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Illustration of the deployed "hot" side of the James Webb Space Telescope with the sunshield protecting the main optics from sunlight. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) sunshield is a passive thermal control system deployed post-launch to shield the telescope and instrumentation from the light and heat of the Sun, Earth, and Moon.
Cross-section of layers in space suit construction. An (Integrated) Thermal Micrometeoroid Garment (TMG or ITMG) is the outer layer of a space suit.The TMG has three functions: to insulate the suit occupant and prevent heat loss, to shield the occupant from harmful solar radiation, and to protect the astronaut from micrometeoroids and other orbital debris, which could puncture the suit and ...
A Viking lander being prepared for dry heat sterilization – this remains the "gold standard" [1] of present-day planetary protection.. Planetary protection is a guiding principle in the design of an interplanetary mission, aiming to prevent biological contamination of both the target celestial body and the Earth in the case of sample-return missions.
The thermal control subsystem can be composed of both passive and active items and works in two ways: Protects the equipment from overheating, either by thermal insulation from external heat fluxes (such as the Sun or the planetary infrared and albedo flux), or by proper heat removal from internal sources (such as the heat emitted by the internal electronic equipment).
The full raft of inflatable bubbles would be roughly the size of Brazil and include a control system to regulate its distance from the Sun and optimise its effects. [16] The shell of the thin-film bubbles would be made of silicon , tested in outer space-like conditions at a pressure of .0028 atm and at -50 degrees Celsius. [ 16 ]
A thermal protection system, or TPS, is the barrier that protects a spacecraft during the searing heat of atmospheric reentry. Multiple approaches for the thermal protection of spacecraft are in use, among them ablative heat shields, passive cooling, and active cooling of spacecraft surfaces.
The International Space Station (ISS) External Active Thermal Control System (EATCS) [1] maintains an equilibrium when the ISS environment or heat loads exceed the capabilities of the Passive Thermal Control System (PTCS). Note Elements of the PTCS are external surface materials, insulation such as Multi-Layer Insulation (MLI), or Heat Pipes.
By contrast, the reusable shuttle required a reusable thermal protection system. Lightweight Previous ablative heat shields were very heavy. For example, the ablative heat shield on the Apollo Command Module comprised about 15% of the vehicle weight. The winged shuttle had much more surface area than previous spacecraft, so a lightweight TPS ...