NASA flight cell and battery issues

The author presents the important battery and cell problems, encompassing both test failures and accidents, which were encountered during the past year. Practical issues facing programs, which have to be considered in the development of a battery program strategy, are addressed. The problems of one program, the GRO (gamma ray observatory), are focused on to illustrate the fundamental types of battery problems that occur. Problems encountered by other programs are briefly mentioned to complete the accounting. Two major categories of issues are defined, namely, those which are quality and design related, i.e. problems having inherent manufacturing-process-related aspects with an impact on cell reliability, and those which are accident triggered or man induced, i.e. those operational issues having an impact on battery and cell reliability