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NICMOS Cryocooler 
At the Kennedy Space Center
At the Kennedy Space Center, our home was the Vertical Processing
Facility.
Here we integrated the Cooler onto the carrier in preparation for
installation
into
the Orbiter.
View into the NCC after installation onto the carrier, and the final
preparations are
being done to get ready for closeout. Photo shot in the
VPF.
For more, see the Mission Page.
After the VPF, we are moved by Canister to the launch pad.
Here
is the view from
the PCR. Note the purge cart that we use to keep the NCC dry
is on the left.
The NCC is above it at the end of the plumbing lines.
The Orbiter Bay can be seen in the background.
Launch
Installation into the Hubble Space Telescope
View from the astronaut helmet camera while he is using the power tool to remove NCC from the
carrier.
While being moved by the robot arm, the astronaut moves the NCC from
the carrier to HST.
Note the view of the Orbiter in the background. A portion of
the wing is visible in the top right.
After the NCC is installed, the radiator is retrieved and then mounted
to the side of HST. More on the
radiator on the ARUBA
page.
Post Mission Operations
After almost five years of development, we finally started the NCC on March 16, 2002.
This photo shot at the Space Telescope Operations Control Center, from where HST is
controlled. From left to right : Walt Swift (turbo machines), Frank Dolan (turbo machines),
Mark Kaylor (radiator), Frank Cepollina (head of HST development), Mark Buchko (radiator),
Will Clement (software), myself (electrical), Darryl Zimbelman (systems), Nick Jedrich (systems).
The computer screen showing the first start of the NCC inside
HST.
The blue line on the bottom trace is
the compressor speed, the green line is the turbo-alternator
speed.
The rising edge is the start event.
On August 27, 2002, the Project had a cake making contest to celebrate
the 100 billionth revolution
of the cooler, and many successful months and images. Agnes
and
I entered the contest
with this cake, and we won "Best Cooling System Theme". The
two
round spirals on the cake
represented the turbines, and we hid a motor inside the cake spin them
'round and 'round(!).
Note the depiction of the cooling and circulation loop on the
cake.
NICMOS (black) is on the left,
and the radiator (white) is on the right.