Abstract
As has been shown in previous experiments (Dolesi R et al 2000 J. Low Temp. Phys. 118 219),a porous silica aerogel network can adequately constrain on-orbit motion of superfluid helium, and subsequently remove the possibility of a `helium tide' gravitational disturbance appearing in the Satellite Test of the Equivalence Principle (STEP) signal bandwidth. Silica aerogel is used to decouple the superfluid helium from the Earth (STEP source field). This paper addresses two key issues for flight implementation. The first is to see whether the litre size samples of aerogel needed to fill the flight Dewar behave significantly differently to the millilitre size samples that have been extensively studied in the literature. We have found no significant difference. The second issue is to see whether silica aerogel filled with superfluid helium will survive launch.Based on the tests reported here, we have found no intrinsic property of the silica aerogel/superfluid helium system that would cause it to fail in a launch environment.
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