MSSL have comprehensive thermal vacuum and cryogenic vacuum facilities used for qualification and acceptance testing of flight hardware.
The MSSL 20 Kelvin vacuum cryostat is a multi shroud design.
The vacuum cryostat is 900 mm long by 600 mm diameter and comprises of:
- Outer stainless steel (type 304) chamber
- An outer electroless nickel plated aluminium chamber
- An outer G10 chamber
- An inner electroless nickel plated aluminium chamber
- An inner G10 chamber
- An electroless nickel coated aluminium chamber which houses the flight hardware
- A pulse cooler with extended cold head
- A single piece construction gold coated copper strap which acts as an interface between the pulse cooler cold head and the instrument mounting base
- An inner and outer beam CaF2 input/output window system designed to minimise the external environment influences
ÌýThis type of chamber design allows for efficient thermal de-coupling of the external environment to the flight harware instrument mounted in the cryostat.
Specification
Dimensions:Ìý1m diameter by 1.1m long.
Hardware mounting area:Ìý0.4m diameter by 0.6m height
Base vacuum pressure:Ìý5 x 10-5Ìý³¾µþ²¹°ù.
Temperature range:Ìý20K to 360K
Temperature control:ÌýClosed loop PID control, +0.2K -0.2K.
Temperature measurement:ÌýEight Cernox sensors.
Temperature and pressure logging:Ìý8 channel plus pressure logging, user set logging interval.
Electrical feedthroughs:ÌýVarious Micro D-Sub connectors