Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols Thermal Control System and Articulating Thermal Strap

Date

7/10/2022

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

51st International Conference on Environmental Systems

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.

Description

Douglas Bolton, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, US
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.

Keywords

MAIA, Instrument, Cryogenic, Thermal, Thermal Strap, Articulating

Citation