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Flight Test Results for the NICMOS CryocoolerIn October 1998 a mechanical cryocooler and cryogenic circulator loop were flown on NASA's STS-95 as part of the Hubble Orbital System Test (HOST). The system will be installed on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) during Service Mission #3 in 2000 and will provide cooling to the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS). It will extend the useful life of that instrument by 5 to 10 years. This was the first successful space demonstration of a turbobrayton cryocooler. The cooler is a single stage reverse Brayton type, using low-vibration high-speed miniature turbomachines for the compression and expansion functions. A miniature centrifugal cryogenic circulator is used to deliver refrigerated neon to the instrument. During the mission, the cooler operated without anomalies for approximately 185 hours over a range of conditions to verify its mechanical, thermodynamic and control functions. The cryocooler satisfied all mission objectives including maximum cooldown to near-design operating conditions, warm and cold starts and stops, operation at near-design temperatures, and demonstration of long-term temperature stability. This paper presents a description of the cooler and its operation during the HOST flight.
Document ID
19990070924
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Dolan, F. X.
(Creare, Inc. Hanover, NH United States)
McCormick, J. A.
(Creare, Inc. Hanover, NH United States)
Nellis, G. F.
(Creare, Inc. Hanover, NH United States)
Sixsmith, H.
(Creare, Inc. Hanover, NH United States)
Swift, W. L.
(Creare, Inc. Hanover, NH United States)
Date Acquired
August 19, 2013
Publication Date
June 1, 1999
Subject Category
Engineering (General)
Report/Patent Number
TN-602
Meeting Information
Meeting: Cryogenic Engineering
Location: Montreal
Country: Canada
Start Date: July 1, 1999
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAS5-31281
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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