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The Heat Rejection Subsystem is designed to provide the waste heat rejection for the Active Thermal Control System of the International Space Station Alpha. The design consists of six deployed radiator arrays, each identical, interchangeable and orbital replaceable, which provide the 70 kW heat rejection needs of the two Active Thermal Control System liquid anhydrous ammonia heat transport loops. The radiators are unlatched and deployed remotely without EVA after their carrier structural segment is assembled to the space station in orbit. The radiators are designed to meet the near earth orbit space environments for a 10 year period. These environments include micrometeoroid, space debris and solar energy radiation which degrade materials' and extreme thermal environmental temperatures which can be low enough to freeze the ammonia working fluid. The radiator is designed to be stowed for launch on the Space Shuttle while attached to the mating Space Station segments.

Test data are presented which define the area around the Orbiter radiator panels for which the solar reflections are concentrated to one-sun or more. The concave shape of the panels and their specular silver/Teflon coating causes focusing of the reflected solar energy which could have adverse heating effects on equipment or astronaut extravehicular activity (EVA) in the vicinity of the radiator panels. A room ambient test method was utilized with a one-tenth scale model of the radiator panels.