Non-Destructive Evaluation Testing (NDE)
The NDE Laboratory offers traditional and novel NDE services and related engineering support to address custom challenges for a variety of customers, including NASA, U.S. Air Force, contractors at KSC, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Patrick Air Force Base, and others.
NDE services are performed in the laboratory and in situ to evaluate the quality and integrity of components, systems and structures related to facilities, ground support equipment, payloads and flight vehicles. NDE services are performed by certified personnel in accordance with NASA or contractor specifications or industry standards such as those of the American Society for Testing Materials, American Welding Society and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Capabilities / Services
- American Society for Nondestructive Testing and NASA STD-410 Level I, II, and III certifications
- NDE methods include:
- Visual inspection – remote inspections using bore scopes and fiber-optic systems, AWS certified weld inspection
- Magnetic particle inspection – visible and fluorescent particles, including dry and wet methods
- Dye penetrant inspections – visible and fluorescent methods
- Leak detection – bubble check, mass spectrometer, and ultrasonic
- Radiography – x-ray machine, radioisotope
- Ultrasonic inspection – flaw, high-resolution thickness
- Eddy current inspection – flaw detection, coating thickness and conductivity measurements
- Infrared testing (thermography) – qualitative
Accomplishments
- Conducted Orbital Tube Weld inspections using Digital Radiography (DR) for Boeing CST-100
- Conducted Dye Penetrant (PT) and Magnetic Particle Testing (MT) of steel girder assemblies to inspect for laminations on the Space Launch System Mobile Launcher
- Conducted Computed Tomography (CT) analysis of Orion COPVs with high velocity impacts
