Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Mcintosh, R..
The aims of the experiment are outlined. Flight experiments included in this program were provided by NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center, ESA (European Space Agency), the German Ministry of Technology, Hughes Aircraft Company and NASA, Ames Research Center.
Experiences derived from the development, integration, and flight of NASA spacecraft and sounding rockets are presented. They include the International Heat Pipe Experiment, OAO 3, and ATS-6. Typical flight data are presented to show the performance.
On October 4, 1974 the International Heat Pipe Experiment was launched aboard a Black Brant Sounding Rocket from White Sands, New Mexico. The flight provided six minutes of near zero gravity during which a total of ten separate heat pipe experiments were performed. The fifteen heat pipes which were tested represent some of the latest American and European technology. This flight provided the first reported zero gravity data on cryogenic and flat plate vapor chamber heat pipes. Additionally, valuable design and engineering data was obtained on several other heat pipe configurations. This paper will discuss the payload and four of the individual experiments.
This paper discusses the design, fabrication and testing of heat pipes constructed in the form of flat-plate panels. The test panels were constructed of copper with methyl alcohol as the working fluid. Capillary grooves etched on the internal surfaces provided evaporation and condensation heat-transfer coefficients on the order of 1600 Btu/hr-sq ft-deg F. Two panels were launched on board a sounding rocket; the payload reached an altitude of 140 miles, and zero gravity was achieved for almost six minutes. The panel with working fluid inside demonstrated a heat input flux of 2.5 watts/sq cm, with only a 3 to 5 C temperature difference throughout the entire panel.
Flight data from a 15.8 mm OD, 760 mm long, axial-groove, methane cryogenic heat pipe verified successful priming and operation during six min of zero-g time. The nominal power applied to the evaporator was 60-w for the first 60 sec of zero-g time, 14 w for the next 270 sec, and 25 w for the last 20 sec of flight. The heat pipe condenser was mounted into an aluminum heat sink which was cooled to 103 K at launch and increased in temperature to 128 K by the end of the flight. Ground test data obtained for the flight heat pipe, together with theoretical predictions, indicate a zero-g heat transport capability of 3500 to 4000 w-cm in the 100-125 K temperature range.
The paper describes preflight and inflight performance checkout of the three isothermalizer heat pipes onboard the OAO-C spacecraft. The three pipes are: an axially grooved pipe, a pedestal artery pipe, and a self-priming spiral artery pipe. All pipes are 1/2-inch diameter tube rolled into a 48-inch diameter hoop. They are constructed of aluminum and use ammonia as working fluid. Periodic inflight performance checks have been made since launch in August 1972. No degradation in performance of any of the pipes has been detected. The flight data are in excellent agreement with ground test data.
An experiment was conducted during October 1971 aboard a sounding rocket to observe the operation of several heat pipes in a zero gravity environment. The pipe designs which were tested included a spiral artery, a pedestal artery, and a plain groove. Two control pipes without wicking were also flown. The two artery pipes were similar to those which will be used on the OAO-C satellite, while the groove pipe was similar to that used on the ATS-F spacecraft. The results of the experiment indicate that the heat pipes operated satisfactorily during the flight which included four minutes of zero gravity.
Airborne monochromator and photoelectric filter radiometer for solar spectral irradiance measurements, estimating instrument errors
Light sources used for solar simulation testing in terms of operational characteristics and effect of different spectral irradiance characteristics on thermal control coatings
Solar constant and solar spectral irradiance measurements from high altitude research aircraft, discussing radiation measuring instruments
Light sources used for solar simulation testing in terms of operational characteristics and effect of different spectral irradiance characteristics on thermal control coatings