The NetLander Network mission concept was designed with up to 10 small landers to perform environmental monitoring on the surface of Mars over a long duty cycle. Each lander would utilize a small Radioisotope Power System (RPS) to generate about 20 to 25 We of electric power. Each small‐RPS would use a single General Purpose Heat Source (GPHS) module to generate about 250 Wt of thermal power (BOL), which must be dissipated throughout all phases of the mission. This paper describes a custom concept for a small‐RPS, specifically suited for the NetLander, and discusses an analysis of the thermal environment for five phases of the mission. On Earth and on Mars the small‐RPS would operate in planetary atmospheres and the waste heat would be removed through a passive radiator. During the cruise phase, including the launch, a fluid loop would provide active cooling to the radiator of the small‐RPS and would reject the excess heat through an external radiator. For the entry, descent and landing (EDL) phase the lander would accumulate the excess heat, while building up thermal inertia inside. This analysis provides an initial step towards developing an end‐to‐end systems approach to better understand the operation of a small‐RPS, and to account for the relevant operating phases and environments encountered during a mission.


    Access

    Check access

    Check availability in my library

    Order at Subito €


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Thermal Analysis of a Small‐RPS Concept for the Mars NetLander Network Mission


    Contributors:

    Conference:

    SPACE TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATIONS INT.FORUM-STAIF 2005: Conf.Thermophys in Micrograv;Conf Comm/Civil Next Gen.Space Transp; 22nd Symp Space Nucl.Powr Propuls.;Conf.Human/Robotic Techn.Nat'l Vision Space Expl.; 3rd Symp Space Colon.; 2nd Symp.New Frontiers ; 2005 ; Albuquerque, New Mexico (USA)


    Published in:

    AIP Conference Proceedings ; 746 , 1 ; 402-409


    Publication date :

    2005-02-06


    Size :

    8 pages





    Type of media :

    Conference paper


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English



    Thermal Analysis of a Small-RPS Concept for the Mars NetLander Network Mission

    Balint, T. S. / Emis, N. | British Library Conference Proceedings | 2005



    Entry system development for Mars Netlander mission

    Plotard, P. | Online Contents | 2004


    Entry system development for Mars Netlander mission

    Plotard, P. / Labaste, V. / International Astronautical Federation et al. | British Library Conference Proceedings | 2004


    The Thermal Control Concept of the Mars Netlander Surface Module

    Serene, F. / Alet, I. / Schlitt, R. et al. | British Library Conference Proceedings | 2001