TABLE OF CONTENTS This chapter introduces the thermal analysis and design process as it applies to spacecraft projects. After an overview that includes the phases in a typical spacecraft program and the type of thermal-engineering support they require, the chapter provides a detailed discussion of how the analysis is performed, what computer programs are used, and why they are used. A description of the thermal analysis performed for a real program is included.
The phases in a spacecraft project are concept definition, validation, full-scale development, and operation. The actual activities for each vary from program to program, but the following discussion gives a general idea of the thermal engineer's role as a program matures. Throughout the design or program-development process, formal reviews are conducted to verify that the design has reached a particular level of maturity and meets technical requirements. In this discussion, the various reviews are referenced by names that are common in the industry; however, they may also be known by other names.
The concept definition phase is normally the first phase of a program for which engineering support is called upon. This phase usually consists of a customer-sponsored trade study examining the feasibility of various approaches to meet the intent of a concept. At this point, the intent may be little more than a qualitative description of a mission or capability that planners would...
