An economic assessment of space solar power as a source of electricity for space-based activities

Those in the space community interested in deploying space solar power (SSP) need to know whether it would make economic sense. This article aims to develop a conceptual model of the economic value of SSP as a source of power to in-space activities, such as spacecraft and space stations. We offer several estimates of the value based on interviews and published data, discuss technological innovations that may compete with or be complementary to SSP, and consider alternative institutional arrangements for government and the private sector to provide SSP.     

Europe — towards a new long-term programme

The European response to the US invitation to participate in the space station programme will determine the long-term future of the European space industry. The European Space Agency is charged with replying to the invitation, which will be one of the items on the agenda of the first ministerial meeting of the Council in early 1985. All going well, by the end of 1985 Europe will have developed a new long-term strategy towards space which will include substantial collaboration with the USA.     

Satellite solar power: Renewed interest in an age of climate change?

The concept of generating electricity using satellite solar power (SSP) has recently enjoyed renewed interest as a source of non-fossil fuel energy. First proposed in the 1960s, then studied sporadically in the past decade, SSP offers a potentially large supply of power but without the carbon emissions associated with evidence of global climate change. SSP faces challenges: competition from other non-fossil renewable energy, such as wind power, and the lead-time and costs required to assemble, test, and deploy an SSP system. At the request of a consortium of electric utilities, of NASA, and of the US National Science Foundation, this paper estimates the value of SSP in four distinct geographic regions, each differing in terms of their resource base for conventional renewable energy. Because deployment of SSP would be sometime in the future, we explicitly incorporate uncertainty in the model. We find the cost-effectiveness of SSP is highly sensitive to geographic region, to the reliability of SSP, and to the cost of carbon damages avoided by its use. The results offer guidance for decision makers in space, energy, and environment programs who must allocate scarce budgetary resources among competing public investment alternatives for clean energy.     

European spaceflight at the crossroads

Plans for Europe's future participation in space development are still under active discussion. This article offers a contribution to the debate, considering how Europe can best fulfil its own objectives. Choice of launch vehicle and its payload, as well as of other tools such as space station, re-entry vehicle, and launch site equipment are analysed. The article also discusses the purposes of space research for Europe, and the costs of a useful programme. A far-reaching European space programme still needs to be drawn up if Europe is not to lose out.     

Space station — the new frontier

The exciting challenge of building a permanent space station has been taken up by the USA, and participation in its development has been offered to the USA's allies. European countries are faced with the dilemma of whether to cooperate or to try to develop an autonomous approach. This article discusses the opportunities for Europe in participating closely in the US project — particularly in providing pressurized modules based on the Columbus programme — and argues that it is an opportunity not to be missed.     

Flunking on space station cooperation?

This article looks at the collaboration between the USA and Europe to develop a permanently manned space station. The US view was initially somewhat conjectural and European involvement has become a matter of dispute. The problem started with President Reagan's vague invitation which has not been followed up. NASA, directed by Congress, has already established a programme to which European contributions would appear as afterthoughts. While, on the other hand, the Europeans have asked for a collaboration, at the same time insisting on separate ownership, jurisdiction, use and control of the elements they intend to provide.     

等离子体接触器对空间站充放电的影响

针对采用100V高压电池阵的空间站结构体带电现象,提出采用等离子体接触器进行主动电位控制方案,根据此方案建立包含接触器的空间站充放电等效电路模型,研究等离子体接触器对空间站充放电过程的影响及空间站结构因素对接触器钳位效果的影响,从而了解等离子体接触器与空间站悬浮电位的耦合特性。结果表明,无论空间站处于“快速充电”还是“正常充电”情况,等离子体接触器均能有效将空间站悬浮电位钳制在合理范围内。空间站结构因素中,电池阵暴露导体面积对接触器钳位过程影响较大,结构体暴露导体面积和结构体等效电容的影响可忽略。     

大型深空站周边抗电磁干扰对策研究

深空测控活动具有信号空间衰减大、传输时延长、传播环境复杂等特点,电磁干扰对活动影响较大。对某型深空站电磁干扰现状开展分析,区分各类干扰源,对常用的抗电磁干扰对策方法进行研究。以电磁环境监测与管理信息系统为依据来研究电磁环境实时监测在深空站的实现,探索适宜深空站使用的电磁干扰监测方法和抗电磁干扰的对策,并从体制机制上对深空站实施有效保护。     

Sandwich module prototype progress for space solar power

Space solar power (SSP) has been broadly defined as the collection of solar energy in space and its wireless transmission for use on earth. This approach potentially gives the benefit of provision of baseload power while avoiding the losses due to the day/night cycle and tropospheric effects that are associated with terrestrial solar power. Proponents have contended that the implementation of such systems could offer energy security, environmental, and technological advantages to those who would undertake their development. Among recent implementations commonly proposed for SSP, the modular symmetrical concentrator (MSC) and other modular concepts have received considerable attention. Each employs an array of modules for performing conversion of concentrated sunlight into microwaves or laser beams for transmission to earth. While prototypes of such modules have been designed and developed previously by several groups, none have been subjected to the challenging conditions inherent to the space environment and the possible solar concentration levels in which an array of modules might be required to operate. The research described herein details our team's efforts in the development of photovoltaic arrays, power electronics, microwave conversion electronics, and antennas for microwave-based “sandwich” module prototypes. The implementation status and testing results of the prototypes are reviewed.     

Safety issues in SPS wireless power transmission

The use of wireless power transmission in Space Solar Power (SSP) activities creates significant policy issues regarding the beam right-of-way. There will not be a single beam, there may well be hundreds of beams for economical systems. Are some or all of these power beams to be afforded priorities of space for unobstructed power delivery, or must the beaming systems be designed to be capable of detecting any and all potential beam interceptions and appropriately responding? The repeated interruptions for guaranteed safety of transit for freely moving air and space traffic are of great consequence. The safety issues are critical, but the implications for equipment transient protection, energy storage system costs and the quality of power delivery service are also significant for wireless power transmission economics. A scenario of precursor wireless power transmission developments leading up to and including SSP applications will be used to frame and to discuss the beamed power technology implications and policy issues.     

空间站吸声降噪设计的仿真评估与验证

文章针对空间站吸声降噪设计中存在的降噪效果评估问题,以空间站缩比结构为研究对象,利用声学有限元法进行吸声降噪设计仿真评估。首先建立适用于空间站的吸声降噪设计仿真评估模型,然后通过地面噪声试验验证仿真模型的准确性;最后对几种空间站可用的不同性质的吸声材料在缩比结构中的降噪效果进行了定量仿真评估。结果表明塑料泡沫的降噪效果最好,其次是浇注泡沫;浇注泡沫的质量相对较轻。本研究可为预先定量评估空间站吸声降噪设计提供参考。     

Reforming European space governance

The structures governing European space activity, now some 50 years old, require reform to take better account of the plethora of space uses, the growing involvement in space of the EU and the variable degree of European integration. Adopting a method that involves identifying weaknesses in governance – e.g. lack of a European military space programme; problems in maintaining operational service continuity; opposition to change – the authors argue that only by harmonising its decision making and coherently integrating its public organisations will Europe be able to achieve a space programme commensurate with its technical capabilities and its political dimension.     

用指向性真空规进行空间站结构泄漏监测的设想

文章提出利用指向性真空规扫描监测空间站舱体漏率的设想:在空间站舱体外壁上实验舱和服务舱的连接处、实验舱底和对接装置的连接处、服务舱底和对接装置的连接处分别设计供指向性真空规运动的轨道,形成3个环行圈,指向性真空规在步进电机的作用下在各自的运动轨道上旋转,对空间站的外部结构进行扫描。初步分析了指向性真空规泄漏监测的灵敏度和定位精度。     

利用地月间空间站的载人登月飞行模式分析

为提高空间站利用率,降低载人登月任务成本,有效开发地月空间,研究了基于地月空间不同轨道空间站的载人登月飞行模式。首先对比直接往返登月飞行模式,对基于空间站的载人登月飞行模式进行任务分析,通过空间站将载人登月任务解耦为载人天地往返任务和登月任务两部分;其次通过轨道设计和稳定性分析提出考虑登月任务需求的地月间空间站可运行轨道和停泊点;最后建立一套飞行模式评价模型,从速度增量需求、飞行时间、空间环境、登月任务窗口、测控条件、交会对接技术难度、后续任务支持性和任务可靠性方面对6种不同位置空间站的登月飞行模式进行分析和定量评价。评价结果表明基于L2点Halo轨道空间站的载人登月飞行模式为更优飞行模式。     

The UK parliamentary space committee: The emergence of a space lobby?

In the past few years the UK has become increasingly active as the financial conscience of the European Space Agency. This is not because the UK government has a wish to spend more on its national space effort; it is because it remains unconvinced of the benefits of certain European space activities, notably manned endeavours. In the absence of an effective UK space lobby, the government's policies have remained largely unchallenged. This article traces the growth of the Parliamentary Space Committee in the context of developments in recent European space policy and highlights the need for an active UK space lobby.     

中国空间站光学遥感载荷的发展研究

光学遥感载荷的空间站平台相比卫星平台具有很大的优势,吸引了包括俄罗斯、美国和欧空局在内的国际空间站成员国争相进行空间站光学遥感载荷的新技术实验验证和对地观测研究。文章介绍了国际空间站光学遥感载荷的观测方式和特点,结合国际空间站光学遥感载荷的应用情况,从新技术实验验证和对地观测两个方面分析了中国空间站光学遥感载荷发展应该注意的问题,为中国空间站光学遥感载荷的发展提出了几点建议。     

A Franco–German view of Europe's ambition in space for the 21st century

Europe has at last started to integrate the assets of its broad set of actors into a comprehensive European Space Strategy. But will this first approach be ambitious enough to strengthen Europe as a global actor? In this contribution, the individuals responsible for strategy in the French and German space agencies seek an answer to this question. They do so by reviewing the historical background to European space efforts, and its role in shaping present-day activities; setting forth a vision of how Europe should proceed in space, and measuring current progress in drafting a European space strategy against this vision.     

The EU should freeze its military ambitions in space

In a clear departure from previous policies and activities, the European Union, together with the European Space Agency, have embarked on a series of military and security related space activities in recent years, often under the umbrella of largely civilian programmes. Such dual-use space programmes not only silently introduce military use of space in the context of the EU, they are to become an integral and essential part of the EU’s growing military ambitions. While these ambitions are opposed by large sections of European society, the EU has made milspace projects a top priority, with no international answer yet to the real and growing risks of military rivalry in space.     

“Space superiority”: Wernher von Braun's campaign for a nuclear-armed space station, 1946–1956

The literature on the history of spaceflight has depicted the early 1950s Collier’s articles mostly as a forerunner to the peaceful and scientific exploration of space. Yet the centerpiece of Wernher von Braun's plan was a manned space station that would serve as reconnaissance platform and orbiting battle station for achieving “space superiority” over the USSR. One its roles could be the launching of nuclear missiles. When challenged as to the station's defensibility, von Braun even posited pre-emptive atomic strikes from space as a response to the development of a hostile anti-satellite capability.     

空间站智能自主控制

首先分析了空间站及其运动控制系统的任务及特点，指出开展空间站智能自主控制研究是系统任务复杂性及不确定性的必然要求，已经迫在眉睫。然后介绍了一种新的智能控制方法——即基于全系数特征模型描述的智能控制方法，这是实现空间站智能自主控制的重要理论基础。最后提出空间站智能自主控制系统的结构组成。