Design, fabrication and delivery of a miniature Cassegrainian concentrator solar array system. Final technical report
The optical design of the miniature Cassegrainian concentrator (MCC) element was improved for both offpoint and onpoint power capability. The cell stack design has shown no losses under the high short term thermal stresses imposed by component level test and is projected to be capable of greater than five years thermal cycle life in low Earth orbit. The structural design met all requirements for stiffness and flatness and requires adjustable inserts for fine tuning of the GFRP structure to meet flatness goals. The completed, fully populated small and large MCC panels deliverable under this contract perform electrically as expected. A solid acceptance inspection program to guarantee quality of all purchased parts, and continued manufacturing process improvements will make the MCC design a viable low cost alternative to standard flat panel technology. Minor improvements to the cell stack design of the MCC element can make significant improvements in both the performance and manufacturability of the MCC system.
- Research Organization:
- TRW Defense and Space Systems Group, Redondo Beach, CA (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 5659101
- Report Number(s):
- N-88-14493; NASA-CR-179237; NAS-1.26:179237; REPT-45050-6001-UT-001
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Preliminary concept of a 100-kilowatt miniaturized Cassegrainian concentrator solar array
Cassegrainian concentrator solar array exploratory development module