Experiments with convection sensor DAKON-M onboard ISS and spacecraft Progress

We describe the results of the experiments with convection sensor DAKON-M installed onboard the International Space Station (ISS). We compare measurements of the sensor with calculated values of quasi-steady accelerations at the point of sensor installation. The comparison was made on 4 segments picked out of the experiments in 2011 year. Shuttles docked to the station and undocked from it in those segments. To calculate the acceleration we use measurements of the low-frequency accelerometer MAMS, located in segment Lab of ISS, and telemetry information about the stations attitude motion. The use of telemetry data allowed us to recalculate the MAMS measurements from the MAMS place to the point of the sensor installation. The comparison of the sensor measurements with the calculated accelerations showed their certain coincidence. The success of experiments was caused by conditions of their carrying out, when accelerations onboard ISS were rather large. The used variant of convection sensor was not sufficiently sensitive. In view of this situation, we investigate the possibility to carry out experiments with new variant of DACON onboard spacecraft Progress. Wide range of quasi-steady accelerations can be provided on these spacecraft by appropriate choice of their attitude motion. We give examples of calculations of input influence on the sensor realized in various modes of spacecraft attitude motion.