ISO 17851, “Space systems – Space environment simulation for material tests – General principles and criteria,” has just been released. It’s one of many new aerospace standards released by the ISO TC 20, the ISO committee for aircraft and space standards. It’s available now from Document Center Inc. in a variety of formats.
The ISO TC20 and it’s many subcommittees have been busy of late. Reasons for this are the consolidation of many parts of the industry due to the high cost of space exploration. Commercialization in the near-earth space is a factor. New spacecraft design work and the use of new materials like nanomaterials plays a role. And relatively new players like China are pushing for the development of these standards as well.
ISO 17851 provides you with a methodology for forecasting material durability. This is a highly complex task, using ground tests and mathematical modelling. You’ll have to choose the set of space environment components that matches the space region your material will be in. You’ll need to select the physical and chemical process that will cause that material to degrade. You’ll need to prepare for space environment impact. And you’ll need to correctly forecast the spacecraft lifetime for various space regions that your material will be exposed to.
Why use a standard like ISO 17851? This standard is a general description of the components that make up the environments that affect space crafts. It describes the methodology to use in selecting these components and their characteristics during testing. And it shows you how to determine the general principles and criteria for tests.
The document will show you the role of existing space material standard tests. You’ll get a better understanding of how existing standards can work together. And you will have a way to determine if you need specific test types that are not standardized yet.
When should you be using ISO 17851? It’s intended to be a reference document used during spacecraft design, when forecasting spacecraft lifetime, when conducting ground-based tests, and for analyzing changes in material properties during operation.
If you need this new standard, order it at the Document Center Inc. webstore, www.document-center.com. Here is a direct link to the ISO 17851 order page for your convenience. It’s available to order online in paper format or for pdf download. If you’d rather get enterprise access for this and other ISO standards, reach out to our staff for more information. We can be reached by phone (650-591-7600) and email (info@document-center.com). We’ve been working with standards and the aerospace industry since 1982. Make us your Standards Experts!
