SENSORS IN SPACETE CONNECTIVITY (TE) IS CONTRIBUTING TO AEROSPACE INNOVATION BYPROVIDING NEGATIVE TEMPERATURE COEFFICIENT (NTC) THERMISTORS IN NASA’SJUNO SPACECRAFT, THE SECOND MISSION EXPLORING JUPITER. TE THERMISTORSARE MEASURING THE TEMPERATURE OF JUNO’S MAGNETOMETERS TO ENSURERELIABLE MEASUREMENT AND DATA COLLECTION DURING HIGH TEMPERATURES.
As a rocket launches, pressure sensors are exposed to the air as it ﬂows over the rocket surfaces.
Because launch velocities are quite high (exceed Mach 4 or 3000 mph), the air applies substantial
pressures and forces to the rocket skin and airframe creating an extremely harsh environment.
TE Connectivity (TE) pressure sensors monitor these forces to be certain they remain within the design limitsof the airframe. This is a critical piece of engineering for companies like NASA and other aerospace OEMs.
Most recently in the aerospaceindustry, TE is contributing toinnovation by including MEMS
accelerometers in the Solar Impulse
project, the ﬁrst solar plane toﬂy around the world ending lastmonth in Abu Dhabi and negative
temperature coefficient (NTC)
thermistors in NASA’s Juno
spacecraft, the second mission toorbit Jupiter. The Juno spacecraft
is currently on a ﬁve year mission
to provide unprecedented data on
the complex aurora of Jupiter bygathering data on its interior. Seven
science instruments on board Juno
will help scientists better understandthe planet’s origins, structure,atmosphere and magnetosphere.
It will be closest to Jupiter on
August 27 of this year. The mission
is scheduled to end in February
2018 when it will be diverted tocrash into Jupiter’s atmosphere.

TE CONNECTIVITY SENSORS /// SENSORS IN SPACESENSORS IN SPACEThe Juno spacecraft has TE sensors on board; twomagnetometers that are mounted on the boom (seebelow). The ﬂuxgate magnetometers (FGM)’s willmeasure Jupiter’s magnetic ﬁeld and create a threedimensional picture of the magnetic environment. Thisis the ﬁrst time a mission has mapped the magnetic ﬁeld
about any planet with an active dynamo, beyond earth.
TE NTC thermistor sensors are used for temperature
measurement and are qualiﬁed for extended spaceﬂight applications per the NASA GSFC S-311-P-18
speciﬁcation. The thermistors are small, with highsensitivity and include operational temperaturesfrom -55°C to 150°C with dimensions ranging from
2.4 mm to 2.8mm. TE thermistors are measuring thetemperature of Juno’s magnetometers to conﬁrm
reliable measurement and data collection. The key
attributes are space legacy, long term stability andtight tolerance of ±0.20°C from 0°C to 70°C.
NASA’s Pioneer 10, which was the ﬁrst spacecraft
to complete a mission to Jupiter launched in theearly 1970s, also contained TE legacy sensors. TE
has been supplying thermistors for space related
applications for over 40 years to NASA and manyother aerospace companies since the mid-1970s.
In the early 1970s NASA approached one of TE’s
legacy sensor companies to discuss the feasibility ofqualifying our commercial 4400 series thermistors
for extended space ﬂight applications. As a result of
this collaboration, the NASA GSFC (Goddard Space
Flight Center) S-311-P-18 speciﬁcation was released. TE
Connectivity remains on the NASA QPLD (Qualiﬁed
Parts List Directory) for the S-311-P-18 thermistors.

By leveraging our core competencies in high reliability
sensors for harsh environments such as temperature,radio frequency interference (RFI), electromagneticinterference (EMI), vibration, and lightning, we transform
concepts into creations for a number of aerospace
applications such as cockpit controls, ﬂight controls andactuation, landing gear and brakes, cabin, galley andcargo, engine, turbine, launch and space explorations.
TE’s MEMS accelerometers used in the Solar Impulse areultra-stable MEMS accelerometers ideal for static anddynamic applications. The accelerometer offers integral
temperature compensation with dynamic range from ±2
to ±200g. The model 4610 incorporates a gas damped
MEMS element with mechanical overload stops thatprovide shock protection to 5,000g. The accelerometerhas an operating temperature range of -55°C to +125°C.
TE is a leading global provider of advanced design andmanufacturing of accelerometers and vibration sensing
for applications in aircraft design and testing, automotive
design and testing, automotive safety testing, machineand structure monitoring and motorsport. We offer
both DC-response (static) and AC-response (dynamic)
types of accelerometers to meet your applicationneeds. TE’s board level silicon MEMS accelerometersand piezoelectric accelerometers are designed tobe embedded into vibration monitoring systems.

te.comTE Connectivity, TE Connectivity (logo) and Every Connection Counts are trademarks. All other logos, products
and/or company names referred to herein might be trademarks of their respective owners.
The information given herein, including drawings, illustrations and schematics which are intended for illustration
purposes only, is believed to be reliable. However, TE Connectivity makes no warranties as to its accuracy orcompleteness and disclaims any liability in connection with its use. TE Connectivity‘s obligations shall only beas set forth in TE Connectivity‘s Standard Terms and Conditions of Sale for this product and in no case will TEConnectivity be liable for any incidental, indirect or consequential damages arising out of the sale, resale, useor misuse of the product. Users of TE Connectivity products should make their own evaluation to determine thesuitability of each such product for the speciﬁc application.
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SENSORS IN SPACE06/17 TE CONNECTIVITY SENSORS /// SENSORS IN SPACETE CONNECTIVITY

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