Rising temperature on a very slow ascent?

[Magniff]

Hey KSP community,

I was trying to recorde atmospheric preassure and temperature data for Kerbin (during a very slow ascent of approximately 34 m/s).

(I didn't know wheter the wiki is up to date for 1.0.4)

Since my thermometer was placed pretty far away from my engine,

I expected temperature readings to drop, during my slow ascent.

But instead I recorded increasing temperatures.

As soon as I left the atmosphere, temperature readings finally started to drop.

Unfortunately I didn't enable "Thermal Data in Action Menus", until my "science junior" module started glowing at an altitude of 29 km.

I therefore can't provide any "thermal flux" data for altitudes below 30 km.

As you can see from these flux data, there was a continuous thermal flow of 0.07 from the thermometers skin into its interior.

Does anybody know what caused the increasing temperature readings during my very slow ascent (~ 34 m/s)?

Installed mods: Telemachus – Telemetry and Flight Control

Shortened table of the recorded data:

[table=width: 500, class: grid]

[tr]

[td]Altitude[/td]

[td]Temperature[/td]

[td]Velocity(surface)[/td]

[td]Cond. Flux[/td]

[td]Conv. Flux[/td]

[td]Rad. Flux[/td]

[td]Int. Flux[/td]

[td]SkinToInt.[/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td]0.2 km[/td]

[td]301 °[/td]

[td]12.1 m/s[/td]

[td][/td]

[td][/td]

[td][/td]

[td][/td]

[td][/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td]10 km[/td]

[td]357 °[/td]

[td]31.5 m/s[/td]

[td][/td]

[td][/td]

[td][/td]

[td][/td]

[td][/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td]20 km[/td]

[td]428 °[/td]

[td]34.7 m/s[/td]

[td][/td]

[td][/td]

[td][/td]

[td][/td]

[td][/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td]30 km[/td]

[td]489 °[/td]

[td]33.6 m/s[/td]

[td]-0.03[/td]

[td]0.00[/td]

[td]-0.11[/td]

[td]0.00[/td]

[td]0.07[/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td]40 km[/td]

[td]548 °[/td]

[td]35.1 m/s[/td]

[td]-0.04[/td]

[td]0.00[/td]

[td]-0.16[/td]

[td]0.00[/td]

[td]0.07[/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td]50 km[/td]

[td]602 °[/td]

[td]34.5 m/s[/td]

[td]-0.11[/td]

[td]0.00[/td]

[td]-0.23[/td]

[td]0.00[/td]

[td]0.07[/td]

[/tr]

[tr]

[td]62 km[/td]

[td]638 °[/td]

[td]77.1 m/s[/td]

[td]-0.03[/td]

[td]0.00[/td]

[td]-0.29[/td]

[td]0.00[/td]

[td]0.07[/td]

[/tr]

[/table]

(Please excuse any misspellings or flawed grammar in my posts)

Edited June 26, 2015 by Magniff
wrong mod name, flawed grammar and missing content

[DeMatt]

I think that the heat is indeed from the engine. Rocket engines, particularly large ones like Skippers, are after all not known for their cool operating temperatures.

A quick test-firing of a Skipper + Rockomax X200-16, strapped to the launch pad, showed that a thermometer about where you've got the Z-1k battery went from ambient at 289 degrees, to 320 or so at burnout, to a peak of about 390 before starting to cool once more.

[Signo]

Well, I had a quick look and the temperature on the pad is over 287°. (hot summer day!)

[Magniff]

I think that the heat is indeed from the engine.

Just repeated your test on the launchpad using my original engine settings.

Indeed there is a significant heating.

A consistent cond. flux of almost + 3 is displayed.

Well I'm not sure, since my original readings showed a slightly negative cond. flux (I still got the screenshots).

I've probably just encountered a display bug, on my first flight.

Thinking again about that dropping temperature readings as soon as the vessel left the atmosphere.

Maybe I unintentionally turned off the engine without recognising it .

[NathanKell]

Ambient temperature at KSC at mid-day is about 305C. It's the equator, after all.

The thermometer part doesn't measure the outside temperature, it just reports the part temperature. That's why it's confusing.

[Magniff]

Ambient temperature at KSC at mid-day is about 305C. It's the equator, after all.

The thermometer part doesn't measure the outside temperature, it just reports the part temperature. That's why it's confusing.

Yep,

obviously Kerbals prefer their rockets nicely precooled .

[NathanKell]

Parts are set at the ambient temperature unmodified by sun/latitude upon creation, is why. They then heat or cool to the actual ambient temperature.

[Reactordrone]

Well, I had a quick look and the temperature on the pad is over 287°. (hot summer day!)

http://i.imgur.com/HfgoIn1.png

Thermometer readouts are in Kelvin (despite the ° marking) so just below 15°C.

[Signo]

Thermometer readouts are in Kelvin (despite the ° marking) so just below 15°C.

Yeah, I thought about it just after writing the nonsense. It is not so hot at all.