4.8. Subsystem Tests and Testing—Notable Anomalies and Lessons Learned
Every spacecraft development has unique challenges; the development within New Horizons was no different. Here are three examples of some of those challenges that arose during the development of the New Horizons spacecraft. In the first two cases, extra checks designed into the circuits saved the equipment from harm during subsystem test.
Shunt Installation Anomaly—A shunt regulator (i.e., big resistor) must load the RTG to draw down the voltage from 50 V to 30 V during subsystem tests. The team designed the GSE to limit over-voltage at 35V and they specified and designed the instruments to survive any input voltage from 0 V to 40 V. During I&T a shunt was accidentally not ...
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