Development of mechanical space thermometer for the Tanpopo mission

Abstract

The mechanical thermometer using a bimetallic strip coil was developed for the Tanpopo mission. The Tanpopo mission is a multi-year passive exposure experiment for astrobiology exposure and micrometeoroid capture onboard the Exposed Experiment Handrail Attachment Mechanism (ExHAM) at the Japanese Experiment Module ‘Kibo’ (JEM) Exposed Facility (EF) on the International Space Station (ISS). The Tanpopo mission apparatuses were launched by the SpaceX-6 Dragon CRS-6 on April 14 2015, from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in the U.S.A. Since its microbial exposure experiment requires recording the maximum temperature that the Tanpopo exposure panel experiences, we have developed a mechanical thermometer with no electric power supplied from the ExHAM. At a given time and orbital position of the ISS, the thermometer indicator was video-imaged by the extravehicular video camera attached to the Kibo-EF and controlled from the ground. With these images analyzed, we were able to derive the maximum temperature of the Tanpopo exposure panels on the space pointing face of the ExHAM as 23.9±5 °C. Now this passive and mechanical thermometer is available to other space missions with no electric supplies required and thus highly expands the possibility of new extravehicular experiments and explorations for both human and robotic missions.

Keywords

• mechanical space thermometer
• bimetallic strip
• tanpopo mission
• iss
• jem
• ef
• exham