Akatsuki Venus Climate Orbiter |
Akatsuki Venus Climate Orbiter |
Mar 13 2010, 11:29 AM
Post
#1
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1729 Joined: 3-August 06 From: 43° 35' 53" N 1° 26' 35" E Member No.: 1004 |
I thought it was time to start a separate thread on this mission, launching soon
some good medium-resolution images of the spacecraft are available on JAXA digital archives http://jda.jaxa.jp/jda/p3_e.php?time=N&...mp;mission=4066 |
|
|
Dec 28 2010, 10:12 AM
Post
#2
|
|
Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8784 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
There may be ways to free up the valve through thermal management.
Probably what they want to do is to try to force thermal contraction of the ball and/or spring, given that the spacecraft is already in a heat-positive environment. That could conceivably be accomplished by shading the valve & associated plumbing from the Sun, but the systemic consequences must be carefully considered before doing so. The main issues to consider would be whether the necessary attitude to shade & cool the valve would 1] still allow the arrays to generate enough power, 2] still allow communication with Earth (antenna geometry), and 3] be even possible within the dependent constraints of the spacecraft's thermal control system. which presumably is designed to disperse excess heat to the shaded side of the vehicle. Such situations really provide the acid test for the 'robustness' of a given system's design. And, yeah, it's pretty difficult to devise a pre-flight test for these sorts of things... Good luck, Akatsuki team; we're all rooting for you!!! -------------------- 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.
|
|
|
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 5th June 2024 - 04:22 AM |
RULES AND GUIDELINES Please read the Forum Rules and Guidelines before posting. IMAGE COPYRIGHT |
OPINIONS AND MODERATION Opinions expressed on UnmannedSpaceflight.com are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of UnmannedSpaceflight.com or The Planetary Society. The all-volunteer UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderation team is wholly independent of The Planetary Society. The Planetary Society has no influence over decisions made by the UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderators. |
SUPPORT THE FORUM Unmannedspaceflight.com is funded by the Planetary Society. Please consider supporting our work and many other projects by donating to the Society or becoming a member. |