Shooting at European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC)
In August 2018 Michael visited the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. ESTEC is the European Space Agency's main technology development and test center for spacecraft and space technology. Michael was given the opportunity to take pictures from the HERTZ Chamber and the Large Space Simulator.
HERTZ is an anechoic chamber, screened against external electromagnetic radiation and their inside walls are covered with pyramid-shaped non-reflective foam to absorb signals and prevent unwanted reflections. HERTZ performs measurements on larger antennas or complete satellite payloads. Isolated from the outside world with radio- and sound-absorbing internal walls, the chamber simulates the boundless conditions of space. Its hybrid nature makes it unique: Hertz can assess radio signals from antennas either on a local ‘near-field’ basis or as if the signal has crossed thousands of kilometres of space, allowing it to serve all kinds of satellites and antenna systems.
The Large Space Simulator (LLS) is Europe's single largest vacuum chamber. It is a cylindrical container standing 15m high and 10m wide. The Simulator is used to test full-size spacecraft in representative space conditions. The Simulator's high-performance pumps can achieve a vacuum a billion times lower than standard sea level atmosphere, while liquid nitrogen circulated around the Simulator approximates the cryogenic temperatures of space. An array of powerful xenon lamps can reproduce the unfiltered sunlight encountered in Earth orbit, or turned up even higher to duplicate the energy intensity experienced closer to the Sun. Hardware can also be rotated in order to reproduce characteristic orbital motion as testing proceeds.