Measured ground performance and predicted orbital performance of the superfluid helium dewar for the Cosmic Background ExplorerA critical component of the Cosmic Background Explorer observatory, which is to be lifted to orbit in 1988, is the 650-l superfluid He dewar housing a far-IR absolute spectrophotometer and a diffuse IR background experiment. Attention is presently given to the results of a four-month-long test program encompassing dewar filling verification, vibration characteristics, thermal performance over orbital lifetime, and aperture cover ejection behavior. No significant flaws have been noted; the orbital cryogen lifetime is projected to be 14 months.
Document ID
19870039392
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Hopkins, Richard A. (Ball Corp. Ball Aerospace Systems Div., Boulder, CO, United States)
Ryschkewitsch, M. G. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)