New Lockheed Martin Lab in Silicon Valley 'SPARC's Interest in Space Science
February 22, 2017 | Lockheed MartinEstimated reading time: 1 minute
What sounds like science fiction is now reality for a new Lockheed Martin laboratory in Silicon Valley. Technicians from Denmark installed a new linear particle accelerator at the company's Advanced Technology Center to cap a significant expansion in space instrument testing. The accelerator, one of a few in the world, is part of a collection of new testing hardware designed to take spacecraft to new levels of capability and performance.
"Before we send new materials and instruments into orbit, we must first ensure they will survive the brutal environment of space," said David Knapp, lead scientist for the Space Plasma and Radiation Center (SPARC). "So we replicate the space environments in vacuum chambers here on Earth and analyze the results."
The SPARC encompasses 1,800 square feet and includes new hardware to test sensitive instruments that range from space-based imaging and communications satellites to deep space navigation.
The testing machines are extremely precise. For example, the particle accelerator speeds protons to over 12 million miles per hour, or 2 percent the speed of light. The electron accelerator shoots electrons to 66 percent the speed of light, and the solar simulator delivers 2.5 suns worth of light exposure. All the instruments are precisely positioned to less than 100 microns, many times smaller than the width of a human hair.
Equipment in the center includes the particle accelerator, electron accelerator, solar simulators, UV arc lamps, electrostatic discharge equipment, reflectance measurement probes, residual gas analyzer, precision motion stages, liquid and nitrogen cooling. The facility also incorporates large 5ftx10ft vacuum chambers for flexible testing.
About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 97,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.
Suggested Items
Cicor Records Solid Growth in Q1
04/16/2024 | CicorThe Cicor Group continued to grow in the first three months of the year. Quarterly sales increased by 11.8% to CHF 107.3 million compared to the first quarter of the previous year (Q1/2023: CHF 96.0 million).
TT Electronics Awarded Contract with Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace
04/11/2024 | TT ElectronicsTT Electronics, a leading provider of global manufacturing solutions and engineered technologies, announced today that its Fairford UK business has been awarded a new contract with long-standing customer Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace (Kongsberg) for the production of complex cable harness solutions.
Cicor Successfully Completes Acquisition of TT Electronics IoT Solutions Ltd.
04/03/2024 | CicorThe Cicor Group has successfully completed the acquisition of TT Electronics IoT Solutions Ltd. with three production sites in the UK and China.
Absolute EMS Successfully Recertifies ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100 Standards
03/26/2024 | Absolute EMS, Inc.Absolute EMS, Inc., an award-winning EMS provider of turnkey contract manufacturing services, is proud to announce the successful recertification of its ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100 Rev D SAE International Aerospace Standards.
Arlon EMC Receives IPC-4101 QPL Recertification
03/20/2024 | Arlon Electronic MaterialsArlon Electronic Materials has successfully completed an intensive two-day recertification audit by IPC Validation Services that examined Arlon’s manufacturing processes and testing procedures to assure that they are in conformance to the requirements of IPC-4101E-WAM1, the Specification for Base Materials for Rigid and Multilayer Printed Boards.