A Cryogenic test facility

The next generation, space-borne instruments for far infrared spectroscopy will utilize large diameter, cryogenically cooled telescopes in order to achieve unprecedented sensitivities. Low background, ground-based cryogenic facilities are required for the cryogenic testing of materials, components and subsystems. The Test Facility Cryostat (TFC) at the University of Lethbridge is a large volume, closed cycle, 4K cryogenic facility, developed for this purpose. This thesis discusses the design and performance of the facility and associated external instrumentation. An apparatus for measuring the thermal properties of materials is presented, and measurements of the thermal expansion and conductivity of carbon fibre reinforced polymers (CFRPs) at cryogenic temperatures are reported. Finally, I discuss the progress towards the design and fabrication of a demonstrator cryogenic, far infrared Fourier transform spectrometer