Upgrade of the Goddard Space Flight Center's Mass Properties Measuring Facility

Goddard Space Flight Center has a Mass Properties Measuring Facility (MPMF), which is used to measure weight, center of gravity, moment of inertia, and product of inertia of satellites and space flight hardware. The system was originally purchased more than 30 years ago. While the MPMF was still in good mechanical condition, the measurement and control subsystem had begun to experience more frequent component failures. Many of the outdated, discrete components in the system are no longer available for replacement. A decision was made to upgrade the measurement and control subsystem of the MPMF to improve its reliability and reduce the chance of component failures leading to extended facility outages. This paper will describe details of the upgraded subsystems and summarize the new performance capabilities of the system.