Space seeker motion test method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11738892-B2
Application number	US-202017135363-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2020
Priority date	Dec 28, 2020
Publication date	Aug 29, 2023
Grant date	Aug 29, 2023

Abstract

A space seeker motion test system comprises a rough vacuum chamber including a space seeker holding fixture, a space chamber including a target to be imaged by a space seeker disposed in the space seeker holding fixture, a bellows coupling the space seeker holding fixture to the space chamber, a gate valve providing selective fluidic communication between the space seeker holding fixture and an internal volume of the space chamber through the bellows, a first vacuum pump configured to maintain the rough vacuum chamber at a rough vacuum, and a second vacuum pump configured to maintain the space chamber at high vacuum.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A space seeker motion test system comprising:
a rough vacuum chamber including a space seeker holding fixture;
a space chamber including a target to be imaged by a space seeker disposed in the space seeker holding fixture;
a bellows coupling the space seeker holding fixture to the space chamber;
a gate valve providing selective fluidic communication between the space seeker holding fixture and an internal volume of the space chamber through the bellows;
a first vacuum pump configured to maintain the rough vacuum chamber at a rough vacuum; and
a second vacuum pump configured to maintain the space chamber at high vacuum.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a cryogenic cooling system configured to maintain the space chamber at cryogenic temperature.

3. The system of claim 1 , where the gate valve comprises a seeker gate valve disposed on an end of the bellows proximate the space seeker holding fixture.

4. The system of claim 3 , where the gate valve further comprises a chamber gate valve disposed on an end of the bellows proximate the space chamber.

5. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a motion system disposed within the rough vacuum chamber and mechanically coupled to the space seeker holding fixture.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the bellows couples an equipment optics cavity coupled to the space seeker holding fixture to the space chamber.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first vacuum pump configured to maintain the rough vacuum chamber at a pressure of no greater than 1 torr.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second vacuum pump configured to maintain the space chamber at a pressure of below about 10 −7 torr.

9. A method of testing a space seeker, the method comprising:
mounting the space seeker within a space seeker holding fixture disposed within a rough vacuum chamber, the space seeker holding fixture selectively fluidly coupled to a space chamber including a black body target by a bellows and a gate valve;
reducing a pressure in the space chamber to a high vacuum;
cooling the space chamber to a cryogenic temperature;
reducing the pressure in the rough vacuum chamber to a rough vacuum; and
opening the gate valve to provide a line of sight between the space seeker and black body target.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising pointing the space seeker toward the black body with a motion system disposed in the rough vacuum chamber.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein opening the gate valve includes opening a seeker gate valve disposed on an end of the bellows proximate the space seeker holding fixture.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein opening the gate valve further includes opening a chamber gate valve disposed on an end of the bellows proximate the space chamber.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising reducing a pressure within the seeker gate valve, chamber gate valve, and bellows to the high vacuum.

Assignees

• Raytheon Co

Inventors

• Vesterdal Alan F

Classifications

• B64G7/00 Primary

  Simulating cosmonautic conditions, e.g. for conditioning crews · CPC title

• G01M11/30

  Testing of optical devices, constituted by fibre optics or optical waveguides · CPC title

• B64G2007/005

  Space simulation vacuum chambers · CPC title

• G01S7/003

  Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations · CPC title