Requirements for A Vacuum Chamber to Replicate the Space Environment

Space weather presents unique challenges for aerospace systems. The space environment introduces several factors that must be considered throughout the entire mission lifecycle of a spacecraft, from design to implementation. These factors include vulnerabilities due to radiation exposure, astronaut safety from high energy particles, and single event upsets of onboard electronics. To be able to accurately test equipment and spacecraft for the space environment, a combination of physical simulations and computational modeling is required to replicate the harsh conditions beyond the Earth’s atmosphere. An effective method for simulating these conditions is through the use of a plasma vacuum chamber which creates a high-vacuum environment while introducing charged particle interactions similar to those experienced in space. The authors propose a design for a space environment testing facility, namely a plasma vacuum chamber, to conduct experiments that enhance spacecraft design and increase the widespread use of space weather instrumentation. The general criteria for the chamber are investigated, including chamber dimensions, necessary vacuum, and pump type. Planned projects for this space environment replica, from spacecraft materials to instrument testing, are presented to indicate what modifications would be necessary to create an accurate model. These modifications are further explored to create a finalized list of requirements for the vacuum chamber. This finalized list includes a vacuum chamber and pump system that can provide a space-like vacuum, an electron source to replicate suprathermal and energetic electrons, a proton source to simulate solar energetic particles, a system to create a controlled magnetic field, and instruments to measure the levels of these sources.