LDEF (Prelaunch), AO038 : Interstellar Gas Experiment, Tray H06 The prelaunch photograph was taken in SAEF II at KSC prior to installation of the Interstellar Gas Experiment on the LDEF. The prelaunch photograph provides a view of the Interstellar Gas Experiment (IGE) hardware and shows the orientation of two (2) experiment canister housings mounted in a twelve (12) inch deep end tray. The experiment utilizes seven (7) canisters containing high-purity beryllium copper collecting foils, three (3) located in peripheral trays and four (4) located in trays on the space end of the LDEF, to meet experiment objectives. The active portion of the experiment consist of canister electronic timing devices and pyrotechnic cutters that control the exposure time of each collector foil. An electronic voltage multiplier system provides a bias voltage to a wire mesh grid located above the beryllium copper collecting foils.The batteries and the electronics are housed beneath the experiment baseplate facing the LDEF interior. The white painted surface area within the LDEF tray provides the optical properties required to maintain the experiment components within temperature limits. The two (2) rectangular openings in opposite corners of the experiment baseplate provide the mountings for the grid voltage box and for the ground support equipment test connectors. A white grid voltage box, mounted on the side of each canister housing, provides the termination point for the cables running from the power supply located beneath the baseplate. The canister housing is a welded aluminum structure with aluminum mounting flanges. The experiment components are assembled using non-magnetic stainless steel fasteners. The aluminum housing cover, removed prior to flight, protects experiment components from damage and large particle contamination during ground handling.
