Acoustic tests of the Luna-25 station in the SEREME chamber
In a reverberation acoustic chamber developed by SEREME, the device was exposed to sound waves in a wide frequency range.
RSC Energia has conducted acoustic tests on the descent vehicle of the unmanned interplanetary spacecraft Luna-25 that is being built under the Luna-Glob project aimed at studying and putting to practical use the natural satellite of Earth and the circumlunar space. The tests were conducted under a contract with the Lavochkin NPO, the developer of the spacecraft (SC).
Placed in a special acoustic chamber, the spacecraft was subjected to acoustic waves in a broad frequency spectrum. The spacecraft is going to experience such acoustic environment during the launch vehicle lift-off.
– The strength tests consist in acoustic loading of the spacecraft, that is, it is exposed to the acoustic levels it will experience during ascent to Earth orbit. The acoustic chamber makes it possible to reach acoustic levels of 160 decibel. We were the first in our country to start conducting such acoustic tests according to the world’s best practices, – told us the head of the RSC Energia Experimental Development Center for full-scale vehicles and their components Mikhail Semenov.
Coming through holes in the chamber ceiling that are shaped as acoustic horns, sound generates vibration waves, acting on the spacecraft installed inside the chamber. Sensors placed on the surface of Luna-25 have multiple wires routed to monitoring stations, which record the level of acoustic loads on the spacecraft and their effects. In an adjacent room engineers are closely watching how the structures of the interplanetary spacecraft withstand the acoustic impact.
The acoustic chamber is installed on a separate foundation, which isolates it from the rest of the building, and its thick walls are half a meter of special concrete, which makes it possible to conduct tests in various acoustic spectra without affecting the environment.
The size of the chamber makes it possible to conduct tests on various kinds of space hardware. It is here that virtually all of RSC Energia products undergo acoustic tests.
After completion of a series of tests engineers from Lavochkin NPO conducted a complete visual inspection of the interplanetary spacecraft. Luna-25 has successfully withstood these loads.
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Luna-25 spacecraft that is being developed under the Luna-Glob project at Lavochkin NPO is a small demo lander intended for trying out basic techniques for accomplishing soft landing in the polar region and conducting contact studies of the lunar SouthPpole.
Carrying out the space mission Luna-Glob (Luna-25 SC) is an important step in space exploration, it will allow rising to a whole new level in lunar studies and looking from a different perspective at exploration of the solar system, understanding mechanisms of planetary genesis, introduction of water, and therefore life, to Earth. The launch is scheduled for October-November 2021 from the Baikonur launch site.
Learn more Vidéo Youtube – Luna 25
