scope:

Abstract:

Due to the formation of a "hydraulic deadband," MPL solar panels "flopped" when deployed following thermal vacuum test. Sustained exposure to full or partial vacuum may create bubbles in viscous damping fluids. To varying degrees, all viscous dampers are believed to be subject to bubble formation. Early in-flight deployment may reduce the risk of deadband formation in viscous fluid dampers and of subsequent structural and electrical damage. During hardware design and deployment sequence planning, consider the impact of bubble formation upon damper deadband characteristics and the effect on deployment loads and dynamics.