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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 honeycom

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.

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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 honeycom

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. lyst, and the temperature of at least one of the fuel-air mixture and the catalyst outlet gas is controlled by at least one of: adjusting the fraction of air bypassing the catalyst, adjusting the fuel supplied to the combustor by proportioning the fuel supplied between the catalyst and the preburner, adjusting air input to the preburner, adjusting the composition of the fuel by introduction of components that affect the ignition delay time, and introducing water in at least one of upstream of the combustor and in the combustor. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the temperature of the hot combustion gas is maintained in a predetermined range for energy extraction and the fuel supplied to the preburner is controlled to move the homogenous combustion wave to a location to reduce NOx production while maintaining CO production below about 50 ppm. 19. The method of claim 1, wherein the controlling includes utilizing an empirical model of the operation of the combustor under a range of operating parameters, calculating the residence time of the hot combustion gases in the combustor as the parameters change, and setting system operating controls to selectively position the location of the homogeneous wave to achieve a desired residence time. 20. A method for operating a catalytic combustor, comprising: catalytically combusting a fuel-air mixture in a combustor, wherein at least a portion of the fuel-air mixture is combusted in a homogeneous combustion wave within a post catalyst burnout zone located downstream of a catalyst to form hot combustion gases; and controlling the residence time of the hot combustion gases within the post catalyst burn out zone to control the production of thermal NOx, wherein the residence time is controlled by controlling the location of the homogeneous combustion wave with respect to an outlet of the combustor. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the residence time is controlled to reduce the production of NOx below a preselected level. 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the preselected level is 3 ppm. 23. The method of claim 21, wherein the preselected level is 2 ppm. 24. The method of claim 20, wherein controlling the residence time of the hot combustion gases within the post catalyst burnout zone further includes controlling the production of CO below a preselected level. 25. The method of claim 24, wherein the preselected level of the production of CO is 100 ppm. 26. The method of claim 24, wherein the preselected level of the production of CO is 10 ppm. 27. The method of claim 20, wherein the residence time is controlled to reduce the production of NOx below a preselected level and the production of CO below a preselected level. 28. The method of claim 20, wherein, the hot combustion gases have a temperature above 1450° C. during the residence time, and the residence time is controlled such that the production of NOx is below approximately 3 ppm and the production of CO is below approximately 100 ppm. 29. The method of claim 28, wherein NOx is produced below approximately 2 ppm and CO is produced below approximately 10 ppm. 30. The method of claim 20, wherein the controlling includes monitoring at least one characteristic of at least one of the fuel-air mixture and the hot combustion gas to control the residence time. 31. The method of claim 30, wherein the monitoring includes sensing at least one of fuel amount, air flow rate, fuel feed rate, fuel-air mixture temperature, hot combustion gas temperature, the production of NOx, and the production of CO. 32. The method of claim 20, wherein the production of NOx and the production of CO are monitored, and the residence time is controlled to reduce NOx below a preselected level while maintaining CO below a preselected level. 33. The method of claim 20, wherein controlling the residence time includes adjusting the catalyst outlet gas temperature to control the delay time for ignition of the fuel in the homogenous combustion wave. 3 4. The method of claim 33, wherein the catalyst outlet gas temperature is adjusted by controlling the temperature of the fuel-air mixture entering the catalyst. 35. The method of claim 34, wherein the combustor includes a preburner upstream of the catalyst, and the temperature of at least one of the fuel-air mixture and the catalyst outlet gas is controlled by at least one of: adjusting the fraction of air bypassing the catalyst, adjusting the fuel supplied to the combustor by proportioning the fuel supplied between the catalyst and the preburner, adjusting air input to the preburner, adjusting the composition of the fuel by introduction of components that affect the ignition delay time, and introducing water in at least one of upstream of the combustor and in the combustor. 36. The method of claim 35, wherein the temperature of the hot combustion gas is maintained in a predetermined range for energy extraction and the fuel supplied to the preburner is controlled to move the homogenous combustion wave to a location to reduce NOx production while maintaining CO production below about 50 ppm. 37. The method of claim 20, wherein the controlling includes utilizing an empirical model of the operation of the combustor under a range of operating parameters, calculating the residence time of the hot combustion gases in the combustor as the parameters change, and setting system operating controls to selectively position the location of the homogeneous wave to achieve a desired residence time. 38. A method for operating a catalytic combustor, comprising: catalytically combusting a fuel-air mixture in a combustor, wherein at least a portion of the fuel-air mixture is combusted in a homogeneous combustion wave within a post catalyst burnout zone located downstream of a catalyst to form hot combustion gases; and controlling the residence time of the hot combustion gases within the post catalyst burn out zone to control the production of thermal NOx, wherein controlling the residence time includes adjusting the catalyst outlet gas temperature to control the delay time for ignition of the fuel in the homogenous combustion wave. 39. The method of claim 38, wherein the catalyst outlet gas temperature is adjusted by controlling the temperature of the entering the catalyst. 40. The method of claim 38 wherein the residence time is controlled by controlling the location of the homogeneous combustion wave with respect to an outlet of the combustor. 41. The method of claim 38, wherein the residence time is controlled to reduce the production of NOx below a preselected level. 42. The method of claim 41, wherein the preselected level is 3 ppm. 43. The method of claim 41, wherein the preselected level is 2 ppm. 44. The method of claim 38, wherein controlling the residence time of the hot combustion gases within the post catalyst burnout zone further includes controlling the production of CO below a preselected level. 45. The method of claim 44, wherein the preselected level of the production of CO is 100 ppm. 46. The method of claim 44, wherein the preselected level of the production of CO is 10 ppm. 47. The method of claim 38, wherein the residence time is controlled to reduce the production of NOx below a preselected level and the production of CO below a preselected level. 48. The method wherein, the hot combustion gases have a temperature above 1450° C during the residence time, and the residence time is controlled such that the production of NOx is below approximately 3 ppm and the production of CO is below approximately 100 ppm. 49. The method of claim 48, wherein NOx is produced below approximately 2 ppm and CO is produced below approximately 10 ppm. 50. The method of claim 38, wherein the controlling includes monitoring at least one characteristic of at least one of the fuel-air mixture and the hot combustion gas to control the residence time. 51. The method of claim 50, wherein the monitoring includes sensing at least o