LOW-TEMPERATURE SATELLITE THERMAL STUDY.
Abstract
It is known that superior performance can be obtained from various electronic devices operating at very low temperatures. We consider the problem of constructing a communications satellite that contains some volume that can be maintained at low temperature, at least below 77 Kelvin, and the cooling process to be that of radiative emission alone. A worst-case thermal equilibrium analysis is done for a synchronous 24-hour orbit. Assuming heat transfer within a differential satellite volume to be due to both radiation and conduction, a 2nd-degree nonlinear differential equation with a quartic term is obtained, whose solution is described by Emden to be non-analytic. A computer solution to the temperature distribution function is obtained by successive expansion in 6th-order polynomials. The results indicate that the desired low temperatures can be reached and maintained with presently available materials, and if there is a satellite attitude error of less than 5 degrees. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1967
- Accession Number
- AD0654325
Entities
People
- Mark W. Levi
- Peter N. Edraos
Organizations
- Rome Laboratory