another vacuum tempreture question.

[OrganizedChaos]

when a satelite/probe is in space how does it cool itself? with no atmosphere why don't passive componets such as resistors get hotter and hotter until they melt? where does the heat go if it can't be air cooled?

 

[f95toli]

Even in vacuum you have radiation cooling. All hot surfaces (meaning surfaces with temeratures above 0K) radiates energy which cools the obeject.
It is not as efficient as cooling in medium but it works.