Fairings as radiators?

[Mad Rocket Scientist]

So, I had this idea:

Radiators are basically big panels, right? So are fairings, so if, instead of fairings being blown off of the the spacecraft, they could hinge away, only attached at the bottom, so they would have the maximum area as far away from the spacecraft as possible.

What do you think of this idea? How is it not possible?

[SargeRho]

I think fairings and radiators have totally different material requirements - so it's probably more mass-efficient to bolt on dedicated radiators.

[Bill Phil]

SargeRho is probably correct.

Also, spacecraft are usually designed to have minimum mass. Keeping the fairings would increase the mass a bit too much.

[smjjames]

Not to mention that fairings and radiators would be constructed very differently.

[mrfox]

You mean like this?

[SargeRho]

Those are cargo bays, not fairings. Very different construction.

[mrfox]

Those are cargo bay DOORS.

A cargo bay door is a reusable aerodynamic fairing.

[SargeRho]

And they're still built very differently from "regular" fairings, since they're basically flap-open bits of fuselage that have to withstand reentry repeatedly.

[YNM]

Radiators also contains working liquid in them - folding pipes isn't really an easy job (look at ISS). Even for passive radiators, you need a really consistent object, in terms of heating coefficient - else, you might get something unexpected. Fairings are designed to be heat-resistant (or so I guess, think of aerodinamic stress), so I'm a bit of wondering how heat would flow to them. Also, fairings are dead mass, the capability of the launcher is reduced if you don't dispose them.

[sal_vager]

The STS bay doors had radiators fitted to their inner surfaces, they were not themselves radiators though.

[BriXman]

Well, that's a project for another day, ey?