Preparation for Cassini Grand Finale – Validation of Saturn Ring Heating in TSS

Date

2016-07-10

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

46th International Conference on Environmental Systems

Abstract

Thermal analysis of spacecraft at Saturn have previously been restricted to three environmental heat fluxes: solar, Saturn planet IR, and Saturn planet albedo. Heat flux from Saturn’s rings were not available in any commercially available thermal analysis tools. While preparing for the Cassini Grand Finale, during which Cassini will travel extremely close to the rings of Saturn, it was determined the existing thermal model required updating to accurately predict heat fluxes from the rings. This is particularly important for Cassini’s Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer - infrared spectrometer (VIMS-IR), as it cooled by a passive radiator which operates below the temperature of Saturn’s rings. This paper discusses the validation of the heat flux from solar, Saturn, and Saturn’s rings in Spacedesign’s Thermal Synthesizer System (TSS). The incorporation of heating from Saturn’s rings also led to the use of SPICE geometry to ensure accurate spacecraft positioning and pointing. Thermal model results are compared against historical heating events as well as predictive Grand Finale sequences.

Description

United States
NASA JPL
JPL
207
ICES207: Thermal and Environmental Control Engineering Analysis and Software
Vienna, Austria
Kirsten S. Swanson, Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, USA
Frank E. Leader, Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology, USA
The 46th International Conference on Environmental Systems was held in Vienna, Austria, USA on 10 July 2016 through 14 July 2016.

Keywords

Cassini, Saturn rings, Thermal, TSS

Citation