Near Space in a Can

The Near Space in a Can thermal vacuum chamber is about ready for retail. The image above is missing its vacuum gauge, which is at school. Otherwise, you now get a good idea of what it will look like. The kit should be no more than $150.

Just pack the Near Space in a Can with dry ice and let it chill before loading the test subject inside. Then pump it down with your vacuum pump. The environment inside will match near space conditions.

The stainless steel canister is 7.5 inches in diameter and 7.5 inches deep. The clear plexiglass cover lets you observe the experiment inside and even video tape the test.

A future upgrade will bring wiring inside so you can communicate with experiments inside.

Near Space in a Can

I ran the first tests of a new thermal vacuum chamber. It's a stainless steel can with vacuum and cable ports. The can fits inside a plastic ice chest that can be packed with dry ice (see my Nuts and volts article on this subject).

The front of the chamber is sealed with thick acrylic plastic to permit observations of the interior of the chamber during testing. The cable port permits power to enter the chamber for its ultraviolet source and temperature sensor. Pressure inside the chamber is monitored with an analog pressure gauge.

I call the thermal vacuum chamber, Near Space in a Can. It's the second simulator NearSys will sell (the GPS simulator is the first). Near Space in a Can is large enough to test BalloonSats and CubSats.

Near Space in a Can will be available from NearSys in 2011 as an affordable kit.