latest solar power satellite designs

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

psturroc@gmail.com - 02 Mar 2006 20:51 GMT

I stumbled across a 1998 paper in which the writer said thin-film
photovoltaics and improved designs could lead to a 10-fold decrease in
mass for SPSs. I seem to recall a 50,000-ton estimate for an SPS
proposed by Gerard K. O'Neill, though I can't recall the estimated
power output. Could a state of the art 5,000-ton SPS perform as well
as O'Neill's design?

Reply to this Message

Geoffrey - 25 Mar 2006 10:51 GMT

pstur...@gmail.com wrote:

>I stumbled across a 1998 paper in which the writer said thin-film
>photovoltaics and improved designs could lead to a 10-fold decrease in
>mass for SPSs.

Hmm-- could have been one of mine.

For some economic modelling, try this one: "Reinventing the Solar Power
Satellite", from the Houston IAF Congress, NASA TM-2004-212743 (pdf
file here:
http://gltrs.grc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/GLTRS/browse.pl?2004/TM-2004-212743.html
)

Signature

Geoffrey A. Landis
http://www.sff.net/people/geoffrey.landis

Reply to this Message

Space Forum / Space Flight / March 2006

latest solar power satellite designs