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Title: SAMPIE measurements of area effects on the electron current collection by standard silicon solar arrays

Conference ·
OSTI ID:428030
;  [1];  [2]
  1. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Cleveland, OH (United States). Lewis Research Center
  2. NYMA, Inc., Cleveland, OH (United States)

SAMPIE, the Solar Array Module Plasma Interactions Experiment flew successfully in the payload bay of STS-62 in March of 1994. Three concentric solar arrays of standard 2 x 2 cm silicon cells were biased individually and together to voltages as high as +300 V to look for area effects on the currents collected by the inner array. The intent was to be able to determine how current collection measurements made by a small array in space can be extrapolated to cells near the center of large solar arrays. The data will be shown for conditions of flight both into the ram flow and perpendicular to it. Predictions of the NASCAP/LEO code for the area effects will be compared with the flight data. Conclusions about the applicability of small-array current measurements to extrapolations for large solar arrays will be presented and recommendations will be made.

OSTI ID:
428030
Report Number(s):
CONF-960634-; TRN: IM9708%%359
Resource Relation:
Conference: 1996 IEEE international conference on plasma science, Boston, MA (United States), 3-5 Jun 1996; Other Information: PBD: 1996; Related Information: Is Part Of IEEE conference record -- Abstracts: 1996 IEEE international conference on plasma science; PB: 324 p.
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English