Thermal Balance Test of the PAMELA Telescope

This paper describes the Thermal Balance test that has been performed on the PAMELA telescope Pressurized Container (PC) to verify the performance of the PC Thermal Control System (TCS). The PC will be attached outside the Russian satellite RESOURS DK to be flown in2004

The thermal control system of the PAMELA PC is based on a mechanical pumped loop fed with Isooctane as working fluid.

The test has been performed with PAMELA Structural Thermal Model (STM) inside the PC to have representative interfaces for the thermal control system. Simulation of close-to-real flight environmental heat loads have been accomplished in a vacuum chamber by means of a complex system of IR lamps suitably oriented toward the PC and mechanically mounted on a tubular structure outside the PC.

Overall test results have been excellent; PAMELA thermal control system thermal/fluidic requested performance have been verified. PAMELA telescope thermal interfaces have been confirmed as well.