Engineering Commons^™

Measured Spectral, Directional Radiative Behavior Of Corrugated Surfaces, Kyle S. Meaker, Ehsan Modfidipour, Matthew R. Jones, Brian D. Iverson

Faculty Publications

Spacecraft thermal control is entirely reliant upon radiative heat transfer with its surroundings for tem- perature regulation. Current methods are often static in nature and do not provide dynamic control of radiative heat transfer. As a result, modern spacecraft thermal control systems are typically ‘cold-biased’ with radiators that are larger than necessary for many operating conditions. Deploying a variable radiator as a thermal control technique in which the projected surface area can be adjusted to provide the appro- priate heat loss for a given condition can reduce unnecessary heat rejection and reduce power require- ments. However, the radiative behavior of …