Abstract:

For analyzing the temperature variation of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS), and guiding the thermal control of the AMS, this paper derives the formulas of solar flux density for the selected areas (the AMS ram, wake, top and port areas), analyzes the variation characteristics of solar flux density of the selected areas with orbital parameters, and explains the temperature variation of the AMS top area and its application in AMS thermal control. According to the calculation, in the normal flight attitude of the International Space Station (ISS), the factors influencing solar flux density are: the solar beta angle (β angle), the angular distance between the ISS and the sun-ISS junction (θ angle) and the Earth shadow for the AMS ram, wake and port area; β and θ angles for the AMS top area. Based on the analysis above, β angle, θ angle and the Earth shadow are the main influencing factors of the temperature of the AMS; and the analysis of solar flux density explains the temperature variation of the AMS and guides the thermal control solution.

Key words: Alpha magnetic spectrometer, Solar flux, International space station, Orbital parameters