Abstract

The precise on-orbit stability requirements, the need to limit the thermal control system power and weight, and the ten-year life requirement of the optical telescope assembly (OTA) of the Space Telescope required the development of a thermal control system that maintained precise temperature control with a minimum of power and weight and that accomplished this with a high reliability. The achievement of these goals required a significant analytical effort: the development of new thermal control hardware and installation techniques and thermal vacuum testing that verified our approaches and techniques. This paper presents a summary of the thermal control system that Perkin- Elmer developed that maintains the OTA thermal stability with a minimum of power and weight, with the reliability required to meet a ten-year life.

© 1985 Optical Society of America