Temperature System How and why do we control heat on a spacecraft?

What is heat balance?

Heat balance happens when the amount of heat coming into the ship equals the amount of heat leaving the spacecraft. NASA engineers try to make a ship have heat balance by calculating heat sources and putting in heat sinks that will rid the ship of any excess heat.

Maintaining heat balance is harder when a ship is traveling towards or away from a large source of heat such as a star like the Sun or planet's atmosphere. The heat sinks need to compensate for a changing amount of heat.

Why do we have to control heat on a spacecraft if there are no people on board?
How is DS1's heat balance maintained?
What is heat?
How does heat move?
What is a satellite?

What is a heat source?
What is a heat sink?
How do active heat sinks work?
How do passive heat sinks work?
Why does the ship's orientation matter?

What other forms of energy does a spacecraft releases into space?
What happens to the heat once it is released into space?