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Space Shuttle: Difference between revisions
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→Active Thermal Control System
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As of June 2015, the FG Shuttle includes a fairly sophisticated simulation of the heat balance, including incident heat flux from Sun and Earth dependent on surface normal and albedo, internally generated heat in the avionics bays, heat transport via conduction and via the cooling loops, radiated heat from the surfaces the action of the flash evaporators and the radiator. Most real heat-management techniques, including cold soak and slow rotations, are fully supported. | As of June 2015, the FG Shuttle includes a fairly sophisticated simulation of the heat balance, including incident heat flux from Sun and Earth dependent on surface normal and albedo, internally generated heat in the avionics bays, heat transport via conduction and via the cooling loops, radiated heat from the surfaces the action of the flash evaporators and the radiator. Most real heat-management techniques, including cold soak and slow rotations, are fully supported. | ||
[[File:Shuttle coldsoak.jpg|600px|thumbnail|none|Cold-soaking the Shuttle's freon loops in preparation for de-orbit.]] | |||
Thermal inertia of the Orbiter is generically high - temperatures adjust at timescales of hours rather than minutes to their equilibrium values. For educational purposes, it is possible to choose simulation options which speed up the approach to thermal equilibrium by a factor or 10 or 100 respectively - this will result in an almost immediate response of the temperature distribution to e.g. changes in attitude. These options should be used with care. | Thermal inertia of the Orbiter is generically high - temperatures adjust at timescales of hours rather than minutes to their equilibrium values. For educational purposes, it is possible to choose simulation options which speed up the approach to thermal equilibrium by a factor or 10 or 100 respectively - this will result in an almost immediate response of the temperature distribution to e.g. changes in attitude. These options should be used with care. | ||