EUROPA CLIPPER THERMAL VACUUM CAMPAIGN
Monitoring the contamination environment for Europa Clipper System TVAC.
Understanding the outgassing environment of the Europa Clipper spacecraft allows the science payloads to better interpret the data collected on orbit and the contamination control group to ensure the instruments are protected. Europa Clipper utilized JPL’s 25 foot chamber to simulate the mission profile through cruise and tour phases during TVAC.
I developed the approach to meet these primary contamination objectives in TVAC:
Monitor the molecular environment around NADIR Deck (largest concentration of instruments)
Monitor the molecular environment around RAM Deck (instrument with most stringent molecular requirements)
Identify outgassed molecular species in the environment using a mass spectrometer and residual gas analyzer (RGA)
In order to meet the stated objectives I set up a simulation that allowed me to assess the best placement for the quartz crystal microbalances (QCMs) used to measure outgassing.
From the simulation I was able to optimize the distance and location that the QCMs needed to be placed in order to measure the low outgassing signal expected from the spacecraft.
Using the model I had already developed to maintain the contamination budget, I was also able to accurately predict what signal we should expect to receive from the spacecraft.
More information on this project can be found HERE from a conference presentation I gave at CCMPP