Last week a few of our group went to Bremen, Germany, to complete the last milestone before the Launch Campaign – the Experiment Acceptance Rewiev and the Thermal Vacuum Test at ZARM. We arrived on Sunday evening and set up our experiment first thing Monday morning in the thermal vacuum chamber.
We then ran a temperature and pressure profile similar to what we expect during the flight: the pressure went down to 10 mbar and the inside of the chamber was cooled to -50°C. Our experiment measured reliably throughout. We were also able to test our insulation for the first time.
The flight software worked as well; it shuts off the high voltage when the balloon descends and pressure rises above 800 mbar.
At ZARM in Bremen, they have a large drop tower that allows for experiments in microgravity. Interestingly, a colleague who completed his diploma at the university of Kiel some years ago, was there as well, and we were able to see their experiment in microgravity.
Since there were no complications during our test, we had some time to explore Bremen on Monday. On Tuesday, we had the Experiment Acceptance Review (EAR), the final review before the flight, during which our experiment was officially approved. It is now being shipped from ZARM to Kiruna.