Technical Paper
The Timed Spacecraft: A Thermal Design Perspective
1999-07-12
1999-01-2133
The Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere, Energetics, and Dynamics (TIMED) spacecraft will be placed in a 625 km, 74.1 degree inclination low earth orbit, with four scientific instruments on board. The TIMED spacecraft will be launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in May 2000 on a Delta II rocket. The TIMED spacecraft is a co-manifested launch with the JASON spacecraft (TOPEX follow-on). The TIMED spacecraft is encapsulated in a Dual Payload Attach Fitting (DPAF), with the JASON spacecraft mounting to the top of the DPAF. The TIMED instruments are designed to characterize the Earth’s upper atmosphere using visible, UV and IR sensors. Due to the stringent thermal requirements for the instruments, the spacecraft must maintain a Nadir pointing side, as well as, a sun keep out zone on the backside of the spacecraft. These basic requirements, along with instrument field of view requirements have resulted in a very interesting spacecraft design.
