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Title: A thermal control system for long-term survival of scientific instruments on lunar surface

Abstract

A thermal control system is being developed for scientific instruments placed on the lunar surface. This thermal control system, Lunar Mission Survival Module (MSM), was designed for scientific instruments that are planned to be operated for over a year in the future Japanese lunar landing mission SELENE-2. For the long-term operations, the lunar surface is a severe environment because the soil (regolith) temperature varies widely from nighttime −200 degC to daytime 100 degC approximately in which space electronics can hardly survive. The MSM has a tent of multi-layered insulators and performs a “regolith mound”. Temperature of internal devices is less variable just like in the lunar underground layers. The insulators retain heat in the regolith soil in the daylight, and it can keep the device warm in the night. We conducted the concept design of the lunar survival module, and estimated its potential by a thermal mathematical model on the assumption of using a lunar seismometer designed for SELENE-2. Thermal vacuum tests were also conducted by using a thermal evaluation model in order to estimate the validity of some thermal parameters assumed in the computed thermal model. The numerical and experimental results indicated a sufficient survivability potential of the conceptmore » of our thermal control system.« less

Authors:
;  [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, 3-1-1 Yoshinodai, Chuo, Sagamihara, Kanagawa (Japan)
  2. The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Shonan Village, Hayama, Kanagawa (Japan)
  3. JAXA Space Exploration Center, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, 3-1-1 Yoshinodai, Chuo, Sagamihara, Kanagawa (Japan)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22254988
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Review of Scientific Instruments
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 85; Journal Issue: 3; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0034-6748
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; CONTROL SYSTEMS; DAYLIGHTING; DESIGN; EQUIPMENT; EVALUATION; HEAT; MATHEMATICAL MODELS; OVERBURDEN; SOILS; THERMAL TESTING

Citation Formats

Ogawa, K., E-mail: ogawa@astrobio.k.u-tokyo.ac.jp, Iijima, Y., Tanaka, S., Sakatani, N., and Otake, H. A thermal control system for long-term survival of scientific instruments on lunar surface. United States: N. p., 2014. Web. doi:10.1063/1.4867906.
Ogawa, K., E-mail: ogawa@astrobio.k.u-tokyo.ac.jp, Iijima, Y., Tanaka, S., Sakatani, N., & Otake, H. A thermal control system for long-term survival of scientific instruments on lunar surface. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4867906
Ogawa, K., E-mail: ogawa@astrobio.k.u-tokyo.ac.jp, Iijima, Y., Tanaka, S., Sakatani, N., and Otake, H. 2014. "A thermal control system for long-term survival of scientific instruments on lunar surface". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4867906.
@article{osti_22254988,
title = {A thermal control system for long-term survival of scientific instruments on lunar surface},
author = {Ogawa, K., E-mail: ogawa@astrobio.k.u-tokyo.ac.jp and Iijima, Y. and Tanaka, S. and Sakatani, N. and Otake, H.},
abstractNote = {A thermal control system is being developed for scientific instruments placed on the lunar surface. This thermal control system, Lunar Mission Survival Module (MSM), was designed for scientific instruments that are planned to be operated for over a year in the future Japanese lunar landing mission SELENE-2. For the long-term operations, the lunar surface is a severe environment because the soil (regolith) temperature varies widely from nighttime −200 degC to daytime 100 degC approximately in which space electronics can hardly survive. The MSM has a tent of multi-layered insulators and performs a “regolith mound”. Temperature of internal devices is less variable just like in the lunar underground layers. The insulators retain heat in the regolith soil in the daylight, and it can keep the device warm in the night. We conducted the concept design of the lunar survival module, and estimated its potential by a thermal mathematical model on the assumption of using a lunar seismometer designed for SELENE-2. Thermal vacuum tests were also conducted by using a thermal evaluation model in order to estimate the validity of some thermal parameters assumed in the computed thermal model. The numerical and experimental results indicated a sufficient survivability potential of the concept of our thermal control system.},
doi = {10.1063/1.4867906},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22254988}, journal = {Review of Scientific Instruments},
issn = {0034-6748},
number = 3,
volume = 85,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat Mar 15 00:00:00 EDT 2014},
month = {Sat Mar 15 00:00:00 EDT 2014}
}