Microgravity Environment Compatibility of Payloads Analytical Concepts and Verification

The ESA study “Microgravity Payload Disturbances” has the general objective to work out and define a guideline for the design and development and the verification of payloads/experiments with respect to adequate and appropriate microgravity environment compatibility.

The guideline shall be made available to the payload contractors and designers as a reference for their planning, design, development, operation and verification of the compatibility of their equipment with the microgravity environment conditions.

The aim of the guideline is to establish a comprehensive payload design compliant with the stringent microgravity environment requirements. Therefore the paper addresses the description of computational models for the payload disturbance sources which are classified into rotational, translational, acoustical and shock type disturbance sources. The description of these sources includes a suitable interface to the payload and spacecraft. In addition an onground micro-g disturbance source test facility to provide the payload/experiment developers with a tool to verify the compliance of the design with the requirements on component and instrument level, is defined and evaluated.