Moveable Thermal Joints for Deployable or Steerable Spacecraft Radiator Systems

摘要

A possible solution to handle the heat dissipated by the batteries of the Columbus Polar Platform is to equip each battery ORU (Orbital Replacement Unit) with a dedicated heat pipe radiator. Such a radiator, being stowed during launch, has to be deployed in orbit and might be chosen to be steerable to achieve maximum radiator performance, hence minimum radiator size. In such radiator systems the coupling between battery and deployable or steerable radiator has to incorporate a rotatable or flexible thermal joint. Different concepts for moveable thermal joints are described and quantitatively discussed.