Pyrotechnic shock measurement and data analysis requirements

An investigation is described into the laboratory measurement and analysis of pyrotechnic shock which was prompted at JPL when two separate facilities generated discrepant pyrotechnic shock data while testing Mariner Jupiter/Saturn 1977 spacecraft hardware. Both of the testing facilities were surveyed. The only difference noted was in the FM tape recorders used to record the data. One facility used a tape recorder operating at 60 in./sec with a frequency response of 20 kHz; the other used a tape recorder operating at 120 in./sec with a frequency response of 80 kHz. The accelerometers, cables, charge amplifiers, and mechanical setups were identical.