8 articles
John F. Cashen
John F. Cashen is an American electrical engineer, nicknamed "Dr. Stealth," who led low-observables work at Northrop and was chiefly responsible for the B-2 bomber's ability to elude enemy radar.
Loop heat pipe
A loop heat pipe (LHP) is a passive two-phase heat transport device driven by capillary forces, invented in the Soviet Union in the early 1980s and used for spacecraft thermal control.
Optical solar reflector
An optical solar reflector, also called a thermal control mirror, is a passive spacecraft thermal control element that reflects most sunlight while radiating heat away in the infrared.
Phenolic impregnated carbon ablator
The phenolic impregnated carbon ablator (PICA) is a low-density heat shield material developed at NASA Ames in the 1990s, flown on Stardust, Curiosity, OSIRIS-REx, and Mars 2020.
Pumped fluid loop thermal control
Pumped fluid loop thermal control is an active spacecraft thermal control technique in which a pump circulates fluid to collect heat and reject it at a radiator.
Radiator panel (spacecraft)
A radiator panel is an external spacecraft surface that rejects waste heat by thermal radiation, connected to heat sources through heat pipes, pumped fluid loops, or thermal straps.
Radioisotope heater unit
A radioisotope heater unit (RHU) is a small spacecraft device that warms components through plutonium-238 decay, producing about one watt of heat with no moving parts or electrical power.
Space blanket
A space blanket, also called an emergency or Mylar blanket, is a thin aluminized plastic sheet that reflects body heat; NASA developed it in 1964 for spacecraft insulation.