Wednesday, 9 March 2011

Thermal Characterisation Testing Completed



The thermal characterisation testing in vacuum has been successfully completed. The heater was bonded to the structure on 7th March, along with thermocouples to measure the temperature variation before and after the interface. The vacuum test was performed in ambient temperatures and has produced results which closely match predictions.

Tuesday, 1 March 2011

Thermal Characterisation Testing Scheduled

Scott Morgan and the platform team have been putting in a lot of work to prepare for Thermal Characterisation Testing of the cubesat hardware for the beginning of March. This testing is planned to commence on March 4th. A small vacuum chamber has been identified and the testing equipment is currently being sourced. The aim of the testing is to increase the knowledge of the thermal conductive coupling between one panel of the cubesat and another. This is very important for predicting the thermal gradients between the cubesat external panels facing the sun and those in shadow.