Wireless power transmission: the key to solar power satellites

Maturing of the enabling technologies has provided much of the infrastructure to support the development of a commercial Solar Power Satellite program. Solar Space Industries was formed to accomplish this goal. The basis of their development plan is to build a Ground Test Installation that will duplicate, in small scale on the Earth, all aspects of the power generating and power transmission systems except for the space environment and the range and size of the energy beam. Space operations issues will be separated from the power generation fixation and verified by testing. Doing the developmental testing on the ground instead of in space will result in a low cost program that can be accomplished in a very short time. The concept is to build a Ground Test Installation that couples an existing 100 kW terrestrial solar cell array to a phased-array wireless power transmitter based on a subarray. Power will be transmitted over a 1-¼ mile range to a receiving antenna and then fed into a commercial utility power grid. The objective is to demonstrate the complete function of the Solar Power Satellites, with the primary issue being the validation of practical wireless power transmission. The key features to demonstrate are: beam control, stability, steering, efficiency, reliability, cost, and safety     

New architectures for space power systems

Electric power generation and conditioning have experienced revolutionary development over the past two decades. Furthermore, new materials such as high energy magnets and high temperature superconductors are either available or on the horizon. Our work is based on the premise that new technologies are an important driver of new power system concepts and architectures. This observation is borne out by the historical evolution of power systems both in terrestrial and aerospace applications. This paper introduces new approaches to designing space power systems by using several new technologies. Two new architectures are introduced: the current source current intensive system and the articulate system. Basic characteristics of these systems have been investigated. Some aspects of the articulate system architecture, as discussed in this paper can be implemented in the short term. Flexible AC transmission systems which are now undergoing rapid development and implementation, can be regarded as a subset of the family of control methodologies which constitute the realm of articulate systems     

Future trends in space photovoltaics

The Air Force, NASA, NRL and the commercial sector are all using small spacecraft to a greater extent in order to provide more cost-effective access to space. This paper discusses the generic photovoltaic technologies which are being studied and/or developed to support these smaller spacecraft, and identifies several specific examples. The unique requirements of these mission types include lower power arrays, arrays with lower mass and stowed volume which will be more compatible with small launch vehicles, and power systems with lower fabrication costs     

先进空间运输系统气动设计综述

天地往返运输系统是能够自由进出空间轨道、安全返回地球表面、执行天地往返运输任务的航天运输体系。近年来,随着先进动力、新材料、新工艺的带动效应逐渐显现,各航天集团开始了新一轮先进天地往返系统的研究,其中大量研究项目针对具备完全可重复使用、可大幅降低运送有效载荷进入太空成本的先进天地往返运输系统展开。本文针对这一热点领域进行综述性研究,对不同类型进出大气层飞行器的气动设计特点进行了分析,结果表明跨大气层飞行器是天地往返运输系统的主要载体,认为未来主要以火箭助推入轨滑翔再入和水平起飞水平返回为主要发展方向,两类飞行在气动设计方面有高超飞行器宽域飞行适应性的共性难题,同时在气动-动力一体化化设计方面又有较大的差异。     

A fiber-optic current sensor for aerospace applications

A robust, accurate, broadband, AC sensor using fiber optics that is being developed for space applications at power frequencies as high as 20 kHz is described. It can also be used in low- and high-voltage 60-Hz terrestrial power systems and in 400-Hz aircraft systems. It is intrinsically immune to electromagnetic interference (EMI) and has the added benefit of excellent isolation. The sensor uses the Faraday effect in optical fiber and standard polarimetric measurements to sense electrical current. The primary component of the sensor is a specially treated coil of single-mode optical fiber, through which the current-carrying conductor passes. Improved precision is accomplished by temperature compensation by means of signals from a novel fiber-optic temperature sensor embedded in the sensing head. The technology used in the sensor is discussed, and the results of precision tests conducted at various temperatures within the wide operating range as well as the results of early EMI tests are reported     

The Electric Field Instrument (EFI) for THEMIS

The design, performance, and on-orbit operation of the three-axis electric field instrument (EFI) for the NASA THEMIS mission is described. The 20 radial wire boom and 10 axial stacer boom antenna systems making up the EFI sensors on the five THEMIS spacecraft, along with their supporting electronics have been deployed and are operating successfully on-orbit without any mechanical or electrical failures since early 2007. The EFI provides for waveform and spectral three-axis measurements of the ambient electric field from DC up to 8 kHz, with a single, integral broadband channel extending up to 400 kHz. Individual sensor potentials are also measured, providing for on-board and ground-based estimation of spacecraft floating potential and high-resolution plasma density measurements. Individual antenna baselines are 50- and 40-m in the spin plane, and 6.9-m along the spin axis. The EFI has provided for critical observations supporting a clear and definitive understanding of the electrodynamics of both the boundaries of the terrestrial magnetosphere, as well as internal processes, such as relativistic particle acceleration and substorm dynamics. Such multi-point electric field observations are key for pushing forward the understanding of electrodynamics in space, in that without high-quality estimates of the electric field, the underlying electromagnetic processes involved in current sheets, reconnection, and wave-particle interactions may only be inferred, rather than measured, quantified, and used to discriminate between competing hypotheses regarding those processes.     

SERF陀螺仪研究进展及关键技术

SERF(Spin Exchange Relaxation Free)陀螺仪利用电子自旋在惯性空间的定轴性敏感载体转动信息,具有超高精度、小体积的特点,已成为国内外惯性技术领域的研究热点之一.本文介绍了SERF陀螺仅的基本原理,回顾了SERF陀螺仪的国内外发展历程,指出SERF陀螺仪发展需要解决原子气室抗弛豫、核自旋磁场补偿闭环和高精度的信号检测三个关键技术,并展望了SERF陀螺仪在未来潜在的应用前景.     

Ultra-lightweight space power from hybrid thin-film solar cells

The development of hybrid inorganic/organic thin-film solar cells on flexible, lightweight, space-qualified, durable substrates provides an attractive solution for space power generation with high mass specific power (W/kg). The high-volume, low-cost fabrication potential of organic cells will allow for square miles of solar cell production at one-tenth the cost of conventional inorganic materials. Plastic solar cells take a minimum of storage space and can be inflated or unrolled for deployment. We explore a cross-section of NASA in-house and sponsored research efforts that aim to provide new hybrid technologies that include both inorganic and polymer materials as active and substrate materials. For NASA applications, any solar cell or array technology must not only meet weight and AMO efficiency goals, but also must be durable enough to survive launch and space environments. Also, balance of system technologies must be developed to take advantage of ultra-lightweight solar arrays in power generation systems.     

Space power systems requirements and issues: the next decade

Some of the more important space power technology issues, requirements, and challenges of the 1990s are described, and the impact of new component technology on the overall performance of space power systems is assessed. Advanced component, subsystem and system technologies that will significantly affect the performance, reliability, and survivability of next-generation baseload and burst mode space power systems are emphasized. Technology disciplines related to power sources (solar/nuclear and chemical), power conversion, energy storage, power conditioning/distribution and control, and waste-heat acquisition, transport, and rejection are primarily addressed. For some of them, performance trends that can be used as the basis for projecting future advanced power-system performance are developed. Performance capabilities for several different types of space power system for both baseload and burst mode applications are postulated on the basis of evolving technology and point designs that incorporate projections of advanced component capabilities     

Enhanced Power Generation by Optical Solar Reflectors on Geostationary Spinners

A novel arrangement is proposed to enhance the power generating capabilities of a spin stabilized geostationary satellite (spinner). The unilluminated solar array area of the usual spinner (as sunlight falls on only one side) is illuminated by employing despun optical solar reflectors. The different mechanisms required for implementation of this arrangement are already space proven. The detailed study of this arrangement made by the authors reveals that the practical realization of this concept will enhance the power generating capability of the spinner and simultaneously reduce the weight (per unit power) and cost (per unit power) in such spinners.     

POWOW: power without wires: a SEP concept for space exploration

Electric propulsion has emerged as a cost-effective solution to a wide range of satellite applications. Deep Space 1 successfully demonstrated electric propulsion as the primary propulsion source for a satellite. The POWOW concept is a solar-electric propelled spacecraft capable of significant cargo and short trip times for traveling to Mars. It would enter aerosynchronous orbit and from there, beam power to surface installations via lasers. The concept has been developed with industrial partner expertise in high efficiency solar cells, advanced concentrator modules, innovative arrays, and high power electric propulsion systems. The latest version of the spacecraft, the technologies used, and trip times to Mars are presented. The POWOW spacecraft is a general purpose solar electric propulsion system that uses new technologies that are directly applicable to commercial and government spacecraft with power levels ranging from a LEO power level of 4 kW up to GEO spacecraft about 1 MW. The system is modular, expandable, and amenable to learning curve cost projection methods     

Conception of spacecraft centralized power supply

A reliable power supply for spacecraft is one of the central problems determining the future development of space technology. The traditional solution to this problem implies having an autonomous power plant on board each spacecraft. The most widely used are power plants with solar cells. However, there exists an alternative power supply concept of using a centralized power supply system (CPSS) and power transmission to the user satellites by laser or microwave beams. Use of a CPSS has a number of advantages. In particular, it allows the spacecraft to increase power supply level and service life as well as to decrease the spacecraft mass and cost. However, it sets new physical and technical problems associated with long distance power transmission and requires some changes in spacecraft structure and concepts. The feasibility study of CPSS development and use has to rely on existing or firmly forecastable technologies. An attempt of such an analysis has been done by a group of scientists at Moscow State Aviation Institute during 1994-1996. The very first results have already been published. This paper discusses new results obtained lately regarding a space based CPSS     

空间模块化机械手系统容错控制系统研究

研究搭载在空间站或其他近地轨道航天器上的空间模块化机械手系统的容错控制系统.与地面应用环境相比较,空间特殊的应用环境存在许多不同,因而传统工业机械手系统的设计技术不能直接应用于空间机械手系统的设计.考虑到空间应用对系统质量、体积、功耗、研制费用和周期所提出的苛刻要求,主要采用COTS器件设计并实现该空间机械手系统的容错控制系统,介绍了系统的软硬件体系结构及其特点,最后给出系统的性能参数.在系统设计中采用许多已有的设计技巧与工程经验,具有高可靠性和工程实用性.     

未来飞机的智能化技术综述与发展展望

我国商用飞机型号的系列化发展,使得我国进入全球屈指可数的多型号发展的大型飞机制造国家之列。如果无论单通道飞机,还是宽体飞机仍基本保持常规布局的假设成立的话,随着未来航空产品复杂性的增加和新技术的持续植入带来了市场、技术、经济和研制周期等多方面的挑战。在型号研制经验、特别是完整的全寿命周期的研制经验相对缺乏的不利条件下,在关注传统学科和专业技术领域发展的同时,更需要关注颠覆性新技术的预先发展和应用,力争实现跨越式创新。其中,智能化技术和方法将是未来航空全产业链发展的全局性关键技术之一,对进一步提高飞机安全性、经济性、舒适性和环保性,提高飞机设计制造和运营维护的个性化、定制化以及无缝化水平具有潜在的颠覆性影响。论述智能技术在商用航空领域全寿命周期各阶段和全供应链体系下的系统化应用价值,为宽体飞机项目的发展提出关键核心技术的战略性发展方向,服务于技术和产业布局以及核心技术预先发展的需求。     

Future trends in space power technology

The status of the US Air Force Space Power Research and Development Program is summarized. Generic issues and requirements affecting the strategic planning of space power advances for the 1990s and beyond are described. The major thrusts of the Air Fore part of the Strategic Defense Initiative Office Space Power Program are highlighted, with emphasis on the ongoing advanced component technology development program. The status of these component technologies in the areas of power sources, energy storage, power management and distribution, and thermal management is described. Technology projections for the full range of envisioned technology options for the foregoing are used as the basis for a series of point designs for deriving the subsystem- and system-level benefits of the technologies. The primary focus is on baseload (CW) power systems operating in the range from 100 W for small satellites to 50 kW for potential large surveillance satellites. The secondary focus is on large, multimegawatt pulsed power systems and related components for potential applications such as directed energy. Potential `trump card' technologies related to energy conversion, storage, power electronics, and thermal management are identified     

Cratering Records in the Inner Solar System in Relation to the Lunar Reference System

The well investigated size-frequency distributions (SFD) for lunar craters is used to estimate the SFD for projectiles which formed craters on terrestrial planets and on asteroids. The result shows the relative stability of these distributions during the past 4 Gyr. The derived projectile size-frequency distribution is found to be very close to the size-frequency distribution of Main-Belt asteroids as compared with the recent Spacewatch asteroid data and astronomical observations (Palomar-Leiden survey, IRAS data) as well as data from close-up imagery by space missions. It means that asteroids (or, more generally, collisionally evolved bodies) are the main component of the impactor family. Lunar crater chronology models of the authors published elsewhere are reviewed and refined by making use of refinements in the interpretation of radiometric ages and the improved lunar SFD. In this way, a unified cratering chronology model is established which can be used as a safe basis for modeling the impact chronology of other terrestrial planets, especially Mars.     

大功率空间核电推进技术研究进展

大功率空间核电推进系统是空间核电源技术和大功率电推进技术的高度融合,具有高能量密度、超高比冲、较大推力的优势,可适用于超大型航天器轨道转移任务、远距离无人深空探测任务、载人火星等大型深空探测任务,能够极大地拓展人类深空探测的能力。本文针对大功率空间核电推进技术,对其工作原理和系统组成进行了介绍,同时开展了关键技术梳理,重点归纳了国内外在技术领域的研究历程和最新进展。     

Fuel cell status: 1996

The technology of fuel cells is heating up. A world that, ten years ago, was unaware of the concept can now witness approximately 200 fuel cell units operating in 15 countries. Energy planners and decision makers are becoming aware that, in addition to a continual increase in installations, the reliability of early commercial units is outstanding and the cost is dropping. They have begun to ask whether fuel cells might fit into their future. While the fuel cell concept is simple, determining which type of fuel cell to consider may prove taxing. The multiplicity of fuel cells and their development programs, coupled with the amount of subject material and claims-versus-reality, may seem overwhelming. Fuel cell commercialization activities in North America are the focus of five manufacturers that are developing four types [fuel cells are typed by electrolyte: the 200°C phosphoric acid (PAFC); the 80°C proton exchange membrane (PEM); the 650°C molten carbonate (MCFC); and the 1,000°C solid oxide (SOFC) fuel cells]. Each fuel cell promises the attractive combination of fairly high efficiency and superior environmental performance compared to the presently available fossil-fueled electric generation technologies. As a result, fuel cells are particularly easy to site. There are additional advantages such as: excellent availability; electrical VAR control; quick ramp rate; remote/unattended operation; and redundancy when multiple units are installed. After earlier success in space, fuel cells are being applied to the commercial sector as on-site cogeneration units mostly fueled by natural gas. They are being considered for larger distributed generators (natural gas) and for vehicular power plants (methanol)     

A nickel/hydrogen battery for PV systems

The nickel-hydrogen battery, developed in the early nineteen-seventies as an energy-storage subsystem for commercial communication satellites, is discussed. The advantages offered by nickel-hydrogen batteries, including long life, low maintenance and high reliability, make it very attractive for terrestrial applications such as stand-alone photovoltaic systems. The major drawback to the wider use of the nickel-hydrogen battery is its high initial cost. A 7-kWh battery has been on test since January 1988 using a flat-plate photovoltaic array for charging. The cell, battery design and test methods are briefly described, and the results of cycling and solar tests are presented. It is concluded that the battery is well suited for remote solar applications