Comet Interceptor’s boom gets shaken, not stirred
Before sending any mission to space, we need to be sure that the spacecraft can withstand the launch and extreme conditions of outer space. While Comet Interceptor is being constructed, each individual spacecraft component is extensively tested.
This video shows the main spacecraft’s movable boom undergoing a vibration test. (‘Boom’ is another word for a rod or arm carrying a sensor at its end.) Strapped to a mechanical shaker, the boom is shaken at increasing frequency, reaching an acceleration larger than 100g. For comparison: an object free-falling near Earth’s surface is accelerated by 1g, while an astronaut will experience an acceleration of around 3g during liftoff.
This test concluded successfully with only a minor anomaly of a screw becoming a little loose. Watch until the very end and you'll see an accelerometer attached to the boom to measure the g-level fly off.
The black sphere at the end of the boom is a magnetometer which will measure the magnetic field near the mission’s target comet or interstellar object. The boom itself will be ‘stowed’ during launch, being extended after reaching outer space. Moving the magnetometer away from the spacecraft avoids interference from the electronics on board.
