| AVS 66th International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Vacuum Technology Division | Monday Sessions |
| Session VT-MoA |
| Session: | Gas Dynamics, Surface Science for Accelerators, and Ultra-Clean Vacuum Systems |
| Presenter: | Maxwell Martin, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology |
| Authors: | M.G. Martin, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology A.T. Wong, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology W.A. Hoey, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology J.M. Alred, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology P.A. Boeder, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology C.E. Soares, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
As space exploration missions continue to develop and implement increasingly sensitive instruments and incorporate advanced detection capabilities for organics, contamination control protocols have necessarily evolved in their sophistication and stringency. Monitoring spacecraft hardware as it undergoes environmental testing requires high-precision measurements in thermal vacuum chambers. With increased sensitivity of instruments and missions, the traditional use of witness plates and solvent swabs is insufficient to characterize both chamber background, and the induced environment of the system being tested and the associated ground-support equipment. Quartz crystal microbalances (QCMs) are required to conduct in situ monitoring of hardware outgassing rates. QCMs are sensitive to thermal and mechanical perturbations; therefore, within an environmental testing facility, as-collected QCM data requires post-processing for signal noise due to instrumentation sensitivity, and uncertainties in data analysis. Insertion and removal of hardware into chambers introduces ambient atmosphere to the vacuum systems, providing additional sources of measurement uncertainty, particularly as relates to the collection and interpretation of pre-test chamber backgrounds. In an effort to support the next generation of space exploration, the Contamination Control team at JPL is implementing upgrades in systematic data analysis, thermal vacuum chamber operations, and instrumentation selection for use in spacecraft hardware environmental testing. These advancements in environmental test chamber monitoring support JPL’s current portfolio of space exploration missions, and challenging mission science objectives.