SPACECRAFT AND METHOD OF CONDUCTING RESEARCHES IN ULTRA-HIGH SPACE VACUUM BEYOND MOLECULAR PROTECTIVE SCREEN USING SPACECRAFT Russian patent published in 2009 - IPC B64G1/22 B64G1/10 

FIELD: space-system engineering.

SUBSTANCE: inventions relate to means and methods of conducting predominatly long-term experiments on low-earth orbit in field of materials production under conditions of ultra-high vacuum. Spacecraft (SC) consists of pressurised section and lock chamber with access door and escape door, mechanical arm, molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) set and molecular protective screen. Lock chamber escape door hatch is made detachable, protective screen is firmly fixed to this hatch on its outside and is equipped with attachment point to the mechanical arm end link. MBE set is connected to the mentioned hatch on its inside. SC is equipped with device for attaching escape door hatch to lock chamber. According to the present invention, method also provides for boosting MBE set together with screen out of the lock chamber, detaching them from SC with mechanical arm, orienting screen to position of protecting MBE set from outside atmosphere flow. Hereafter researches in screen wake sphere are conducted and MBE set is brought back to lock chamber. At this stage MBE set and screen are fixed on the mentioned hatch. When bringing back MBE set to lock chamber using mentioned attachment device, angular and linear errors of mechanical arm overlapping escape door hatch and lock chamber axes are corrected. Mentioned hatch is engaged from mechanical arm and is axially moved till it is completely attached to the chamber with all the necessary docking interface sealing forcing provided. Before starting experiments in screen wake, screen can be oriented in a way to secure maximal illumination of MBE set equipment and screen for its degasification.

EFFECT: increasing data rate and quality of conducted MBE researches and reducing expenses on their realisation.

8 cl, 8 dwg