The MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging) spacecraft, being designed and built by The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), will orbit and survey the planet Mercury for one Earth year. Over the mission, the spacecraft distance to the sun will vary between approximately 1 and 0.3 Astronomical Units (AU). This imposes severe requirements on the spacecraft thermal and power systems design. The spacecraft is maintained behind a thermal shade. The two single-axis, gimbaled solar array panels are designed to withstand the expected high temperatures. Triple-junction cells are placed between Optical Solar Reflector (OSR) mirrors, and the panels are tilted to reduce panel-operating temperatures. A peak power tracking system has been selected to allow operation over the widely varying solar array I-V curves. A 23-Ahr NiH2 battery, consisting of eleven Common Pressure Vessels (CPV) with two cells in each vessel, is used to support the launch and the expected eclipses. In order to reduce cost and schedule risk while increasing the likelihood of mission success, the approach taken in the power system design, including the solar arrays, is the use of conventional design, materials and fabrication techniques.
The messenger spacecraft power system
Die Stromversorgung für die Raumfähre MESSENGER
2002
8 Seiten, 6 Bilder, 5 Quellen
Aufsatz (Konferenz)
Englisch
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