The InkSat
This research aims to explore the effectiveness of e-paper as a potential thermal controller for small satellites. E-paper is an electronic display that consists of a film filled with a clear fluid and charged ink particles. When a charge is applied to the film, it will attract or repel the charged particles accordingly, raising or repelling the pigment to the surface of the film where it remains until another charge is applied. When the pattern shown on the screen is not being changed, it draws nearly zero current.
Satellites in low earth orbit can go from an extremely cold environment (-65°C) to an extremely hot one (125°C) within the course of 4 hours*. Typically, satellites are fitted with thermal control systems that remove excess heat and heat parts of the satellite affected by the colder temperature range. However, for electronics that must operate at consistent temperatures and currently are heated only by other electronics, thermal regulation can be high consumers of energy.
This research explores a system consisting of a metal plate and an e-paper module at steady state, in which the thermal impact of radiation on the screen can be quantified using energy balances. The experiment will be conducted several times in order to create a mapping function that maps the pattern shown on the screen to some coefficient of emissivity. The implementation of this function may revolutionize thermal control for small satellites – effectively laying the foundation for autonomous variable thermal control. If a module can be developed such that it can provide heating with an extremely small electrical draw, it can improve the battery economy of small satellites notably.
How will we accomplish this?
Learn more about the experiment
* Plante, Jeannette, and Brandon Lee. “Environmental Conditions for Space Flight Hardware: A Survey.” Ntrs.nasa.gov, 1 Jan. 2005, ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20060013394.