May 1, 2013

Design and Fabrication of a Microgravity Stowage System for a NASA Deep Space Habitat

UAH was one of five universities selected to participate in the 2013 Exploration Habitat (X-Hab) Academic Innovation Challenge led by NASA and the National Space Grant Foundation.

The X-Hab Academic Innovation Challenge 2013 teams are:

- California State Polytechnic University, Ponoma: Vertical Habitability Layout and Fabrication Studies
- Oklahoma State University: Deep Space Habitat, Horizontal Habitability Layout Studies
- Texas A&M University: Wireless Smart Plug for DC Power
- University of Alabama in Huntsville:

Design and Development of a Microgravity Random Access Stowage and Rack System
- University of Colorado at Boulder: Remote Plant Food Production Capability

The National Space Grant Foundation will fund the majority of the design costs, development and delivery of the systems to the AES Habitat Systems team during the summer of 2013. UAH's MAE Office, the dean of the College of Engineering the office of the Vice President of Research and the Alabama Space Grant Consortium have also provided generous financial support for the design effort.

The project was broken into two phases the design phase and the fabrication phase. Each phase lasting one semester beginning in the fall of 2012, The students had to consider all aspects of the design with detailed drawings, technical analysis, material and structural analysis, human factors, hazard and risk assessments, reliability and more.

The design has undergone a number of design reviews by NASA Marshal Space Flight Center, Johnson Space Center and the Jet propulsion Laboratory. The fabrication phase has teamed with Watring Technologies who bring space flight hardware expertise and manufacturing capability to the effort. Once complete the system will be installed in an X-Hab module at Marshall.

Each team member has performed exceptionally during the year. This experience has provided the students with critical and real-world space system design experience.

Presented by

UAH Design Team Students