Temperature System How and why do we control heat on a spacecraft?

How do active heat sinks work?

Active heat sinks release heat into space when instructed to. They turn on and off in response to the ship's temperature.

Examples of this kind of heat sink include louvers, which are a system like venetian blinds which open or shut according to how much heat needs to be released. The more of the ship that is exposed to the extreme cold of outer space, the faster it cools. Louvers expose parts of the ship to space until it is sufficiently cool.

Other ways to actively cool the ship are are heat pipes which carry hot material to cooler parts of the ship, shutters that open or close like louvers, and simply changing the craft's orientation. Ships can also move gasses to a place where they can expand and cool, or even expel warm matter into space to control heat.

Why do we have to control heat on a spacecraft if there are no people on board?
What could go wrong on DS1 if it gets too cold?
What could go wrong on DS1 if there's too much heat?
How is DS1's heat balance maintained?
What is heat?

What is heat balance?
How do passive heat sinks work?
What are heat sinks in DS1?
What are heat sources in DS1?
Does heat travel differently in space than it does on Earth?

What other forms of energy does a spacecraft releases into space?
What happens to the heat once it is released into space?