environmental testing

The GPM Core spacecraft has completed hot and cold thermal balance testing in the thermal vacuum chamber at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Next it will undergo hot and cold cycle thermal vacuum testing, where the temperatures are alternatively raised to 104°F (40 degrees C) and lowered to 7°F (-14 degrees C) over the course of the next few weeks. Thermal vacuum testing is part of GPM's environmental test program to ensure that the satellite is ready for the harsh conditions of space and will continue into mid-January. See a video of the GPM Core Observatory entering the thermal vacuum