The Power Systems Facility (PSF) was initially constructed in the 1980s to test space station hardware. Over thirty years later, the facility remains the focal point of power systems research and provides the capability for remote operation of space station experiments from NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC). For more history of the PSF, see how Glenn’s Power System Facility Has Supported Station Research for Decades.
The PSF houses testbeds where scientists and engineers verify critical design concepts, test prototype hardware and software, and validate systems in real-time simulations under actual loading and operating conditions.
The PSF offers the capability for test and development of spacecraft power sources, spacecraft communication systems, and power management and distribution hardware and software. The PSF provides an exceptional platform to not only test and verify today’s space power systems, but also to design, develop, and test components and systems for new technologies.
The facility serves many purposes ranging from aeronautics and space power systems technology development in the ambient laboratories to qualification and acceptance testing of spaceflight hardware in the high bay cleanroom. The PSF is also home to the Glenn Research Center (GRC) International Space Station (ISS) Payload Operations Center (GIPOC) , formerly called the Telescience Support Center (TSC) for on-orbit operations of space experiments.
Recent examples of projects that have benefitted from PSF include the Orion Project, which through the build-up and testing of an Orion capsule and service module power system, key decisions were made on the spacecraft bus voltage. Additionally, the PSF is home to the Radioisotope Stirling Integration Laboratory (RSIL), which was constructed to verify and validate the avionics and control for a Stirling power conversion system, used in conjunction with a radioisotope source for deep space unmanned missions. Enabling a capability for hardware and software integration, the Modular Power Testbed and the Autonomous Power Control Lab are able to demonstrate critical technology for human missions to Mars and perform cross-center tests of the simulations and control algorithms with the NASA Ames Research Center and the NASA Johnson Space Center through the Space Network Research Federation (SNRF).
The PSF is a hidden gem at GRC as it is home to a breadth and depth of power systems testing, ranging from low Technical Readiness Level (TRL) research and proof-of-concept, to mid-TRL technology maturation, all the way through flight and operations within the high bay and TSC. Over the years, PSF has provided support to all of NASA’s mission directorates, including the development of power technologies for the Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology (RVLT) Project and the assembly of Spacecraft Fire Safety (SAFFIRE) experiments in the high bay. An adjacent solar array field provides 960 solar cell modules to power system hardware during testing. Today, PSF continues to build upon its legacy that began with space station power system, infusing new technologies and ideas into projects and programs and leveraging its highly skilled and experienced workforce at NASA GRC
