Gantner Instruments presents cryogenic measurement solution at Space Tech Expo

During the three-day trade fair Stephan Ploegman, Business Development Manager Aerospace, talked about our measurement solution for low temperature and strain measurement for space simulation testing.

Satellites are expensive and complex systems consisting of different subsystems and components. Extreme temperatures can cause expansion or contraction of satellite components. This can induce micro-vibrations or even stress fractures in the satellite structure. Once placed into orbit the it cannot be repaired. Therefore, a satellite is tested thoroughly before it is launched into space. During space simulation testing, satellites are exposed to the extreme temperatures of space for several weeks. Conditions for testing are stringent and the tests must correlate as close as possible to the real space conditions. Accurate measurement of temperature and strain at these extreme conditions is a major challenge.

Our A105 CR measurement module has been designed for use with cryogenic temperature sensors, like Cernox® or TVO. To minimize sensor self-heating, which will result in a measurement error, the module provides a sensor excitation as low as 7.5 µA whilst maintaining a good SNR. Furthermore, the module comes with a sensor specific linearization table using up to 32 calibration points to compensate for the high non-linearity of cryogenic temperature sensors.
A variant of our renowned A101 module has been introduced for measuring strain in a low temperature environment according to accuracy class 0.05%. The module comes with smart ON/OFF switching of the bridge excitation voltage to avoid sensor self-heating and microphonics (when used in a magnetic environment). Also, the module features a 3-step measurement to correct for the influence of thermoelectric voltage when using special cryogenic wiring. For more information, please contact your local Gantner Instruments representative.