Die InSight-Gesamtstruktur (support system assembly) im Reinraum.
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Credit: © DLR, all rights reserved.
Credit: DLR (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).
Applikation von Dünnfilmphotovoltaikzellen auf eine entfaltbare Membran.
Complex irradiation facility for degradation investigation of material surfaces
Space simulation facility for test under vacuum and thermal boundary conditions
The department of Mechanics and Thermal Systems is responsible for the design, construction and qualification of structures, mechanisms and thermal control systems for use in space, as well as for calculating the radiation exposure of spacecraft. In addition to analytical processes and the use of the required software tools, the department also operates a mechanical-dynamic test laboratory and a solar thermal vacuum test laboratory in order to test components and systems under space conditions. The department is responsible for assessing and reviewing the subsystems structures, mechanisms and thermal for DLR missions and external clients.Other key research priorities for the department of Mechanical and Thermal Systems include large, deployable structures and the study of degradation of materials under space conditions.The department is leading the way with regard to large, deployable structures for solar panels and deorbiting, and is coordinating and bringing together expertise from across DLR for the implementation of flight hardware capable of flight. The primary focus of membrane technologies lies with the design, manufacture, stowing and assembly of membrane structures, as well as investigating their applications and how the hardware used in thinfilm-layer photovoltaics could also be used with membranes. The department operates a deployment test facility for qualifying such systems. This facility enables realistic tests to be carried out with partial gravity compensation. This research requires the pooling of expertise from all areas of the department.The Complex Irradiation Facility is being used as a base for the theoretical study of surface degradation. The facility enables the exposure of surface materials to electromagnetic radiation, electrons and protons. During this process, surface changes to of the thermo-optical properties, as well as the efficiency of photovoltaic cells can be explored. Together with these studies, facilities to measure the thermo-optical properties of materials and the outgassing behaviour are being operated.