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An extensive study of liquid propellant rocket engine test and flight history data has produced methods for advanced health monitoring currently under development for application to the Advanced Shuttle, National Aero-Space Plane, and other future propulsion systems. Advanced Health Monitoring is a systematic approach to instrumentation design and development, signal processing, and knowledge-based strategies to infer the operating status of any engine component or system. Properly implemented, Advanced Health Monitoring increases safety and the probability of mission success, significantly reduces turnaround time and maintenance cost, prolongs component life and reduces life-cycle cost.

Significant improvements in propulsion system hardware reliability, life, and safety, with associated reductions in life cycle cost and maintenance turnaround time can be realized by implementing Advanced Condition Monitoring (ACM) methods and technologies. The strategy of ACM systems is to use novel technologies to continuously monitor critical system components during operation to provide in situ, noncontacting measurements of component degradation. When used in conjunction with dedicated electronics and knowledge-based systems, diagnosis of component failure modes and prognosis of remaining useful life can be automatically provided without time-consuming disassembly and manual inspection. Such a system can keep users informed of upcoming maintenance requirements and system availability. The need for scheduled maintenance of monitored components is eliminated while component maintenance, provided well in advance of problems affecting safety or performance, is ensured.