Industry Related News: United States – August, 2021:
Psyche, an asteroid located in one of the largest asteroid belts between Jupiter and Mars, could hold secrets to the development of planets. This specific asteroid contains a large amount of iron and nickel, and NASA believes it could be the start of a future planet. With this knowledge, NASA set out to build a craft that could explore the asteroid and uncover any secrets it may be hiding.
With any NASA project, a thermal test chamber is often used to ensure that the technology can withstand the harsh environments of space. This situation proved no different, as once the spacecraft (also named Psyche) leaves earth, it won’t be returning for over 21 months. With the launch set for August of next year, thorough tests in a thermal test chamber are critical during preparation. While many initial tests have already taken place, trials in the thermal test chamber will be held off until the entire spacecraft is assembled. Once the craft is complete, it will be relocated to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s massive thermal test chamber. This chamber serves to replicate the conditions of space with extremely high and low temperatures. In this chamber, scientists will begin extreme tests to ensure that the craft can survive and fulfill its purpose once outside of the atmosphere. In the thermal test chamber, engineers plan to test a variety of factors. Beyond just ensuring the spacecraft can withstand the harsh environments of deep space, they also will test the craft’s ability to use its electric propulsion system and communicate with earth. If either were to fail, this multi-million dollar craft would be lost in space and ultimately be a waste of time and money. Additionally, the craft will be attached to a large shaker table to accurately simulate launch conditions while in the chamber. Without a thermal test chamber, many of NASA’s projects would be full of uncertainty and failure.
The hope is that by spring of 2022, the finished spacecraft will be sent to the Kennedy Space Center and be launched just a few months later, reaching the asteroid sometime in 2026. NASA’s scientists and engineers are excited by this promising opportunity to learn more about how planets, including ours, came to be.
jpl.nasa.gov, “One Year Out: NASA’s Psyche Mission Moves Closer to Launch“ jpl.nasa.gov, 24 August 2021, Accessed 26 August 2021.
ABOUT KHOURY INDUSTRIES
Khoury Industries is a worldwide leader in temperature testing equipment for device characterization, thermal cycling equipment, and failure analysis. Khoury Industries designs and manufactures custom thermal testing chambers and microwave thermal testing fixtures used in a variety of industries including: military, space, automotive, medical, research, and communication fields. The Khoury Box and the patented ELI-1000 have quickly become industry favorites as thermal testing devices used to ensure the reliability of industrial and electronic products through prolonged exposure to extreme conditions.
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Penny Aicardi
Khoury Industries
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Bellingham, MA 02019
sales@khouryindustries.com
