I really should know the answer to this, having done a course in heat transfer and basic thermodynamics, but i cant for the life of me derive a satisfactory answer. The question, in a nutshell, is this:
How come the SR-71 blackbird was painted black, yet Concorde was painted white?
now they are both designed to deal with high heat loads (i recall reading on the "Concorde Coffin Corner" thread its limit was 127 deg. C; the SR-71 presumably being somewhat higher), but i remember reading that black absorbs heat energy, so therefore presumably this would cause the SR-71 to overheat? surely if it was painted white (neglecting operational "stealth" reasons) , white reflecting heat, its thermal limit would be that much higher?
I get the feeling i've got this all ar$e over t!t, but i cant fathom it out.
Matty
Retiring to the pub