Program computes the thermal environment of a spacecraft in a lunar orbit. The quantities determined include the incident flux /solar and lunar emitted radiation/, total radiation absorbed by a surface, and the resulting surface temperature as a function of time and orbital position

Head, D. E.

Mitchell, K. L.

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

August 1967	 -	 Brief 67-10307 
NASA TECH BRIEF S 
NASA Tech Briefs are issued to summarize specific innovations derived from the U.S. space program, 
to encourage their commercial application. Copies are available to the public at 15 cents each 
from the Clearinghouse for Federal Scientific and Technical Information, Springfield,-Virginia 22151. 
Computer Program Determines Thermal Environment and
Temperature History of Lunar Orbiting Space Vehicles 
The problem: 
The manned space program is about ready to break 
away from earth orbits and head for the moon. The 
temperatures of lunar orbiting spacecraft must be 
controlled to satisfy requirements of instruments or 
payload packages. Control requirements for a vehicle 
are influenced by its outer surface temperatures. 
Surface temperatures are, in turn, determined by 
thermal radiation characteristics of the surface, vehicle 
configuration and orientation, orbit parameters, the 
external environment, and internal power generation. 
The solution: 
A program to compute the thermal environment 
of a spacecraft in a lunar orbit. The quantities de-
termined include the incident flux (solar, both direct 
and albedo, and lunar emitted radiation), total radia-
tion absorbed by a surface, and the resulting surface 
temperature as a function of time and orbital position. 
How it's done: 
Computation is bun by providing approximate 
values of the various surface temperatures at perigee. 
The program then computes temperatures at succes-
sive intervals around the orbit until it has returned to 
perigee. Chances are that the approximate value and 
the newly computed temperature at perigee will not
agree. The program then repeats the computation 
utilizing the new temperature as an initial value. This 
iteration process is repeated until initial and final 
temperatures converge to within an acceptable toler-
ance. Thus, the program obtains a transient tem-
perature history during a particular revolution of the 
space vehicle. 
Notes: 
1. The program is written in Fortran IV and runs 
under the standard IBSYS version 13 system on 
the IBM 7094. 
2. Inquiries concerning this program may be di-
rected to:
COSMIC 
Computer Center 
University of Georgia 
Athens, Georgia 30601 
Reference: B67-10307 
Patent status: 
No patent action is contemplated by NASA. 
Source: K. L. Mitchell and D. E. Head 
of The Boeing Company 
under contract to 
Marshall Space Flight Center 
(M FS- 12916) 
Category 06 
This document was prepared under the sponsorship of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration. Neither the United States 
Government nor any person acting on behalf of the United States
Government assumes any liability resulting from the use of the 
information contained in this document, or warrants that such use 
will be free from privately owned rights.
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Computer program determines thermal environment and temperature history of lunar orbiting space vehicles

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