Modal Survey Test Facility

The modal survey test facility provides the capability to define the dynamic structural characteristics of a spacecraft. The dynamic characteristics are in the form of natural frequencies, damping ratios, and modal deformation patterns. The primary use of these data are for refining and validating the stiffness and mass matrices of a computer model of the structure. After the data are acquired and analyzed, an image of the spacecraft on the computer screen can be animated to allow visualization of one or more vibration modes of the structure.