CSK-4/TITUS
PROGRAMMABLE SPACE FACILITY:

Tubular Furnace With Integrated Thermal Anylysis Under Space Conditions
for materials sciences experiments (e.g. crystal growth, solidification, diffusion, physical chemistry) (operational na board Mir Space Station From 1995 to 2001)

CSK4/TITUS is the further delelopment in series of furnaces starting with CSK-1, CSK-1C and has first been used during the EuroMIR'95 mission (in co-operation with DLR-MUSC, ESA, DARA, Humboldt Univ., KT, Energija/MIR). The facility was last used during the MIR'99 - Perseus mission (ESA, CNES) (1999)
- Assistance in the training of astronauts to operate CSK-1C and CSK-4/TITUS furnaces.
- Development of equipment for material experiments both in micro-gravity, in a short weightlessness using a drop tower and in higher gravity fields.

TITUS space facility with German astronauts Hans-Pieter Schegel and Reinhold Ewald (Project MIR'97) (photo DLR, Germany)	TITUS space facility on board the MIR space station with the French astronaut Jean-Pierre Haigeneré (Project French MIR'99 - Persues) (photo CNES, France)

Facility
Dimension	1255 x 320 x 260 mm
Mass	43.7 kg + 13.0 kg (auxiliary equipment)
Voltage	27 + 7 / -4 Volt DC
Max. Power	650 W
Averige power	280 W
Data interface	RS 232, max. 19.2 kbits/second

Furnace (CSK-4)
Heaters	6 (4 narrow, 2 wide zones)
Temperature	100 to 1250 °C
Accuracy of
temperature setting	± 2.5 K
temperature control	± 0.3 K
Max. axial temperature gradient	5 to 30 K/cm (sample material dependent)
Heated lenght	200 mm
Translation	Gradient freezing, cartridge movement
Feeding length	480 mm
Feeding speed	0.01 to 20.8 mm/h
Accuracy of positioning	± 0.01 mm
Atmosphere	Ambient

Crew Interface Computer
Type	IBM Thinkpad 755 C with docking station
Processor	486 DX/4, 75 MHz, 20 MB
Storage capacity
hard disk	500 MB
PCMCIA	350 MB (exchangeable)
Max. power	115 W
Interfaces	3 RS 232 serial interfaces

Measurement electronics (TEGRA)
Interface	2 RS 232 serial
Measuring frequency
temperature	0.01 to 1 Hz
gravitation	50/100/200 Hz
Measuring range
temperature	0 to 1400 °C
gravitation	± 50 mg
Resolution
temperature	10 mK
gravitation	25 µg

The Experimental and Diagnostic Features:

• 2 operation modes
• Bridgman type / gradient-freezing method
• isothermal profile
• positioning of thermocouple inside sample capillary (capsule mode)
• up to 10 thermocouples NiCrSi-NiSi or Pt-PtRh type (probe mode)
• temperature measurement resolution
• absolut temperature 0.3 K
• temperature difference 10 mK
• differential thermal analysis
• calorimetry
• temperature distribution measurement
• dedicated 3-axis acceleration measuring package

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