Introduction & Application of SSC-S-016: Thermal Environmental Testing

Discipline: Thermal Control & Protection

Abstract:
This presentation introduces the technical foundations, intent, and application of SSC‑S‑016 thermal environmental testing requirements for space systems. Drawing on decades of data, mission experience, and standards evolution, the session explains how thermal environments are derived, how screening and performance verification tests are structured, and why temperature margins, cycle counts, and survival demonstrations are essential for ensuring spacecraft reliability. Through clear rationale, historical context, and hardware‑level examples, the presentation provides engineers and program leaders with a deeper understanding of the test philosophy behind SSC‑S‑016 and its role in strengthening mission assurance across unit, subsystem, and vehicle-level thermal testing.

About the Speaker:
John W. Welch is a Principal Engineer at The Aerospace Corporation in El Segundo, CA. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Washington. His expertise includes thermal testing and spacecraft thermal design development. He is the principal author of thermal testing requirements in SSC(SMC)-S-016 and MIL-STD-1540. He has written papers on thermal testing and taught courses on the subject through AIAA and UCLA. He is the author of the Thermal Testing chapters in the Spacecraft Thermal Control Handbook and the Satellite Thermal Control Handbook.