A6061-RAM2 is a new aluminum alloy developed specifically for additive manufacturing (AM) that achieves mechanical properties comparable to wrought 6061-T6 — a capability that has eluded conventional AM processes for decades. Developed by Elementum 3D using Reactive Additive Manufacturing (RAM) technology and matured by NASA… Read more
A good question came up recently regarding the practical design of a satellite bus panel for low random vibration response. The concern was not simply whether the panel is strong enough, but whether the panel can be designed so that mounted components see a lower… Read more
As NASA’s Artemis program and international space agencies transition from short-duration sorties to a sustained human presence on the Moon, mission planners and structural engineers must confront a mechanical hazard that received little attention during the Apollo era: lunar seismicity. The Moon is not a… Read more
The Modal Truncation Problem Any mode-based dynamic analysis—whether a frequency response sweep, random vibration PSD solve, response spectrum analysis, or transient modal superposition—retains only a finite number of modes. In a finite element model with $N$ degrees of freedom (DOFs), there are technically $N$ natural… Read more
A recurring question in random vibration analysis is: How do we determine the relative displacement between two points when the structure is subjected to a Power Spectral Density (PSD) excitation? This quantity is often far more critical than the absolute response. Connector pin engagement, cable… Read more
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has passed its final major prelaunch environmental tests at Goddard Space Flight Center. The test sequence included electromagnetic compatibility, vibration, and acoustic testing. These are the kinds of tests that determine whether a large precision observatory can survive launch… Read more
NASA released Revision B of NASA-STD-5002, Load Analyses of Spacecraft and Payloads, on March 10, 2026. The standard supersedes NASA-STD-5002A and defines accepted NASA practices and requirements for load analyses used in the design, development, verification, and testing of spacecraft and payload structures. Although the… Read more
Figure 1. Space Shuttle Orbiter Ku-band Antenna Introduction Mechanical vibration is usually undesirable in a structure because it can lead to fatigue and other types of failures. Vibration does have its beneficial uses, however. For example, dither vibration was used to ensure that the Space… Read more
This is a work-in-progress. Here are some slide presentation with an emphasis on launch vehicles. Equivalent Static Loads for Random Vibration & Alternate Link Damping & Isolation & Alternate Link Liftoff Vibroacoustics & Alternate Link Ascent Vibroacoustics & Alternate Link Launch Vehicle Pogo, Combustion Instability… Read more
NASA SP-8072 Acoustics Loads Generate by the Propulsion System (Alternate SP-8072 link) The liftoff analysis has been added to the GUI package at: Vibrationdata Matlab GUI The function can be accessed via: >> vibrationdata > Miscellaneous Functions I > Acoustics Vibroacoustics & SEA > acoustics >… Read more