Evaluation of the design and range safety standards for aerospace pressurized vessels and systems

Abstract

The following paper describes a Matra Marconi Space study, to try to determine, and understand, the differences between the design and safety standards for aerospace pressurised vessels and systems, in terms of errors, conflicts, omissions, and general philosophy which is required if the regulations are to have the same overall requirements between ranges and countries. All of the standards, for design safety, which are already in existence, or in the process of being written, have been rigorously examined and comparisons have been made, where there are important implications for the spacecraft manufacturer. Where appropriate, the related concerns for the Ground Safety Standards for Cape Canaveral, Vandenberg, French Guiana, Japan, and the Space Shuttle have been included. The first part of the paper, compares the various regulations, in detail; the second part describes the consequences on the design, development and test of pressure vessels for spacecraft use. The interest of Matra Marconi Space to carry out such an investigation, derives from the need to design and produce various types of pressure vessels for use in telecommunications satellites.