Goddard Engineering and Technology Directorate

Space Environment Simulator

PACE spacecraft being loaded into the Space Environment Simulator
PACE spacecraft being loaded into the Space Environment Simulator

Simulating the Vacuum and Temperature Extremes of Space

The Space Environment Simulator at Goddard Space Flight Center is a large, vertically oriented thermal vacuum chamber with an internal test volume of 27’ in diameter and 40’ in height.  The chamber dome is rolled back to allow for test articles to be lifted into the chamber from the main floor via crane, while chamber entry for personnel is located in the basement.

Initial pumpdown is achieved with a mechanical pumping system consisting of eight rotary piston pumps with Roots blowers and can bring the chamber pressure below 100 microns (0.1 Torr).  Once the initial pumpdown is complete, the high vacuum pumping system, consisting of 8 cryopumps and a turbomolecular pump, can bring the chamber pressure below 1 x 10-6 Torr.

The chamber shroud, and optionally the payload table, can be operated between -80° and +80° C and can also be flooded with liquid nitrogen to bring temperatures below -190° C.  A helium refrigeration system can be used for cooling a secondary internal shroud or cryopanels to 20° K.  Support for up to seven additional cryocircuits with either liquid nitrogen or gaseous nitrogen at temperatures between -150° and +150° C is also available, as well as support for over 150 heater circuits.

The data system includes over 1,000 thermocouple channels and records data every minute.  A Residual Gas Analyzer and Thermoelectric Quartz Crystal Microbalance are used for contamination monitoring purposes.  Additional capabilities can be provided in consultation with a Space Simulation Test Engineer.

The Space Environment Simulator is managed by ETD’s The Mechanical Systems Division (MSD). Contact MSD for more information.