A SPACE-QUALIFIED EXPERIMENT INTEGRATING HTS DIGITAL CIRCUITS AND SMALL CRYOCOOLERS

High temperature superconductors (HTS) promise to achieve electrical p erformance superior to that of conventional electronics. For applicati on in space systems, HTS systems must simultaneously achieve lower pow er weight, and volume than conventional electronics, and meet stringen t space qualification and reliability requirements. Most effort to dat e has focused on passive RF/microwave applications. However, incorpora tion of active microwave components such as amplifiers, misers, and ph ase shifters, and on-board high data rate digital signal processing is limited by the power and weight of their spacecraft electronic and su pport modules. Absence of data on active HTS components will prevent t heir utilization in space, To validate the feasibility in space of HTS circuits and components based an Josephson junctions, we need to demo nstrate HTS circuits and critical supporting technologies, such as spa ce-qualified packaging and interconnects, closed-cycle cryocooling, an d interface electronics. This paper describes the packaging, performan ce, and space test plan of an integrated, space-qualified experimental package consisting of HTS Josephson junction circuits and ail the sup porting components for NRL's high temperature superconductor space exp eriment (NTSSE-II) [1], Most of the technical challenges and approache s are equally applicable to passive and active RF/microwave and digita l electronic components, and this experiment will provide valuable val idation data.