Calculations of Basic Geometric Parameters for Mobile Space Environment Simulation Facility “Metamorphosis”

Abstract The article presents the results of the analysis of approaches to designing a mobile vacuum system for simulation of space environment, which could help provide services of testing space objects at the request of the customers at a place and time acceptable to them, which allows saving time and assets in the development of space objects, their elements, including satellites. Such a system under a conditional name METAMORPHOSIS is developed at Riga Technical University (RTU). As a result of the conducted analysis, the methodological approaches to the determination of the structure of the vacuum system were determined and a description of the main systems which should be included in the designed mobile simulator of space environment, as well as the methods for assessment of characteristics of its structural elements were given. The results obtained allow deciding on using a cylindrical vacuum chamber with a horizontal structure type for the designed simulator, since the weight of test equipment in this case is minimal, and determining its main dimensions, which are also specified in the article.