Meeting today's requirements for large thermal vacuum test facilities

The Lockheed Thermal Vacuum Facility at Sunnyvale, California, completed late 1986, is one of the largest multi-program facilities constructed to date. The horizontal 12.2 m (40 ft.) diameter by 24.4 m (80 ft.) long chamber has removable heads at each end and houses a thermal shroud providing a test volume 10.4 m (34 ft.) diameter by 24.4 m (80 ft.) long. The chamber and thermal shroud are configurated to permit the insertion of a 6.1 m ( 2 0 ' ) wide x 24.4 m ( 8 0 ' ) long vibrat ion i so la ted optical bench. The pumping system incorporates an internal cryopumping array, turbomolecular pumps and cryopumps to handle multi-program needs and ranges of gas loads. The high vacuum system is ca able of achieving clean, dry and empty pressures below 1 . 3 x Pa (lo-! torr). The thermal shroud is a closed loop LN2 circulation system incorporating a subcooled heat exchanger. A GN2 warm-up system is utilized to return the thermal shroud to ambient temperature. The facility also includes the following systems: Chamber Air/GN2 Repressurization Internal Heat Flux Simulator Communications System Closed Circuit TV System Ambient Thermal Control System Chamber Purge and Air Handling System The facility is controlled from a remote control console. Sufficient local control is provided for local checkout and maintenance.