What do satellite engineers do to prevent the computer systems from overheating or overcooling?

Question

With PCs, the mainboard needs a cooling fan to cool down the hard drive, CPU etc. What are used with satellites to keep their instruments from overheating or overcooling?

Answer 1

If it is not possible a full adiabatic isolation for undetermined period, there is necessary an optimization of illumination and shadowing. However there is even the possibility of heating and cooling, but that requires additional devices, source of energy, sensors etc.

Answer 2

I thinks that the overcooling isn't problem: The Voyager 2 probe was launched is 1977 and when it reach Neptune, it surely was very cool.

If a probe were launch to Venus or Mercury, the engineers can use a radiation shield to prevent the overheating by the Sun light.

The Russian probe that landed in Venus only work some minutes due to the overheating.

Answer 3

I expect that they use computer models (maybe Finite Element Analysis) to make sure the heat sinks are the right size. If everything stays on, heat balance could keepsit at the right temperature. A simple heater/thermostat could act as insurance against a loss of normal power, or a power-up sequence might preheat electronics after a loss of power.

Electronics for space are usually specified to work over a wider temperature range.