MOMA Valve
The thermally actuated, hermetic single-shot valve was originally developed for the Mars Organic Molecule Analyser (MOMA) space instrument, part of the ExoMars rover payload. It has the ability to withstand the temperature of the dry heat sterilisation process within the ExoMars mission.
The highly reliable valve provides hermetic gas tightness for helium at pressures up to 50 bar. It opens the gas flow between an input and output tube at a temperature of 185°C, which is reached by the included electrical heater. The actuation temperature can be chosen by the valve design.
The valve interior consists only of pure metallic parts (e.g., no lubricants), guaranteeing negligible gas contamination. The lightweight device (6.6 g) is also highly vibration-proof.
These properties make the valve especially suitable for scientific space instruments, but also for microthrusters, for passivation of gas tanks during the satellite deorbiting process, and in general for high purity, high pressure gas control systems.
Hermetic Valve Contact
- Dr.-Ing. Hartmut Henkel, E-Mail: henkel @ vh-s.de