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Small Mars Chamber

AstrobiologyOU Small Mars Chamber

The Small Mars Chamber provides a ‘clean’ simulated martian environment, with dedicated solar illumination, well-suited to instrument qualification and astrobiology experiments. The controls permit automated variation of the environment, such as thermal diurnal cycling etc.

Description

The Small Mars Chamber is a partially automated environmental chamber system, allowing automated simulation of the martian surface environment. It is 0.7 m in diameter and 1.2 m in length, capable of testing large instruments/structures and exposure of large biological samples (-70°C to +110°C at 6 mbar CO2/N2 atmosphere). The key capability of this chamber is the ability to automate pressure and temperature, allowing thermal cycling tests to be easily performed. In addition, it can also be used for Dry Heat Microbial Reduction (DHMR) sterilisation tests, providing sustained temperatures of >110°C for continuous periods. The chamber also has illumination ports for a dedicated lamp source, which provides simulation of martian UV conditions.

Specification

Length 1.2 m
Diameter 0.7 m
Pressure 1 mbar – 1000 mbar
Temperature -70°C – +110°C

The Small Mars Chamber has:

  • UV Solar Simulator
  • Automated temperature control
  • Automated pressure control

Contact

For all enquiries please email: manish.patel@open.ac.uk