NASA says modeling workflow saves months in rocket stress analysis

NASA says a standardized workflow for simulating rocket and spacecraft stresses has saved months by letting engineers run analyses independently instead of waiting for reports or data. Engineers at Kennedy Space Center adapted commercial software to model how structures respond to shock and vibration. The team first used the workflow while certifying a commercial launch provider's rocket for a NASA mission. The provider supplied vibration testing but no shock testing. Engineers used their template to compare scenarios, verify vibration results and identify risks from shocks during transport. The method breaks structures into smaller components to calculate their response to forces.