A Summary of the Cassini Spacecraft Thermal Performance From Launch Through Early Cruise

Document Number: 981547

Date Published: July 1998

Author(s):
Arturo Avila - Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Nazilla Rouse - Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Stuart Clark - Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Glenn T. Tsuyuki - Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Jerry Millard - Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Abstract:
Cassini, NASA's mission to investigate the Saturnian system was launched successfully on October 15, 1997. The cruise period from launch until Saturn arrival takes the spacecraft through a wide range of solar/thermal environments (0.67 astronomical units [AU] to 10 AU). The thermal control approach, which consists of thermal design features and operational constraints, must therefore maintain hardware temperature limits throughout this wide range of environments.

The off-sun exposure flight experience with interplanetary spacecraft at relatively close heliocentric distance is very limited. Cassini's ability to perform off-sun maneuvers relies heavily on the large thermal capacitance of the spacecraft's central body and the relatively short off-sun durations required for these maneuvers. The post-launch execution of the first trajectory correction maneuver (TCM-1) was the first opportunity to validate the spacecraft's off-sun capability and to enhance the thermal math model simulation capability

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Product Status: In Stock

See other papers presented at International Conference On Environmental Systems, July 1998, Danvers, MA, USA, Session: Unmanned Spacecraft Thermal Design and Technology

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