38 AEROSPACEMANUFACTURING
SOFTWARE I DSSP TECHNOLOGY
ENSURING
SHUTTLE SAFETY
S
pace travel will always be a gamble, “The process of capturing and digitally
but new approaches to safety such recreating tiles for the shuttle starts with
as the use of digital shape sampling a Neptec scanner mounted on a 50 foot
and processing (DSSP) technology are long extension of Discovery’s robot arm,”
tilting the odds in NASA’s favour. explains Rob Black, an Engineer and
While acknowledging risk, NASA Account Executive in charge of NASA
has made major leaps forward since projects for Geomagic, Inc. “Neptec’s
the Columbia disaster in 2003 to make laser camera system uses a synchronised
space travel safer. One of the biggest scanning technique patented by the
areas of improvement is using DSSP to National Research Council of Canada.
detect, assess, and repair if necessary,
Neptec scanner | Mounted on a 50 foot long extension
According to Neptec, it can detect a crack
tile damage caused by foam particles
of Discovery’s robot arm
as small as 0.5 mm wide from as far away
dislodged from the shuttle and by other as 4 metres. Unlike traditional cameras,
flying debris during the flight. an integral part of NASA’s safety strategy. it can operate without available light – a
Heat-resistant ceramic tiles that cover Geomagic Studio software provides major consideration in space, where the
the underside of the shuttle fleet are part the central technologies for NASA’s sun rises and sets 16 times a day.”
of the thermal protection system that implementation of DSSP. The software As the shuttle nears the space
shields it and its astronauts from the is used by major aerospace, automotive station for rendezvous, it rolls over to
1275ºC heat faced during re-entry into and consumer products manufacturers expose its underside. Video surveys and
Earth’s atmosphere. worldwide to digitally recreate complex detailed 3D scanning inspections are
DSSP, the process of automatically physical objects for mass customisation, conducted during the approach and
transforming physical objects into for more accurate analysis and simulation docking to determine damage to the tiles
accurate 3D digital models, was and for digital archiving. NASA uses underneath the wings. Tile damage is
implemented for the first time at NASA Geomagic Studio to automatically part of space travel: 2D video can pick
during August 2005, for the initial process 3D data collected from a scanner up some of it, but the details are only
Discovery mission. It has since become while the shuttle is in flight. discernible through 3D analysis.
Scan data from the Neptec system
What is DSSP? is transmitted to NASA’s Johnson
DSSP is a category name that encompasses the convergence of multiple technology Space Centre in Houston, Texas, where
advances. It describes the ability to use scanning hardware and processing software to Geomagic Studio is used to process the
digitally capture physical objects and automatically create accurate 3D digital models data and to create a 3D digital model
with associated structural properties for design, engineering, inspection and custom of damaged tiles through patented
manufacturing. DSSP has evolved as a result of several technology areas that have algorithms that speed surface generation
matured over the last decade, including optical 3D scanning, reverse engineering, and ensure quality
computer-aided inspection, and geometry processing. The demands within these for highly detailed
areas have led naturally to integrated DSSP solution offerings. models.
DSSP requires two essential components: scanner hardware to capture point Says Mr Black:
data, and software to process point data into useful digital results. “Because of its
Gathering millions of points of data has little or no value, of course, unless high level of
the data can be processed easily into digital models with the quality needed for
downstream applications. That’s where software plays a critical role.
DSSP bridges the gap between the point domain of measurement and the shape Tiles | Captured and
domain of design.
digitally recreated
AM_jul07_p38,39_software.indd 38 28/6/07 15:19:08
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