Special techniques of the Viking lander capsule thermal vacuum test program
Techniques employed to reduce chamber time and improve data capabilities on the Viking Lander Capsule thermal test program are described.
Buna, T.↗
Engineering topics
Buna, T.
Publications and source records attributed to Buna, T..
Analysis of orbital heat transfer
Graphical representation of orbital heat balance in form of polar diagrams is obtained from integral expressions of orbital heat transfer whereby quantities of heat are represented as areas swept by ""thermal radii.''
Buna, T.↗
Thermal design and performance of the Viking balloon-launched decelerator test vehicles
The thermal design and performance of the test vehicles used for the flight-qualification of the Viking parachute system are described. The desired range of test conditions was provided by a subsonic drop from a balloon altitude of 90,000 feet, and rocket-powered transonic and supersonic flights initiated at balloon altitudes of 120,000 feet. Unusual aspects of the thermal design approach included the application of techniques developed in support of planetary programs to the thermal analysis of balloon payloads and the use of ground firing data to establish realistic upper bounds for radiant plume heating during flight. The adequacy of thermal design is verified by flight data.
Buna, T.↗
Thermal analogies to Kepler's laws and their application to orbital heat transfer calculations
Integral expressions of radiant transfer in Keplerian orbits are developed in which quantities of heat are represented by areas swept over by thermal radii (presently introduced). The integrals are shown to be analogous in form to the solutions provided by Kepler's laws in orbital mechanics, when the radiation field is concentric with the gravitational field and possesses spherical symmetry. The more general case involving aspherical radiation fields and multiple heat sources is treated by graphical integration, using polar diagrams. Applications pertaining to the solar system and to the thermal balance of a conceptual Venus Radar Mapper Spacecraft are discussed.
Buna, T.↗
Cost effectiveness as applied to the Viking Lander systems-level thermal development test program
The economic aspects of thermal testing at the systems-level as applied to the Viking Lander Capsule thermal development program are reviewed. The unique mission profile and pioneering scientific goals of Viking imposed novel requirements on testing, including the development of a simulation technique for the Martian thermal environment. The selected approach included modifications of an existing conventional thermal vacuum facility, and improved test-operational techniques that are applicable to the simulation of the other mission phases as well, thereby contributing significantly to the cost effectiveness of the overall thermal test program.
Buna, T.↗