Dragonfly: Pushing The Boundary Of Spacecraft Thermal Design, Analysis, and Testing

Discipline: Thermal Control & Protection

Abstract:
Dragonfly, a NASA New Frontiers mission that will send a rotorcraft to fly through the dense, cryogenic Titan atmosphere, uses a novel TCS designed for a non-traditional convective environment to maintain internal temperatures. The lander uses internal fans to circulate Titan atmosphere, distribute heat from its MMRTG power source, and warm all internal components. It also leverages a unique external foam design to maintain comfortable internal temperatures in a cryogenic convective environment. To analyze the system, novel CFD methods were developed and used in conjunction with traditional Thermal Desktop analysis. To test the system, a custom built chamber known the TITAN chamber was constructed with the capability of simulating Titan-equivalent natural convection. This presentation dives into the many unique thermal design, analysis, and ground testing challenges for the Dragonfly mission.

About the Speaker(s):
Jane (Zhaojuan) He is currently the Dragonfly Lander Thermal Lead and Section Supervisor for the Spacecraft Thermal Engineering section at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL). Prior to joining APL, she had over 20 years of experience in thermal design and analysis across nuclear energy, lithium-ion battery and electronics cooling industries. Jane holds three patents and multiple publications in various journals and conferences. She received her Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Arizona State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Thermal Engineering from Tsinghua University.

Kurt Gonter received his B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2014, and his M.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from USC in 2021. He is currently the Assistant Section Supervisor for the Spacecraft Thermal Engineering section at JHU APL, and the Deputy Lander Thermal Lead for the Dragonfly mission. Prior to that, he spent 8 years at NASA JPL, where he worked on Mars and Lunar missions including Mars Science Laboratory, Mars 2020, Far-side Seismic Suite, and ISRU Pilot Excavator. His thermal engineering experience spans mission phases from project formulation through launch and prime mission operations.