Spacecraft Radiative Transfer and Temperature Control

This volume is devoted to the science and technology associated with spacecraft thermal control and as such it is dominated by the topic of radiative transfer. The thermal performance of a system in space depends upon the radiative interaction between external surfaces and the external environment (space, exhaust plumes, the sun) and upon the management of energy exchange between components within the spacecraft environment.

The volume presents a view of timely advances in spacecraft radiative transfer and temperature control, which was drawn from the thermophysics sessions at the AIAA 19th Aerospace Sciences Meeting in St. Louis, MO in January 1981, and the AIAA 16th Thermophysics Conference in Palo Alto, CA in June 1981. These papers have been revised, updated, and organized into six coherent chapters that discuss heat transfer and properties, plume radiance, contamination and degradation, temperature control components, complex systems, and future concepts.