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This paper presents the COMmercial Experiment Transporter (COMET) Service Module thermal control system design using a Capillary Pumped Loop (CPL). The COMET satellite is scheduled for launch in early 1993 aboard the Conestoga rocket. COMET provides the United States commercial research and development community with a dependable and economical means to access space. The COMET program is defined and funded by the NASA Centers for the Commercial Development of Space (CCDS). The Center for Space Transportation and Applied Research (CSTAR) was given the authority to establish and implement the COMET Program. COMET is designed to carry experiments to the micro-gravity of space and return one of two modules back to Earth. COMET provides basic utilities such as electric power, a tightly controlled thermal environment, attitude control, data management and communications while in orbit. COMET is a two part Free Flyer, which will carry experiments into a low Earth orbit.

The thermal control system of Space Station Freedom presents special challenges for the development of advanced design/analysis methodologies. The construction of Space Station Freedom spans twenty nine distinct stages, each of which must act as an independent spacecraft between rendezvous with the space transportation system. A tool which allows the thermal analyst to build up-to-date thermal models of each stage quickly and effectively is necessary for the engineering and integration of Space Station Freedom. To meet this requirement, an interface has been developed between IDEAS2, a spacecraft solid modeling and analysis package, and TRASYS, a thermal radiation modeling code. This paper presents an overview of the IDEAS2 TRASYS interface and how it is being used to analyze early flight thermal control issues on Space Station Freedom.

This paper presents the results of performance tests of several dual-slot heat pipe test articles. The dual-slot configuration has a very high thermal transport capability and has been identified as a very promising candidate for the radiator system for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Space Station solar dynamic power modules. Two six-foot long aluminum heat pipes were built and tested with ammonia and acetone. A 20-ft long heat pipe was also built and tested with ammonia. The test results have been compared with performance predictions. A thermal transport capacity of 2000 W at an adverse tilt of one inch and a 1000 W capacity at an adverse tilt of two inches were achieved on the 20-ft long heat pipe. These values are in close agreement with the predicted performance limits. This work was performed by Grumman as part of the work under Contract NAS3-24665 for NASA-Lewis Research Center.