25
votes
Accepted
Apollo CM heat shield burnt pattern around RCS thrusters
Reaction control system jet interactions with a vehicle's aerodynamic flowfield can be counterintuitive. Here's a capsule simulation results graphic showing similar spreading effects below the jet as ...
- 182k
9
votes
Why does ISS uses liquid ammonia in the Active Thermal Control System?
Ammonia is used because it has excellent heat transfer properties (as you mention) and a low freezing point. Because of its toxicity, the ISS has internal coolant loops which use water as a heat ...
- 182k
7
votes
Accepted
How does a radiator work fast enough on a space craft?
You asked for corrections, and indeed I see three immediately. They involve: a material's emissivity; its specific heat; and the concept of back radiation.
The full-up expression of the Stefan-...
- 18.3k
5
votes
what is the temperature of solar panels used in space missions such as ISS
Unfortunately telemetry readings aren't shown on ISSLive.com (Tristan has actually pointed out to me there is no telemetry, which to me is a surprise, but there you go).
See this analysis for the ISS. ...
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5
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Accepted
In what conditions are the electronics of New Horizons housed?
New Horizon's Integrated Electronics Modules are not pressurized.
The spacecraft's thermal control system works by managing radiant and conductive heat transfer, not by convection.
The approach taken ...
- 182k
3
votes
How does a radiator work fast enough on a space craft?
I find it useful to start with the basics: steady state. In real practical systems, there's all sorts of transients and dynamics to deal with, but the fundamentals can be understood in the steady ...
- 2,191
3
votes
Accepted
How much electrical energy is required to dissipate heat?
As you used the ISS as an example, one may look up what kind of pump power is required for all of that:
https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/473486main_iss_atcs_overview.pdf
2x PFCS ("Pump Flow Control ...
2
votes
Does the proposed Voyager Station solar power arrangement make sense?
I think one thing to consider here is that the ISS's solar panels are not fixed and rotating with the station, they have their own rotating action (see
) so they ...
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1
vote
How does a radiator work fast enough on a space craft?
This is a partial answer hoping to address some points in the question that may help the OP to formulate it better.
I understand heat is a scalar, and power is a vector. Heat is measured in joules ...
- 149k
1
vote
How much heat is reabsorbed by a high-speed object?
How much aerodynamic heating is left in the atmosphere, vs how much is retained/reabsorbed
tl;dr: By necessity nearly all of it must be left in the atmosphere or radiated into space or towards Earth, ...
- 149k
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