Patent ID: 8342454

Claim:
A system, relating to assisting preventing overheating of at least one payload being transported from at least one on-orbit deployer to a planetary surface by at least one atmospheric-entry vehicle, comprising: a) situated within the at least one atmospheric-entry vehicle between at least one payload compartment for the at least one payload and at least one forward atmospheric-entry structure at the forward end of the vehicle producing atmospheric-entry heat during such atmospheric entry, at least one intermediate structure; b) wherein said at least one intermediate structure comprises at least one cooling component; c) wherein said at least one cooling component comprises at least one phase-change material cooled to solid state; d) wherein said at least one intermediate structure is structured and arranged to assist absorbing the atmospheric-entry heat coupled with sensible-heat processes and latent-heat processes; e) wherein such sensible-heat processes are effected by transition of said at least one phase-change material from at least one sub-phase-change temperature to a higher temperature; f) wherein such latent-heat processes are structured and arranged to be effected by phase transition of said at least one phase-change material from solid-state to liquid-state; and g) wherein overheating of such at least one payload being transported to the planetary surface by the at least one atmospheric-entry vehicle is assisted to be prevented during such atmospheric entry; h) wherein said at least one phase-change material is predominantly water.