Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols Thermal Control System and Articulating Thermal Strap
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Abstract
MAIA is a NASA funded instrument that will collect data to help characterize airborne particulate matter over a number of population centers across the globe using multi-angle spectropolarimetric imagery. Data collected by MAIA will facilitate assessments of the impacts of different types of particulate matter on adverse health outcomes. MAIA is a hosted payload meant to operate in a near-circular LEO sun-synchronous polar orbit, with a mean altitude between 600 km and 850 km. The nominal on-orbit mission design lifetime is three years.
Temperature control of the MAIA instrument will be accomplished with a combination of passive radiators and heaters. The focal plane module (FPM) will be cooled to ? 235K with a disc shaped radiator that faces the anti-sun side of MAIA�s sun-synchronous orbit. Heat from the MAIA camera and associated electronics is rejected through a cylindrical shaped radiator that projects a near constant area in the nadir direction as MAIA�s camera rotates.
A noteworthy feature of the MAIA thermal control system design is the novel, low cost, rotationally articulating thermal strap used to transfer heat from MAIA�s FPM to its associated radiator. The strap spans an axis of rotation that sweeps out an arc of nearly 70� as the instrument operates. A prototype of the articulating thermal strap was life tested to 132,000 cycles with no signs of any significant degradation. A second thermal strap and associated thermal shield were subsequently flight qualified in a test that subjected them to 115,000 cycles over a temperature tange of 175K to 343K.
The paper will present an overview of the MAIA thermal control system baseline design, with a focus on its novel aspects, including life and qualification testing of the flight articulating thermal strap.
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ICES101: Spacecraft and Instrument Thermal Systems
The 51st International Conference on Environmental Systems was held in Saint Paul, Minnesota, US, on 10 July 2022 through 14 July 2022.