Temperature System

How and why do we control heat on a spacecraft?

What's a resistor?

A resistor is anything that electricity can not travel through easily. When electricity is forced through a resistor, often the energy in the electricity is changed into another form of energy, such as light or heat. The reason a light bulb glows is that electricity is forced through tungsten, which is a resistor. The energy is released as light and heat.

A conductor is the opposite of a resistor. Electricity travels easily and efficiently through a conductor, with almost no other energy released as it passes.

A resistor placed at the exterior of a spacecraft can release extra electrical energy into space as heat.


How is DS1's heat balance maintained?
What is heat?
How does heat move?
What could go wrong on DS1 if it gets too cold?
What could go wrong on DS1 if there's too much heat?
How does power get distributed in DS1?

What is heat balance?
What is a heat source?
What is a heat sink?
How do active heat sinks work?
How do passive heat sinks work?
Does heat travel differently in space than it does on Earth?
Why does heat make the electrical system less efficient?
How do batteries work?
How does the shunt vent heat into space?
How efficient are solar panels?

Where does energy come from and go?
Why does electrical current make heat?
What makes EM radiation?
How much power does DS1 use? How much power does it produce?