Thermal/structural design verification strategies for large space structures

Abstract

Requirements for space structures of increasing size, complexity, and precision have engendered a search for thermal design verification methods that do not impose unreasonable costs, that fit within the capabilities of existing facilities, and that still adequately reduce technical risk. This requires a combination of analytical and testing methods. This requires two approaches. The first is to limit thermal testing to sub-elements of the total system only in a compact configuration (i.e., not fully deployed). The second approach is to use a simplified environment to correlate analytical models with test results. These models can then be used to predict flight performance. In practice, a combination of these approaches is needed to verify the thermal/structural design of future very large space systems.