A long-term helium dewar for space experiments

A liquid helium dewar was developed to demonstrate long-term cooling feasibility for future scientific space experiments. Applicable types of experiments are superconducting gyros or magnets and infrared telescopes. The dewar is capable of containing 86 kilograms of superfluid helium in space for over one year. It consists of multilayer insulation, vapour-cooled shields, retractable supports, superfluid valves, and superfluid plugs. The dewar is equipped with both accelerometers and temperature sensors, such that the individual elements of the assembly can be independently evaluated for thermal and structural performance. (author)