through an insulation to the total current flowing. To measure this value a known voltage is applied to the insulation and the resulting current and current/voltage phase angle is measured. IR is the resistive current, IC is the capacitive current, IT is the resultant, or total current, and V is the applied voltage. Usually, IR is very small compared to IT because most insulation is capacitive in nature. As a comparison, look at the similarities between a capacitor and a piece of electrical insulation. A capacitor is two current carrying plates separated by a dielectric material. An electrical coil, such as would be found in a transformer or motor, is a current carrying conductor, with an insulation material protecting the conductor from shorting to ground. The conductor of the coil and ground are similar to the two conducting plates in the capacitor, and the insulation of the coil is like the dielectric material of the capacitor. The dielectric material prevents the charge on each plate from “bleeding through” until such a time that the voltage level of the two plates exceeds the voltage capacity of the dielectric. The coil insulation prevents the current from flowing to ground, also until such a time that the voltage level exceeds the voltage capacity of the insulation. As the impedance of the insulation changes due to aging, moisture, contamination, insulation shorts, or physical damage the ratio between IC and IR will become less. The resulting phase angle between the applied voltage and resultant current then becomes less, and the power factor will rise. Consequently, the power factor test is primarily used for making routine comparisons of the condition of an insulation system. The test is non-destructive, and regular maintenance testing will not deteriorate or damage insulation.

6.2.2: Megohmmeter Testing

A hand-held generator is used to measure the insulation resistance phase-to-phase or phase-to-ground of an electric circuit. Readings must be temperature-corrected to trend the information. Winding temperatures affect test results. An enhanced technique compares the ratio of the Megohmmeter readings after one minute and ten minutes. This ratio is referred to as the polarization index.

6.2.3: High Potential Testing

High potential testing applies a voltage equal to twice the operating voltage plus 1000 volts to cables and motor winding testing the insulation system. This is typically a go/no-go test. Industry practice calls for high potential testing test on new and rewound motors and on new cables. This test stresses the insulation systems and can induce premature failures in marginal insulation systems. Due to this possibility, High potential testing is not recommended as a routinely repeated condition monitoring technique, but as an acceptance test. An alternative use of the equipment is to start with a lower voltage and increase the applied voltage in steps and measure the change in insulation resistance readings. In repaired equipment, if the leakage current continues to increase at a constant test voltage this indicates the repair is not to the proper standard and will probably fail soon. In new equipment, if the equipment will not withstand the appropriate test voltage it indicates the insulation system or construction method is inadequate for long term service reliability.

6.2.4: Battery Impedance Testing

Batteries are DC energy storage devices with many shapes, sizes, capacities, and types. All batteries have a storage capacity which is dependent on the terminal voltage and internal impedance. A battery impedance test set places an AC signal between the terminals of the battery. The resulting voltage is measured and the impedance then calculated. This measurement can be accomplished without removing the battery from service since the AC signal is low level and "rides" on top of the DC voltage of the battery. Two comparisons are then made: first, the impedance is compared with the last reading for that battery: and, second, the reading is compared with other batteries in the same bank. Each battery should be within 10% of the others and 5% of its last reading. A reading outside of these values indicates a cell problem or capacity loss. Additionally, if the battery has an internal short the impedance tends to go to zero. If there is an open the impedance will try to go to infinity, and premature aging due to excessive heat or discharges will cause the impedance to rise quickly. There are no set guidelines and limits for this test. Each type, style, and configuration of battery will have its own impedance so it is important to take these measurements early in a battery's life, preferably at installation. It should take less than an hour to perform this test on a battery bank of 60 cells.

6.2.5: Surge Testing

Surge Testing utilizes equipment based on two capacitors and an oscilloscope to determine the condition of motor windings. This is a comparative test evaluating the difference in readings of identical voltage pulses applied to two windings simultaneously. Like high potential testing, the applied voltage equals two times operating voltage plus 1000 volts. This test also is primarily an acceptance, go/no-go test. Data is provided as a comparison of wave-forms between two phases indicating the relative condition of the two phases with regard to the insulation system (short circuits). Because of the repeated stress of the insulation system, Surge testing is not recommended for routine condition monitoring.

6.2.6: Motor Starting Current and Time

Starting current in electric motors can routinely exceed five times full load running current. The amount of starting current combined with the duration of the starting surge can indicate the condition of electrically driven equipment. Higher starting current and longer duration of the surge can indicate mechanical problems such as increased friction due to misalignment of the mechanical components of the equipment.

6.3: Circuit Breakers

6.3.1: Timing Tests

For in-service circuit breakers, a digital contact and breaker analyzer can be used to measure the contact velocity, travel, over travel, bounce back, and acceleration to indicate the condition of the breaker operating mechanism. A voltage is applied to the breaker contacts and a motion transducer is attached to the operating mechanism. The breaker is then closed and opened. The test set measures the time-frame of voltage changes, and plots the voltage changes over the motion waveform produced by the motion transducer. The numbers are normally printed out from the test set, and the chart is stored in memory for downloading into a computer. Analyzing and trending this information allows for adjustments to the breaker operating mechanism when necessary. This test is not applicable to molded case breakers or low voltage

6.3.2: Contact Resistance

This test is used to determine the contact condition on a breaker or switch without visual inspection. The results of this test can be trended over time to help in scheduling maintenance activities before the contacts degrade significantly. Most manufacturers of high and medium voltage circuit breakers will specify a maximum contact resistance for both new contacts and in-service contacts. The contact resistance is dependent on two things, the quality of contact area and the contact pressure. The contact quality can degrade if the breaker is called upon to open under fault conditions. The contact pressure can lessen as the breaker springs fatigue due to age or a large number of operations. To measure the contact resistance a DC current, usually 10 or 100 amps, is applied through the contacts. The voltage across the contacts is measured and the resistance is calculated using Ohms law (V=IR). This value can be trended and compared with maximum limits issued by the breaker or switch manufacturer.

RE: Chesterfield Station - Widow - 01-13-2021

7: Life Maintenance & Support

7.1: Environment

Chesterfield Stations systems have been designed to maintain a comfortable environment for the crew-members for both short-sleeve cabin operations as well as suited operations under a variety of challenging external environments. It now maintains a fully controlled cabin atmosphere and living environment. Additionally, it is robustly designed to sustain critical functions for returning the crew safely home after a failure or catastrophic event, such as a toxic contamination or fire event or a breach in the pressurized cabin vessel. As the station is designed for long term missions, it must be able to support life without any external supplies. Deep Space Engineering's Air Revitalization System (ARS) is responsible for providing adequate ventilation for the crew, maintaining carbon dioxide, humidity, and trace contaminant concentrations at comfortable and safe levels, and maintaining the temperature at the desired crew selected set-point. It includes two different types of fan packages, each redundant, that are optimized over a range of operating points.

7.2: Atmosphere

Multiple heat exchanges remove heat from the air and transfer it to the Thermal Control System (TCS). A regenerative system continuously removes carbon dioxide and humidity, while a high efficiency particulate filtration system removes dust, fungi, and microbes from the air. Air monitoring ensures critical gases are within safe parameters and a suite of emergency equipment protects against fire and toxic contamination vents. The system accommodates for both low (sleep) and highly active (exercise) periods for the full crew compliment. As such, many of these components are already sized to handle the crew as-is. Chesterfield Stations TCS consists of both an active coolant network and passive heaters and insulation to protect the internal thermal environment from the extreme external temperatures and to collect and reject heat from internal components. The TCS is sized for a high heat load capacity and utilizes both radiators and a regenerative Phase Change Material (PCM) heat exchange to accommodate peaks of high thermal loads without relying on the use of expendable consumables. By leveraging Chesterfield Stations capabilities and initially minimizing the internal components, the TCS can be simplified to primarily passive thermal control while scarring for an active coolant network.

Deep Space Engineering has managed to successfully create a self sufficient supply of oxygen using algae as a catalyst as it has been found to produce a significant amount of oxygen, and is relatively low maintenance and does not require large volumes of space to be as effective as alternative methods. Deep Space Engineering has a secondary generator in case of emergency, however this has yet to be used.

7.3: Vegetable Production System

Chesterfield Station, since its intention to relocate to Texas in a more remote setting, has developed a Vegetable Production System to eliminate the need to import food supplies. In addition to this, the plant room will allow for Deep Space Engineering to investigate the effects of microgravity on plant life, to find a long term alternative to shipping goods to the station increasing the productivity and profit of all tasks being undertaken onboard Chesterfield Station, and add fresh food to the crews diet and enhancing happiness and well-being onboard Chesterfield Station. Each garden is about the size of a carry-on piece of luggage and typically holds six plants. Each plant grows in a clay-based growth media and fertilizer. The pillows are important to help distribute water, nutrients and air in a healthy balance around the roots. Otherwise, the roots would either drown in water or be engulfed by air because of the way fluids in space tend to form bubbles.

In the absence of gravity, plants use other environmental factors, such as light, to orient and guide growth. A bank of light emitting diodes above the plants is used to produce a spectrum of light suited for each individual type of plants' growth. This LED bank allows for each type of plant to receive its own unique amount of time under the light, and intensity of light, for optimal growth conditions. It has been noted the plants tend to reflect a lot of green light and use more of the red and blue wavelengths, because of this, each of the gardens tends to glow a bright magenta pink.

In previous experiments, Deep Space Engineering has successfully grown a variety of plants, including (but not limited to) lettuce, cabbage, capsicums, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, and tomato. This provides a staple plant based diet for the crew onboard the station, with an entire segment being dedicated to this to ensure the food supply is not depleted. Many of the plants have been harvested and eaten by the crew members, after samples of each had been taken to ensure there were no harmful microbes growing on the produce. To Date, no harmful contamination has been detected, and the food has been safe for the crew to eat, with many stating there is no difference in taste between produce grown in space compared to that grown planet side. After relocating to Texas, Deep Space Engineering intends to add antioxidant-rich foods to provide a small amount of protection of radiation in space as they are aware that the radiation in the proposed sector will be significantly higher than that in New York.

7.3.2: Water Wicking

Veggie utilizes passive wicking to provide water to the plants as they grow. This is to reduce the work load required in maintaining a garden onboard a space station. With the use of the recycled water from the water recycling plant, it also ensures there is no need for importing supplies to maintain the growth of food. Wick watering is done by simply running material from the clay-based growth media and fertilizer, down through a drainage hole and into a reservoir of water. As the soil in the pot dries, the wick draws water from the reservoir and rehydrates the plant. As each garden is plumbed into the station, refilling the water reservoir is not required to maintain each garden.

7.4: Water Recycling Plant

Chesterfield Stations water recycling plant is a simple system of a pressurized storage tank water supply that is distributed to the crew for drinking and food rehydration via a water dispenser. The water dispenser is designed to be compact and modular, which allows for the option to upgrade with an adapter kit to interface it with water storage bags. This offers mass and volume savings of water storage tanks, pressure tanks, and avoids the duplication of a water dispenser.