Abstract: A passive thermal control enclosure for transporting and storing payloads in earth orbit includes an inner box-like enclosure surrounded by an outer box-like enclosure with insulation in the space between the enclosures. The walls of the inner enclosure are fiber-matrix composite skins with honeycomb sandwiched therebetween. Each enclosure has its own door latched closed by releasable latches formed in opposed pairs that can be operated without any net force on the operator. Packs of phase change material (PCM) are placed into the inner enclosure with the payload. The PCM is contained in flexible packages. The packs of PCM are removed when they melt and replaced with fresh packs, and the melted packs preferably are re-frozen on-board the orbiting spacecraft. Freezing preferably is carried out such that the freeze front moves substantially in only one direction from one end of the pack to the other.

Abstract: A passive thermal control enclosure for transporting and storing payloads in earth orbit includes an inner box-like enclosure surrounded by an outer box-like enclosure with insulation in the space between the enclosures. The walls of the inner enclosure are fiber-matrix composite skins with honeycomb sandwiched therebetween. Each enclosure has its own door latched closed by releasable latches formed in opposed pairs that can be operated without any net force on the operator. Packs of phase change material (PCM) are placed into the inner enclosure with the payload. The PCM is contained in flexible packages. The packs of PCM are removed when they melt and replaced with fresh packs, and the melted packs preferably are re-frozen on-board the orbiting spacecraft. Freezing preferably is carried out such that the freeze front moves substantially in only one direction from one end of the pack to the other.