Chandrayaan-1 problems linked to thermal miscalculation
Posted: Mon, Sep 7, 2009, 8:14 AM ET (1214 GMT)
Last month's failure of India's first lunar orbiter, Chandrayaan-1, may have been caused by excessive temperatures in the spacecraft linked to other problems with the orbiter. The head of the ISRO Satellite Centre said that spacecraft engineers had expected temperatures at the spacecraft's planned orbit of 100 kilometers to be about 75 degrees Celsius, but it turned out to be somewhat higher. This led to problems with the spacecraft, including failed star sensors, that eventually forced spacecraft controllers to move the spacecraft to a 200-kilometer orbit. Contact with Chandrayaan-1 was lost on August 29, and while initial reports blamed the failure on radiation damage to the spacecraft's electronics, it wasn't clear how much the unanticipated thermal exposure led to the failure.
Last month's failure of India's first lunar orbiter, Chandrayaan-1, may have been caused by excessive temperatures in the spacecraft linked to other problems with the orbiter. The head of the ISRO Satellite Centre said that spacecraft engineers had expected temperatures at the spacecraft's planned orbit of 100 kilometers to be about 75 degrees Celsius, but it turned out to be somewhat higher. This led to problems with the spacecraft, including failed star sensors, that eventually forced spacecraft controllers to move the spacecraft to a 200-kilometer orbit. Contact with Chandrayaan-1 was lost on August 29, and while initial reports blamed the failure on radiation damage to the spacecraft's electronics, it wasn't clear how much the unanticipated thermal exposure led to the failure.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Monday, February 16
Artemis II Moon flyby is high-risk test, but crew is ready, Polish ESA doctor says
Polskie Radio — 4:51 am ET (0951 GMT) 6 Reasons A Mars Telecommunications Orbiter Matters To Us All
Rocket Lab — 4:50 am ET (0950 GMT) Musk’s lunar city plan supercharges America’s return to the moon
The Hill — 4:50 am ET (0950 GMT) SpaceX Dragon delivers new crew to International Space Station
UPI — 4:50 am ET (0950 GMT) ISRO rocket remains washed up in Maldives? Here's what happened
CNBC TV18 (India) — 4:38 am ET (0938 GMT) |
