PROPULSION TANK INTEGRATION

Narration: Gary Davis, Propulsion Lead

Transcript:
What we're going to see here is the lift of the SDO Propulsion Module Fuel Tank. This is the clean room in the background where we do all the integration of the subsystem to keep the inside of the propulsion system clean and this is the lifting sling that we use to lift the tank. The tank is lifted from a flange on its equator and we have three lifting points covered in white foam to protect the tank surface when we lift it. The tank is made out of titanium and the fuel tank is covered on the top half of the tank with aluminum tape to help spread out heat from its heaters, and the bottom half is covered in kapton tape. So we attach it and then we lift the tank, and we are lifting it into this piece of structure that is the cylinder. The tank is lowered slowly into the cylinder and there's not much clearance up where the equator of the tank is. So we lower it very slowly and carefully those last few inches to make sure that nothing is hitting. Then once the tank is mated down to the flange of the cylinder we attach it with bolts and nuts around the outside of the flange. This is the propellant control module that routes the distribution of the propellant from those tanks to the various thrusters on the main engine on the propulsion sub-system. It contains pyro-technic valves, pressure transducers and latch valves. Finally, this is the propulsion module, including the cylinder and the fuel tank on the very top.