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The thermal environment encountered in space by a multifunctional solar array

The thermal environment encountered in space by a multifunctional solar array
The thermal environment encountered in space by a multifunctional solar array
The design concept of multifunctional structures allows spacecraft to be more efficient. By creating structural components that can fulfil extra subsystem functions in addition to meeting structural requirements, mass and volume can be saved. The presented example of this is a wing solar array that contains the spacecraft's batteries. The batteries are commercial off the shelf components, used for their lower costs. The paper focuses on understanding the thermal environment and the response of the multifunctional structure to that environment. With this information, it is shown that the concept can be implemented in many orbits without any particular thermal control and that many more orbits could be used with thermal control of a suitable authority. Possible thermal control solutions are reviewed and recommendations for a passive system are made.
multifunctional structure, thermal control, solar array, electrical power system, spacecraft
1270-9638
213-219
Foster, J.A.
fd5c7cca-d6e3-408a-9fd8-e0c96f59c75f
Aglietti, G.S.
e44d0dd4-0f71-4399-93d2-b802365cfb9e
Foster, J.A.
fd5c7cca-d6e3-408a-9fd8-e0c96f59c75f
Aglietti, G.S.
e44d0dd4-0f71-4399-93d2-b802365cfb9e

Foster, J.A. and Aglietti, G.S. (2010) The thermal environment encountered in space by a multifunctional solar array. Aerospace Science and Technology, 14 (3), 213-219. (doi:10.1016/j.ast.2009.12.008).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The design concept of multifunctional structures allows spacecraft to be more efficient. By creating structural components that can fulfil extra subsystem functions in addition to meeting structural requirements, mass and volume can be saved. The presented example of this is a wing solar array that contains the spacecraft's batteries. The batteries are commercial off the shelf components, used for their lower costs. The paper focuses on understanding the thermal environment and the response of the multifunctional structure to that environment. With this information, it is shown that the concept can be implemented in many orbits without any particular thermal control and that many more orbits could be used with thermal control of a suitable authority. Possible thermal control solutions are reviewed and recommendations for a passive system are made.

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More information

Published date: April 2010
Keywords: multifunctional structure, thermal control, solar array, electrical power system, spacecraft

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 150529
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/150529
ISSN: 1270-9638
PURE UUID: 68da1b15-509a-4167-9c7e-7a634e38a29d

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Date deposited: 05 May 2010 13:12
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 01:17

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Contributors

Author: J.A. Foster
Author: G.S. Aglietti

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