METAL HYDRIDES FOR INTEGRATION OF SPACECRAFT HYDROGEN RESOURCES

THE TECHNICAL OBJECTIVE OF THE PHASE I EFFORT IS TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF USING METAL HYDRIDE SUBSYSTEMS TO INTEGRATE COMMON SPACECRAFT RESOURCES. THIS WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED BY DEVELOPING A REALISTIC SET OF DESIGN DATA CHARACTERIZING THE POTENTIAL USE OF METAL HYDRIDE SYSTEMS IN SPACE. THIS DATA WILL BE GENERATED BY AN APPROACH WHICH WILL IDENTIFY AND CATALOGUE THE THERMAL SYSTEMS AND EQUIPMENT DESIGNS WHICH PRESENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROVIDING HEAT COLLECTION AND HEAT REJECTION FOR CANDIDATE HYDRIDE CYCLES. THE RESULTS WILL THEN BE MERGED WITH HYDRIDE SYSTEM DESIGN DATA AND EVALUATED IN SUFFICIENT DETAIL DETAIL TO ALLOW DETERMINATION OF TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY AND OVERALL DESIRABILITY OF USING HYDRIDE SYSTEMS TO INTEGRATE THE MAJOR SPACECRAFT RESOURCE, HYDROGEN.