Comment on Cooling stuff does not require any energy!
Artisian@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago“Spacecraft have more of an issue with overheating than freezing” is a really really coolhot fact. Do you have an easy source, maybe somewhere that discusses techniques/history?
Dasus@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
zener_diode@feddit.org 3 weeks ago
This is less of a source and more like a compilation of resources, but for anything spacecraft related I can always recommend Atomic Rockets. For this specifically, the page on Heat Radiators.
Artisian@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Thank you! (I think the second link lost a ‘p’ at the end. projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/heatrad.php )
zener_diode@feddit.org 3 weeks ago
Edited my comment to fix, thanks!
XeroxCool@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
I’d have to look for specific discussions, but I have some examples. The wiki page covers a lot. Spacewalk/moonwalk suits are white to reflect the sun’s heat (the orange suits are for takeoff/landing, a sin, terrestrial recovery). That shiny silver or gold foul appearance of classic space craft from the 60s/70s is for heat reflection. The JWST is on like 4 layers of wafers (they look like a sail) to isolate it from the sun’s heat. Quite visibly in depictions, the scrunched panels on the ISS are actually radiators.
There’s a misconception about space and heat. It didn’t originate, but I’m Sur eit was propogated by the 00s space movie that had an astronaut pop off their helmet and freeze. Mission to Mars? Red Planet? Space cowboys? Yes, you probably would freeze upon exposure to space, but not because it’s cold. The sudden drop in pressure would vaporized a tremendous amount of water from you. Jus like how sweat works, the evaporative cooling would drop your skin temperature greatly.
A side topic is that there’s narrow frequency range of radiation that is neither emitted by the sun nor reflected by the atmosphere. It’s in the near if rated range. There’s a NighthawkInLight video that develops a paint that resonates in this “window” to actually cool it below ambient air temperature. There’s always a control piece for science’s sake.