The Technical Department participates in development and production of instruments and devices necessary to the experimental physical research of the institute. This activity covers a wide technical area from the production of simple mechanics through the components of high precision mechanics as well as high reliability, radiation resistant and failure tolerant space electronics. These devices are unique instruments produced in small quantities. The devices of space research are dominant at the electronic developments while the production of mechanical instruments supports plasma physical research mainly. There are universal lathes and millers equipped with digital measuring system available for us and we also have 2 CNC millers.

 

We have participated in the development of the RPC (Rosetta Plasma Consortium) plasma physical device of the orbiter unit and the central computer of the landing unit of the Rosetta program which was launched by the European Space Agency (ESA) in 2004 and it is flying 10 years to land on the surface of a comet in 2014. The refinement of the computer program in the light of the upgraded knowledge and the conservation of the knowledge until the end of the mission provides the developers with significant tasks. We have been automating the calibration system for the ASPERA 4 (Analyzer of Space Plasmas and Energetic Atoms) device of the VenusExpress probe which has been orbiting around the Venus since April, 2006. We are developing the power supply unit for the plasma physical device ‘PICAM’ (Planetary Ion Camera) of the BepiColombo probe which leaves for Mercury in 2014. We are soon finishing to develop the data acquisition system (consisting of three computers) of a plasma physical experiment containing 11 sensors which is going to be placed in the International Space Station. Earlier we had been participating in several successful instrument developments (to the VEGA, Phobos, Cassini and Cluster space probes). We have facilities capable of environmental testing of space research instruments such as vibration and thermal-vacuum tests which fulfill the requirements of ESA and NASA as well.