Unlimited power for our space vehicles

Journal Article · Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1983 · Space Sol. Power Rev.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5574083

Chidester, L G

Photovoltaic solar arrays which derive their energy from the sun and provide the electrical power needed on long life space vehicles are examined. Present spacecraft solar arrays provide in the range of 1-5 kW; however, lightweight flexible arrays with reduced cost and increased performance are being developed to provide serveral hundred kilowatts of power. The state of the art of solar cell technology, Lockheed's development efforts on new solar arrays, and the upcoming NASA Solar Array Flight Experiment are described. The experiment package includes a huge 4 x 32 m flexible solar array, a structure and mechanism for moving it out of the shuttle cargo bay, and a complete data acquisition system to record operational data during ascent and on-orbit operations. Space Shuttle applications and three array concepts, developed for space power sources in the 300 kW to 1 MW range, are considered. Examples of cost and efficiency improvements being worked on include: transparent arrays, multi-bandgap solar cells, thin-film solar cells, and improved concentrator systems. Photos of the presently used solar arrays and drawings of the array concepts are presented.

• Research Organization: Lockheed Missiles and Space Co., Inc., Sunnyvale, CA
• OSTI ID: 5574083
• Journal Information: Space Sol. Power Rev.; (United States), Vol. 4
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
SPACECRAFT POWER SUPPLIES
SOLAR CELL ARRAYS
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
GALLIUM ARSENIDES
PHOTOVOLTAIC CELLS
SILICON
SOLAR CELLS
SOLAR ENERGY CONVERSION
SPACE SHUTTLES
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
AIRCRAFT
ARSENIC COMPOUNDS
ARSENIDES
CONVERSION
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
ELEMENTS
ENERGY CONVERSION
EQUIPMENT
GALLIUM COMPOUNDS
PHOTOELECTRIC CELLS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PNICTIDES
POWER SUPPLIES
SEMIMETALS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
SPACE VEHICLES
VEHICLES
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
140600* - Solar Energy- Photovoltaic Power Systems