METHOD FOR SIMULATING EXTERNAL HEAT FLOWS FOR GROUND TESTING OF THERMAL CONDITIONS OF SPACECRAFT Russian patent published in 2023 - IPC B64G7/00 

FIELD: ground testing of space technology.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to thermal vacuum testing of space vehicles. To simulate external heat flows for ground testing of the thermal conditions of spacecraft, a simulator is installed in a thermal vacuum chamber with cryoscreens, heat flow sensors are placed on the irradiated surfaces, the simulator of external heat flows is adjusted, the thermal vacuum chamber is evacuated, the cryoscreens are cooled down. The simulator apparatus is exposed to external heat fluxes, the cryoscreens are heated to normal temperature, and the thermal vacuum chamber is depressurized. The external heat flux is selected by setting the voltages at which the resulting heat flux will be equal to the specified heat flux. The resulting stresses are recorded and used to simulate external heat fluxes on a standard spacecraft. The simulator is removed from said chamber and a standard spacecraft is placed in its place. It is exposed to external heat flows in the same way as in the simulator.

EFFECT: increased reliability of imitation of external heat flows, the possibility of using the proposed method for any thermal vacuum chambers without a solar radiation simulator and a turntable, as well as a reduction in test time.

1 cl, 5 dwg