Earth Observing-1 Technology Validation: Carbon-Carbon Radiator Panel

• Main Author: Teti, Nicholas M
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0148-7191; 2688-3627
• DOI: 10.4271/2003-01-2345

The Earth Observing-1 spacecraft, built by Swales Aerospace for NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), was successfully launched on a Boeing Delta-II ELV on November 21, 2000. The EO-1 spacecraft thermal design is a cold bias design using passive radiators, regulated conductive paths, thermal coatings, louvers, thermostatically controlled heaters and multi-layer insulating (MLI) blankets. Five of the six passive radiators were aluminum honeycomb panels. The sixth panel was a technology demonstration referred to as the Carbon Carbon Radiator (CCR) panel. Carbon-Carbon (C-C) is a special class of composite materials in which both the reinforcing fibers and matrix materials are made of pure carbon. The use of high conductivity fibers in C-C fabrication yields composite materials that have high stiffness and high thermal conductivity. The primary thermal function of the EO-1 CCR is to readiatoe the 27.8 watts generated by the EO-1 Power Supply Electronics (PSE) and the 16.3 watts (peak power) generated by the Linear Etalon Imaging Spectral Array/Atmospheric Corrector (LEISA/AC) electronics boxes. The panel is also a structural member and must support the combined weight of the PSE (22.7 kg) and the LEISA/AC (4.5 kg) boxes and the dynamic an static loads during EO-1 integration, launch and orbit induced stresses. This paper presents the current on-orbit status of the CCR, the pre and post flight thermal model correlation results, lessons learned, and the current and future used of Carbon-Carbon materials.