CRYOGENICS AS APPLIED TO THE DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF A SPACE SIMULATION TEST CELL

The increasing need for simulation of conditions encountered in orbital and space exploration flights resulted in the development of an ultrahigh altitude rocket cell. The system was designed to not only expose the vehicle to space conditions, as in a conventional space environmental chamber, but also to provide actual ignition, restart, and full-scale combustion tests under near space conditions. A description is given of the effort to extend test capabilities by combining established altitude testing methods with such recent advances as large scale cryogenic pumping. By these methods, rocket engine ignition and restart tests at pressure and temperature conditions in excess of 400,000 ft can now be simulated as well as a variety of other tests utilizing the features and methods described. (Author)