THERMAL CONTROL OF LUNAR PROSPECTOR ER AND MAG INSTRUMENTS: DESIGN, ANALYSIS, FLIGHT PERFORMANCE

摘要

Electron Reflectometer (ER) and Magnetometer (MAG) are two of the six science instruments on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Lunar Prospector spacecraft, which was successfully launched into the lunar orbit on January 6, 1998. Lunar Prospector is a spin-stabilized cylinder. ER is mounted to the tip-plate of a 2.6 m (8.53 ft) astromast instrument boom, and MAG is mounted to the end of a 0.8 m (2.62 ft) carbon fiber boom hinged to the ER. The flight temperature telemetry data during the first four months for ER and MAG showed that the operating temperatures of the critical components of these two instruments are nominal. This paper presents the thermal design, thermal analysis, and flight thermal performance of these two instruments.