System study and thermal analysis of a thermal protection cover for a habitation module during Earth-to-Moon transfer

Within the project of a habitation module for the future Lunar Gateway space station by Thales Alenia Space Italy, this thesis investigates the design of a cover for thermal protection of the docking ports of the module. As thermal control of the module is performed by means of heaters, the prolonged exposition of the module to the space environment during its transfer flight towards cis-lunar orbit translates into a significant impact on the power budget, which needs to be supplied either by means of batteries or by augmented power generation capabilities. A passive solution is therefore prompted, and investigated in this thesis in a jettisonable configuration, to detach prior to docking to the orbiting space station. A phase-A study (feasibility) of the product is reported and relevant design choices investigated with a multi-disciplinary approach, with particular focus on the jettisoning function and on characterization of the thermal performance by means of thermal analyses. In order to do so, the problem has been simplified, specifically for what concerns the docking system and the interface with the space module, compatibly with the accuracy required in this stage of the design. The model is parametric to allow assessment of different configurations, in order to study the sensitivity of the design to the most relevant thermal parameters, and to provide guidelines to later phases of design. Conclusions are drawn from the analyses, estimating the impact of different configurations on the overall mass of the system and its supporting structure. Subsequent iterations of the design concept studied will eventually follow from trade-offs between several disciplines, converging towards maximization of the thermal performance while constraining the impact on the mass budget.