CEV Design Q&A |
CEV Design Q&A |
Oct 6 2007, 02:45 AM
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Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8785 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
Starting this thread in hopes that we'll all have some detailed insight into the next generation of MSF engineering.
Noble goal, eh? Truth of the matter is that I was just looking at one of the innumerable 'CEV enroute to the moon' artist conceptions, and I realized that the solar arrays as depicted meant that the vehicle almost certainly has to remain in a fixed attitude with respect to the Sun for them to operate at maximum efficiency. IIRC, the Apollos had to spin a bit in order to maintain thermal equilibrium & avoid localized heating and/or freezing. Am I missing something here in terms of trade-offs? Seems unwieldy at best to have the arrays mounted to a sort of slip-ring assembly (with mast articulation) to maintain solar lock while the main body rotates. Likewise, seems as if an extensive--and in terms of power & volatile requirements/risk, expensive--ECS would be needed to avoid the temperature differential problem if the S/C is intended to maintain a continuous power-positive attitude during transit. Sure that there's a simple answer I've missed; would very much like to hear it! (Let me guess: LOTS of heat pipes?) -------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
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Guest_PhilCo126_* |
Jan 15 2008, 10:18 AM
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Guests |
Check out this Orion 1/48 scale model:
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p...amp;uid=2335047 |
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