OVERVIEW The X-38 vehicle was a NASA-funded project intended to be a precursor to the crew return vehicle for the International Space Station. The primary purpose of this vehicle was to serve as an emergency lifeboat for the astronauts. Orbital ATK (formerly Composite Optics, Inc.) was contracted to design, analyze, fabricate, and test the X-38 Deorbit Propulsion Stage (DPS) structure. The DPS did not only need to support the propellant tanks but also served as the vehicle chassis within the shuttle cargo bay. ATA supported Orbital ATK throughout the detailed design analysis of the X-38 DPS Forward Structural Adapter structure and provided engineering support for the static load test. TASKS PERFORMED & KEY OUTCOMES h Updated the system finite element model (FEM) of the structure t

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