APPLICATIONS

MSC Nastran and MSC Adams Eliminate the Need for Physical Testing of Probes in the Historic 5-Satellite Simultaneous Deployment Occurring From a Single Launch Vehicle: MSC.Software today announced that Swales Aerospace successfully utilized MSC Nastran and MSC Adams to eliminate the need for system level deployment testing in the design and development of the NASA satellite constellation THEMIS (Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms) Probe Bus & Probe Carrier. MSC.Software solutions were used extensively, playing a critical role in the development and validation of THEMIS. This historic launch marked the first-ever simultaneous deployment of five NASA satellites from a single launch vehicle. "MSC.Software modeling tools were used extensively to validate the Probe Bus deployment clearances analysis," said Michael Cully, THEMIS program manager for Swales Aerospace. "These tools were a critical element in solving a difficult problem and allowing Swales to optimize design. These tools served as the only means of validating that the design met all critical clearance requirements, as a system deployment test of all the Probes on the Probe carrier was not possible." NASA MIDEX Mission THEMIS provides answers to critical questions about the origin and phenomenology of solar and Earth magnetospheric interaction, the resultant electrical substorms, effects on space weather, disruptions in ground power grids, and communications. These affect the operation of other space satellites and the lives of humans in the sub-auroral regions of earth. "The THEMIS launch is a perfect example of MSC.Software solutions allowing for accuracy of design in mission-critical environments," said Bill Weyand, chief executive officer of MSC.Software. "We are excited that our solutions continually play such a crucial role in historic space events."