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Cryogenic Cooling of the F.I.R.ST. Payload
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Abstract
The European Space Agency Far Infra-Red and Sub-millimeter Space Telescope (FIRST) is one of the four designated “Cornerstone” missions in the long term science plan “Horizon 2000”. FIRST is intended to open up the last major part of the electromagnetic spectrum, the sub-millimeter and far infra-red range, which is still mainly inaccessible to observational astronomers.
In 1992 an industrial consortium led by Dornier was tasked with developing a spacecraft concept for a payload comprising one Far Infra-Red (FIR) direct detection instrument and one Multi-Frequency Heterodyne (MFH) instrument.
In order to minimise the launch mass, a mechanically cooled concept was proposed in which the payload is cooled to 4K using the range of mechanical coolers originally developed by the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) and industrialised by jointly funded ESA/BAe contracts. Cooling below 4K (down to 0.15K) required for the FIR instrument detectors is provided as part of the instrument by a Benoit Helium Dilution Refrigerator.
This paper describes the concept development of the FIRST Cryogenic Cooling Sub-system and addresses the problems associated with the integration of such a complex cooling system and the proposed solutions.
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Scull, S. and Batchelor, M., "Cryogenic Cooling of the F.I.R.ST. Payload," SAE Technical Paper 941624, 1994, https://doi.org/10.4271/941624.Also In
References
- Scull S.R. Jewell C. Pre-Qualification Level Testing of an 80K Stirling Cycle Cooler BAe Space Systems Ltd - 4th European Symposium on Space Environmental and Control Systems October 1991
- Ross R.G. Johnson D.L. Sugimura R.S. Characterisation of Miniature Stirling Cycle Cryocoolers for Space Applications 4th International Cryo Cooler Conference Plymouth, Massachusetts October 1990
- Kotsubo V. Johnson D.L. Ross R.G. Cold-Tip Off-State Conduction Loss of Miniature Stirling Cycle Cryocoolers 1991 Cryogenic Engineering Conference Huntsville, Alabama June 1991
- Kotsubo V.Y Johnson D.L. Ross R.G. Calorimetric Thermal Vacuum Performance Characterisation of the BAe 80K Space Cryocooler 27th lntersociety Energy Conversion Engineering Conference San Diego, California August 1992
- Jones B.G. Peddle R.C. Long Life Stirling Cycle Cooler Developments for the Space Application Range of 20 to 80K 7th International Cryocooler Conference Santa Fe, New Mexico November 1992
- Benoit A. Pujol S. Project for a Low Temperature Dilution Refrigerator Pre-Cooled with a Cryogenerator
- Jones B.G. Ramsay D.W. Qualification of a 4K Mechanical Cooler for Space Applications The 5th European Symposium on Space Environmental Control Systems Friedrichshafen, Germany June 1994