configuration of the NEA. The spherical bearing in the development NEA was only press fit and not swaged  in place. Swaging was skipped to allow quicker delivery of the NEAs, but skipping this critical process  allowed the bearing slide out of the housing during the test. Even without the swage, the press fit bearing  should not have moved without being subjected to extremely high side loads, which was overlooked in the  test article assessment. As a result, the bearing was pressed back into place and development testing  resumed.   The secondary release qualification test is conducted at the worst case cold temperature in a vacuum and  performed with a large load applied to the Latch pawl, which simulate the worst-case condition for operation  of the mechanism on-orbit. For the development test, however, it was determined that the test would be  conducted at ambient conditions. During the test, the mechanism is not directly observable and instead itis  monitored using sensors. A position sensor mounted on the load attached to the Capture Latch pawl  provides confirmation that the Latch has released and current monitoring on the NEA activation circuit  confirms the proper application of current/voltage to the NEA.   After the NEA was activated, the mechanism failed to release which would have been evident by the sound  of the dropping counterweight and data from the position sensor.    Development Test Failure Investigation Summary  The test setup was inspected to be sure the correct electrical signal was passed to the NEA and shown to  be correct. A continuity measurement on the NEA electrical leads indicated an open circuit, consistent with  an activated NEA. The hardware was inspected but no signs of debris or other jamming was evident  indicating a potential jam inside the secondary release mechanism. The hardware would need to be  unloaded and removed from the fixture prior to further investigation, but prior to removal, after approximately  24 hours, the mechanism inadvertently released. The release occurred while the wires leading to the NEA  were being inspected for damage or breaks.  After the NEA released, the unit was  again inspected for any debris or other  explanation for the delayed release. The  capture latch was then removed from the  fixture for additional investigation. The  secondary release mechanism of the  capture latch and the NEA were  disassembled and inspected for debris or  evidence of jamming. All inspections  were performed using visual inspections  only aided with simple magnification. No  explanation for the jamming was  discerned. The portions of the secondary  release mechanism that reside in the  capture latch housing were also  inspected (without disassembly). That  portion of the mechanism was free  moving and showed no evidence of  jamming.  Troubleshooting was performed using shop aids to simulate the secondary release mechanism to validate  that the latch functioned properly. Ultimately, a new NEA was installed in the Capture Latch and activated  in a test resulting in the mechanism functioning nominally. No satisfactory explanation for the failure was  identified during the investigation. After review with the NDS Program, the failure was deemed an  unexplained anomaly. Three potential causes for the failure were identified: 1. NEA damaged during  environmental testing resulting in failure to release, 2. NEA failed to release due to manufacturing error  caused by use of development processes for assembly, and 3. NEA failed to release due to  Figure 7. Qualification Capture Latch in CCLR Test Setup  NASA/CP—2018-219887 493