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NASA Set To Launch Probe To Mercury

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the careful-he's-a-quick-one dept.

antispam_ben writes "CNN is reporting the upcoming Messenger mission to Mercury is set to launch August 2. The spacecraft uses a combination of technologies (insulation, Peltier devices, careful design and orbit, always keeping the shield side toward the Sun) to keep its electronics at room temperature."

3 of 216 comments (clear)

  1. Very interesting. by robslimo · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I know thermal issues have always been central to spacecraft design, but this sounds like a nicely engineered approach to temperature control.

    I'm reminded of the faulty heater on one of the Mars Rovers. Could such problems be avoided or at least mitigated by use of more passive thermal management (insulation, heat pipes, heat sinking/sourcing)?

    I'm also reminded of the Russian probes to Venus which had uderstandably short lives due to both heat and pressure (possibly corrosive gases as well).

    I'm firmly in the camp that promotes more unmanned probes, maximizing the power of money spent on advancing spacecraft technology and knowledge from expanded exploration rather than blowing it all on the dubious value of letting a person stand on Mars.

  2. Re:Room Temperature by Waffle+Iron · · Score: 4, Interesting
    I would hope they would make it come down to that temperature, I don't know of any kind of insulation that would actually do that.

    It shouldn't be all that hard since in space thermal control based almost solely on radiant energy. Even though the side facing the sun will get very hot, the side facing away from the sun is exposed to empty space with a temperature near absolute zero. If you simply reflect most of the sunlight away on the hot side, slow down what gets absorbed with a little insulation, and arrange to radiate what does get through the insulation (along with any internally generated heat) on the cold side, you should be able to maintain a reasonable temperature.

    From what I've read, one of the hardest parts about controlling temperature on this probe is to handle the times when it passes in front of Mercury. Then, the near-zero chill on the "cold" side is temporarily replaced with the radiant heat from the > 400 C surface of the planet. At these times the probe has to be closed up like an ice chest to maintain its internal temperature at reasonable levels until it gets away from the planet.

  3. The really amazing thing... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ...isn't the 5 gigamile trip. It's the launch window. They have a 12 second launch window to either launch it or wait for the next 12 second window-- the next day, at the earliest. Because of the multiple fly-bys, the math gets a little complicated, and error tends to cascade towards failure.

    Talk about performance anxiety!

    Wife: OK Honey, I'm ready. You've got 12 seconds.

    Enough for a high school boy, I imagine, but not us mighty slash dotters, right? ;-)