A three-dimensional transient thermal analysis of the Lidar Atmospheric Sensing Experiment

The development of a three-dimensional thermal analysis model of the Lidar Atmospheric Sensing Experiment (LASE) is the subject of this paper. The use of an interactive computer graphics and finite element generation program to define the geometry information for the thermal model is discussed. The methods used in calculating the heat transfer parameters are explained. The results of the thermal analysis are given, and these results are compared with actual flight data.