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Final cryogenic performance report for the NASA Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE)The cryogenic operation of NASA's Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) ended on September 21, 1990, with the depletion of the liquid helium cryogen. The COBE had successfully completed more than 10 months of dewar and instrument operation. We report on the cryogenic performance of the COBE dewar and of the two cryogenic instruments throughout the mission lifetime. We discuss the steady state dewar performance, and the dewar and instrument response to a variety of transient thermal phenomena, including external radiation (from the earth and the sun) and instrument power variation. We present the effectiveness of using approximate mass gauging techniques in determining the liquid helium content. Finally we discuss the dewar behavior during the depletion of the helium, and the expected thermal performance of the dewar cryogen tank and the cryogenic instruments as they approach final thermal equilibrium.
Document ID
19930064641
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Volz, S. M.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Dipirro, M. J.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Castles, S. H.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Ryschkewitsch, M. G.
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Hopkins, R.
(Ball Electro-Optics/Cryogenics Div. Boulder, CO, United States)
Date Acquired
August 16, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1991
Publication Information
Publication: In: Advances in cryogenic engineering. Vol. 37B - Proceedings of the 1991 Cryogenic Engineering Conference, Univ. of Alabama, Huntsville, June 11-14, 1991 (A93-48578 20-37)
Publisher: Plenum Press
Subject Category
Engineering (General)
Accession Number
93A48638
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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