Questions tagged [thermal]
How heat affects spacecraft and space missions, or materials and methods to deal with heat.
127 questions
6
votes
1
answer
688
views
Micrometeoroid shielding for radiators? Is this a thing at all?
Shielding against hypervelocity impacts is a thing, like a whipple shield. Easy enough for many things, like various habitat modules.
But radiators are required to be very large in size, particularly ...
- 16.6k
5
votes
1
answer
145
views
Engineering Challenges of Lunar Power Distribution: Managing Power Transformers in a Vacuum and Radiation Environment [closed]
As plans for long-term lunar habitation (such as the Artemis program) progress, the need for scalable power distribution—likely involving AC microgrids—becomes critical. However, standard terrestrial ...
1
vote
1
answer
169
views
Ascent trajectory Non Stagnation Point wall temperature Space Shuttle External tank
Are there any available data on the Space Shuttle External Tank wall temperatures, for the points and surfaces other than the stagnation point? I found an interesting paper here -> https://ntrs....
- 171
1
vote
2
answers
340
views
How to find the internal temperature of a satellite assuming the satellite is just a box in space with no working subsystems?
I am working on a school project for a 3U Cubesat, specifically the thermal control subsystem. First, I would like to calculate the internal temperature of a "satellite" (assuming the "...
- 69
2
votes
1
answer
87
views
Do Shield-1 cubesat has MLI layer outside the surface?
Did the Shields-1 cubesat have multilayer insulation outside the surface for thermal protection?
- 103
2
votes
1
answer
181
views
Could a planet only support underwater life?
I imagine the surface of Europa to be a barren atmospheric wasteland. But under the ice, acting as insulation, and where water meets soil, would it be warmer from geothermic heat to better support ...
2
votes
0
answers
61
views
Does increased thermal emissivity decrease the effectiveness of a solar sail?
I am aware that increased emissivity in solar sails aids with heat reduction, however, I have done some research and found that the emissivity decreases the trajectory of the solar sail through the ...
- 21
6
votes
0
answers
223
views
Simulating the thermal heating of a nose cone exiting an atmosphere
I have a simulation that describes a vehicle traveling at very high speeds (near or even above orbital) up out of the atmosphere and into space. I'd like to chart the rate of heating ($\dot{q}_{conv}$ ...
- 9,443
2
votes
1
answer
2k
views
How many heat shield tiles are installed on Starship and what is their total volume roughly?
If paired with tile density information, this total volume information would be useful for estimating how much more mass Starship could lift in a non-reusable configuration. If also paired with heat ...
- 9,443
8
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Has any vehicle prior to Starship's IFT3 "taken a selfie" during reentry?
I'm curious about images (or videos) that a) Include both a portion of the vehicle and its re-entry plasma wake, and b) That were taken at near-orbital (high-hypersonic) velocities or greater.
I ...
- 9,443
2
votes
1
answer
391
views
What is the white felt-like material between the heat shield tiles and stainless steel skin of Starship likely to be?
I suspect that the white padding material between the tile and the stainless steel skin might be [Nomex Felt][1], but I don't really know. Nomex was used on the Space Shuttle.
Flame-Resistant Felt - ...
- 9,443
2
votes
0
answers
429
views
Why are ceramic tiles used instead of other novel solutions, for non-ablative heatshields?
Are tiles that much more cost effective as a thermal protection system?
What other novel methods have been tried? The obvious issues seem to be different thermal properties and rigidity and how to ...
- 733
3
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Typical external temperature profile for a LEO satellite
I bumped into a question regarding LEO orbit.
Is an external temperature profile available in literature as a first approximation for thermal analysis? I bumped into articles mentioning that the ...
- 31
5
votes
1
answer
324
views
square-cube law and thermal protection tiles (TPS)
Yesterday, I asked a question about the square-cube law and propellant tanks.
Do larger rockets tend to have a better mass ratio due to the square cube law?
I have a very similar question about ...
- 153
2
votes
0
answers
890
views
Maximum and minimum surface temperatures of a satellite in GEO?
Just as the title, how could one find out, or simply estimate the maximum and minimum likely surface temperatures of a satellite orbiting in GEO.
- 21