INTEGRAL thermal vacuum tests - 18 April 2002
The day was split into operational work to perform final modifications on the spacecraft and test setup and more formal work to review some open points on the test documentation and planning. At the end of the day, a dry run was performed to check the illumination by the simulated Sun on the spacecraft and all its orientation changes via the motion system of the chamber. Results were positive and late in the evening, the spacecraft team gave the go-ahead for final thermal chamber preparations, which will lead to the pump-down to low vacuum levels and start of the test.
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ETS and Alenia engineers stand in front of the Large Space Simulator (LSS) 5 metre side door after a first test of the motion system inside the thermal chamber. In the background, the INTEGRAL spacecraft can be seen, with the top (masks) oriented towards the Sun simulator. |
In this picture, taken from the upper floor of the test centre, the top of the spacecraft is also oriented towards the Sun simulator. One lamp has been turned on to check the Solar illumination on the spacecraft. INTEGRAL is in its full flight configuration, except for the solar arrays, which will be mounted after the thermal vacuum test. |
