The thermal control system of NASA’s Curiosity rover: a case study

In any space mission, maintaining subsystems temperature within the allowed limits is a difficult challenge. Parts exposed to the Sun need to be cooled because temperatures rise extremely high, while parts not directly exposed to the Sun need to be heated, because temperatures can drop dramatically. The vacuum does not conduct heat, so the only way to transfer energy is through electromagnetic radiation, generated by the thermal motion of particles in matter. Operating on a planet surface allow convective dissipation and, to a lesser extent, conductive heat dissipation. Furthermore, Mars' thin atmosphere mitigates the strong temperature gradients that would occur in a vacuum. Nevertheless, external parts of the rover are exposed to temperature ranging between – 123°C - +40°C. In this paper, the thermal control system of NASA's Curiosity rover will be presented, analyzing the challenges of maintaining suitable operating conditions in Martian environment and the solutions adopted to allow safe operations.