Mars Thermal Inertia

Ismael H. Otero, NASA Kennedy Space Center's project manager on the thermal energy program, addresses the news media and NASA Social about the new Thermal Energy Storage (TES) tank Feb. 17. The TES tank works like a giant battery and is saving the center utility cost. These savings will be applied to new sustainable projects at Kennedy.

Thermal Energy Briefing with FPL

The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft being lifted into the thermal vacuum chamber at Lockheed Martin for environmental testing. Credits: Lockheed Martin Read more: <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2016/osiris-rex-in-thermal-vac" rel="nofollow">www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2016/osiris-rex-in-thermal-vac</a>

NASA's OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft In Thermal Vacuum Testing

Bart Gaetjens, Florida Power & Light's FPL area external affairs manager, addresses the news media and NASA Social about the new Thermal Energy Storage (TES) tank Feb. 17. The TES tank works like a giant battery and is saving the center utility cost. These savings will be applied to new sustainable projects at Kennedy.

Thermal Energy Briefing with FPL

Sustainability Team Lead Dan Clark addresses the news media and NASA Social about the new Thermal Energy Storage (TES) tank at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Feb. 17. The TES tank works like a giant battery and is saving the center utility cost. These savings will be applied to new sustainable projects at Kennedy.

Thermal Energy Briefing with FPL

The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft being lifted into the thermal vacuum chamber at Lockheed Martin for environmental testing.

OSIRIS-REx lift into thermal vacuum testing

Dawn Spacecraft in Thermal Vacuum Chamber

OSCAR Ground Thermal Testing

Chemical Engineer David Rinderknecht, left, and Thermal/Fluid Analysis Engineer Malay Shah prepare the Orbital Syngas Commodity Augmentation Reactor (OSCAR) for thermal testing Jan. 26, 2021, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The tests are in preparation for a scheduled suborbital flight test later this year facilitated by NASA’s Flight Opportunities program. The testing ensures the thermal environment of the payload won’t create additional hazards during flight and that OSCAR can successfully operate within the temperature range it may encounter as it performs tests in microgravity.

Observations by NASA Mars Odyssey spacecraft show a global view of Mars in low energy, or thermal, neutrons. Thermal neutrons are sensitive to the presence of hydrogen and the presence of carbon dioxide, in this case dry ice frost.

Global Map of Thermal Neutrons

Scale Model of 9x6 Thermal Structures Tunnel

OSCAR Ground Thermal Testing

Thermal/Fluid Analysis Engineer Malay Shah, left, and Ray Pitts, co-principal investigator for the Orbital Syngas Commodity Augmentation Reactor (OSCAR), prepare OSCAR for thermal testing Jan. 26, 2021, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The tests are in preparation for a scheduled suborbital flight test later this year facilitated by NASA’s Flight Opportunities program. The testing ensures the thermal environment of the payload won’t create additional hazards during flight and that OSCAR can successfully operate within the temperature range it may encounter as it performs tests in microgravity.

South Polar Cap Thermal Retreat TES

Dark Dry Ice on Southern Cap - Thermal Image

OSCAR Ground Thermal Testing

Ray Pitts, co-principal investigator for OSCAR, prepares the Orbital Syngas Commodity Augmentation Reactor (OSCAR) for thermal testing Jan. 26, 2021, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The tests are in preparation for a scheduled suborbital flight test later this year facilitated by NASA’s Flight Opportunities program. The testing ensures the thermal environment of the payload won’t create additional hazards during flight and that OSCAR can successfully operate within the temperature range it may encounter as it performs tests in microgravity.

OSCAR Ground Thermal Testing

Chemical Engineer David Rinderknecht prepares the Orbital Syngas Commodity Augmentation Reactor (OSCAR) for thermal testing Jan. 26, 2021, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The tests are in preparation for a scheduled suborbital flight test later this year facilitated by NASA’s Flight Opportunities program. The testing ensures the thermal environment of the payload won’t create additional hazards during flight and that OSCAR can successfully operate within the temperature range it may encounter as it performs tests in microgravity.

OSCAR Ground Thermal Testing

Chemical Engineer David Rinderknecht prepares the Orbital Syngas Commodity Augmentation Reactor (OSCAR) for thermal testing Jan. 26, 2021, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The tests are in preparation for a scheduled suborbital flight test later this year facilitated by NASA’s Flight Opportunities program. The testing ensures the thermal environment of the payload won’t create additional hazards during flight and that OSCAR can successfully operate within the temperature range it may encounter as it performs tests in microgravity.

OSCAR Ground Thermal Testing

Chemical Engineer David Rinderknecht prepares the Orbital Syngas Commodity Augmentation Reactor (OSCAR) for thermal testing Jan. 26, 2021, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The tests are in preparation for a scheduled suborbital flight test later this year facilitated by NASA’s Flight Opportunities program. The testing ensures the thermal environment of the payload won’t create additional hazards during flight and that OSCAR can successfully operate within the temperature range it may encounter as it performs tests in microgravity.

OSCAR Ground Thermal Testing

Chemical Engineer David Rinderknecht, left, and Ray Pitts, co-principal investigator for the Orbital Syngas Commodity Augmentation Reactor (OSCAR), prepare OSCAR for thermal testing Jan. 26, 2021, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The tests are in preparation for a scheduled suborbital flight test later this year facilitated by NASA’s Flight Opportunities program. The testing ensures the thermal environment of the payload won’t create additional hazards during flight and that OSCAR can successfully operate within the temperature range it may encounter as it performs tests in microgravity.

Thermal Vacuum Testing

Engineers guiding the GPM Core Observatory into the thermal vacuum chamber. Credit: NASA/Goddard The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission is an international partnership co-led by NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) that will provide next-generation global observations of precipitation from space. GPM will study global rain, snow and ice to better understand our climate, weather, and hydrometeorological processes. As of Novermber 2013 the GPM Core Observatory is in the final stages of testing at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The satellite will be flown to Japan in the fall of 2013 and launched into orbit on an HII-A rocket in early 2014. For more on the GPM mission, visit <a href="http://gpm.gsfc.nasa.gov/" rel="nofollow">gpm.gsfc.nasa.gov/</a>. <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a> <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a> Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> Find us on <a href="http://instagram.com/nasagoddard?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a>

Completion of the thermal blanket patterns for the Aquarius bipod after routing the flight harness from the SAC-D service platform.

Thermal Blanket Check

This diagram illustrates Mars thermal tides, a weather phenomenon responsible for large, daily variations in pressure at the Martian surface.

Thermal Tides at Mars

GOES-S satellite in thermal vacuum testing

In March, NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-S (GOES-S) satellite was lifted into a thermal vacuum chamber to test its ability to function in the cold void of space in its orbit 22,300 miles above the Earth. The most complicated and challenging test is thermal vacuum where a satellite experiences four cycles of extreme cold to extreme heat in a giant vacuum chamber. To simulate the environment of space, the chamber is cooled to below minus 100 degrees Celsius or minus 148 degrees Fahrenheit and air is pumped out. The test simulates the temperature changes GOES-S will encounter in space, as well as worst case scenarios of whether the instruments can come back to life in case of a shut down that exposes them to even colder temperatures. In this photo from March 8, the GOES-S satellite was lowered into the giant vacuum chamber at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, Colorado. GOES-S will be in the thermal vacuum chamber for 45 days. As of March 30, two of four thermal cycles were complete. GOES-S is the second in the GOES-R series. The GOES-R program is a collaborative development and acquisition effort between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA. The GOES-R series of satellites will help meteorologists observe and predict local weather events, including thunderstorms, tornadoes, fog, flash floods, and other severe weather. In addition, GOES-R will monitor hazards such as aerosols, dust storms, volcanic eruptions, and forest fires and will also be used for space weather, oceanography, climate monitoring, in-situ data collection, and for search and rescue. Credit: Lockheed Martin <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a> <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASAGoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a> Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> Find us on <a href="http://instagrid.me/nasagoddard/?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a>

Exterior view of the Thermal Ptroctection System facility

Dawn Spacecraft Moved into Thermal Vacuum Chamber

A small piece of thermal insulation tile floats in space near the Shuttle Columbia. The cloudy surface of the earth is used as a background.

Piece of thermal insulation tile floats near the Shuttle Columbia

Research and Technology

The Direct Gain Solar Thermal Engine was designed with no moving parts. The concept of Solar Thermal Propulsion Research uses focused solar energy from an inflatable concentrator (a giant magnifying glass) to heat a propellant (hydrogen) and allows thermal expansion through the nozzle for low thrust without chemical combustion. Energy limitations and propellant weight associated with traditional combustion engines are non-existant with this concept. The Direct Gain Solar Thermal Engine would be used for moving from a lower orbit to an upper synchronous orbit.

ISIM Lowered into Thermal Vacuum Chamber

An overhead glimpse inside the thermal vacuum chamber at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., as engineers ready the James Webb Space Telescope's Integrated Science Instrument Module, just lowered into the chamber for its first thermal vacuum test. The ISIM and the ISIM System Integration Fixture that holds the ISIM Electronics Compartment is completely covered in protective blankets to shield it from contamination. Image credit: NASA/Chris Gunn <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a> <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a> Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> Find us on <a href="http://instagram.com/nasagoddard?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a>

This nighttime thermal infrared image, taken by NASA Mars Odyssey spacecraft, shows differences in temperature that are due to differences in the abundance of rocks, sand and dust on the surface.

Channel at Night in Thermal Infrared

Optical PAyload for Lasercomm Science OPALS is covered in white thermal blankets awaiting integration with its launch vehicle at NASA Kennedy Space Center.

OPALS Thermal Blankets

The Optical PAyload for Lasercomm Science OPALS flight terminal undergoes testing in a thermal vacuum chamber at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory to simulate the space environment.

OPALS Thermal Vacuum Testing

Inside a thermal vacuum at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, technicians prepared NASA Phoenix Mars Lander for environmental testing

Environmental Testing in Thermal Vacuum Chamber

This is a computer-aided drawing of the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer, or TEGA, on NASA Phoenix Mars Lander.

Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer Illustration

NASA Phoenix Mars Lander was lowered into a thermal vacuum chamber at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, in December 2006

Phoenix Lowered into Thermal Vacuum Chamber

NASA Testing the Webb Telescope's MIRI Thermal Shield

NASA engineer Acey Herrera recently checked out copper test wires inside the thermal shield of the Mid-Infrared Instrument, known as MIRI, that will fly aboard NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. The shield is designed to protect the vital MIRI instrument from excess heat. At the time of the photo, the thermal shield was about to go through rigorous environmental testing to ensure it can perform properly in the extreme cold temperatures that it will encounter in space. Herrera is working in a thermal vacuum chamber at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. As the MIRI shield lead, Herrera along with a thermal engineer and cryo-engineer verify that the shield is ready for testing. On the Webb telescope, the pioneering camera and spectrometer that comprise the MIRI instrument sit inside the Integrated Science Instrument Module flight structure, that holds Webb's four instruments and their electronic systems during launch and operations. Read more: <a href="http://1.usa.gov/15I0wrS" rel="nofollow">1.usa.gov/15I0wrS</a> Credit: NASA/Chris Gunn <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a> <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a> Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> Find us on <a href="http://instagram.com/nasagoddard?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a>

PA084 SOLAR THERMAL PROPULSION, BLDG 4590, STROFIO THERMAL BALANCE TEST, OVERALL VIEW

Setting the Wind and Thermal Shield

ForeSight, a fully functional, full-size model of NASA's InSight lander, practices deploying a model of the lander's Wind and Thermal Shield while engineers Phil Bailey (left) and Jaime Singer (center) look on. The Wind and Thermal Shield protects InSight's seismometer. This testing was done at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Bailey is wearing sunglasses to block the bright yellow lights in the test space, which mimic sunlight as it appears on Mars. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22955

New Views of Mars from the Thermal Emission Spectrometer Instrument

Martian Temperatures Measured by the Thermal Emission Spectrometer TES. Isidis Planitia View

NASA Aquarius instrument thermal blanketing is completed and inspected. In addition, all external surfaces of the satellite are cleaned and inspected with white light to uncover any visible debris.

Aquarius Thermal Blanket Completion and Inspection

Readying ISIM for its First Thermal Vacuum Test

Engineers work with the Integrated Science Instrument Module for the James Webb Space Telescope inside the thermal vacuum chamber at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The ISIM and the ISIM System Integration Fixture that holds the ISIM Electronics Compartment was recently lifted inside the chamber for its first thermal vacuum test. In this image one of the ISIM's many protective blanket layers is pulled back. The blankets will be removed during testing. Image credit: NASA/Chris Gunn <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a> <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a> Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> Find us on <a href="http://instagram.com/nasagoddard?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a>

Thermal Vacuum Testing

Crane lifting the GPM Core Observatory into position for TVAC testing. Credit: NASA/Goddard The Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission is an international partnership co-led by NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) that will provide next-generation global observations of precipitation from space. GPM will study global rain, snow and ice to better understand our climate, weather, and hydrometeorological processes. As of Novermber 2013 the GPM Core Observatory is in the final stages of testing at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The satellite will be flown to Japan in the fall of 2013 and launched into orbit on an HII-A rocket in early 2014. For more on the GPM mission, visit <a href="http://gpm.gsfc.nasa.gov/" rel="nofollow">gpm.gsfc.nasa.gov/</a>. <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html" rel="nofollow">NASA image use policy.</a> <a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html" rel="nofollow">NASA Goddard Space Flight Center</a> enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/NASA_GoddardPix" rel="nofollow">Twitter</a> Like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greenbelt-MD/NASA-Goddard/395013845897?ref=tsd" rel="nofollow">Facebook</a> Find us on <a href="http://instagram.com/nasagoddard?vm=grid" rel="nofollow">Instagram</a>

Skylab

This image illustrates the deployment of the Skylab parasol thermal shield. Skylab lost its thermal protection shield during its launch on May 14, 1973. The Skylab-2 crew deployed a parasol thermal shield to protect the workshop from overheating. The crew attached the canister containing the parasol to the scientific airlock and extended the folded shield through the opening and into space. Slowly, the struts extended, the sunshade took shape, and was in place over the workshop's outer surface. This illustration shows the parasol being fully deployed and retracted for service. Emergency procedures to repair and salvage the damaged Skylab were a joint effort of the Marshall Space Flight Center, other NASA centers, and contractors.

Skylab

This image illustrates the deployment of the Skylab parasol thermal shield. Skylab lost its thermal protection shield during its launch on May 14, 1973. The Skylab-2 crew deployed a parasol thermal shield to protect the workshop from overheating. The crew attached the canister containing the parasol to the scientific airlock and extended the folded shield through the opening and into space. Slowly, the struts extended and the sunshade took shape and was in place over the workshop's outer surface. This illustration shows the parasol at partial extension. Emergency procedures to repair and salvage the damaged Skylab were a joint effort of the Marshall Space Flight Center, other NASA centers, and contractors.

Opening Thermal Vacuum Chamber V15 to extract hot box containing NEA Scout spacecraft 2 of 2

Opening Thermal Vacuum Chamber V15 to extract hot box 2 of 2containing NEA Scout spacecraft.

Opening Thermal Vacuum Chamber V15 to extract hot box containing NEA Scout spacecraft.