Passive thermal control enclosure for payloads

A passive thermal control enclosure for use in microgravity, comprising:

• an inner enclosure of generally box-shaped configuration having an opening at one end thereof;
• an outer enclosure of generally box-shaped configuration having an opening at one end thereof, the inner enclosure being disposed inside the outer enclosure such that the openings of the two enclosures are in registration with each other;
• thermal insulators disposed between the inner and outer enclosures;
• an inner door releasably engageable with the inner enclosure for closing the opening thereof, and an outer door releasably engageable with the outer enclosure for closing the opening thereof;
• and
• latches for at least one of the inner and outer doors, the latches being configured such that the latches are movable between latched and unlatched positions by application of force pairs exerted in opposite directions such that substantially no net reaction force is exerted on the person applying the force pairs.

A passive thermal control enclosure comprising:

• an inner enclosure;
• an outer enclosure surrounding the inner enclosure such that a space exists between the inner enclosure and the outer enclosure;
• insulators disposed between the inner and outer enclosures;
• and
• sealed packs of phase change material disposed within the inner enclosure for surrounding a payload to be temperature-controlled, the phase change material comprising deuterium oxide.

A method for transporting a temperature-sensitive payload between earth and a spacecraft in orbit about earth and for storing the payload on the spacecraft, comprising:

• placing the payload in a passive thermal control enclosure containing sealed packs of phase change material having a phase transition temperature generally corresponding to a temperature at which the payload is to be maintained;
• transporting the passive thermal control enclosure containing the packs of phase change material and the payload to the spacecraft and transferring the passive thermal control enclosure to a storage area in the spacecraft;
• and
• when a substantial fraction of the phase change material has changed phase, removing the packs of phase change material from the passive thermal control enclosure and inserting fresh packs of the phase change material into the enclosure.