ELECTRICAL POWER SYSTEMS FOR THE MANNED ORBITING LABORATORY

Abstract

This paper is a detailed design study of possible electrical power systems for the Air Force's Manned Orbiting Laboratory. The mission requirements and details are reviewed to the extent that they are known in the open literature and a set of power requirements is derived. On the basis of reliability, availability, and weight considerations, only solar cells, fuel cells, secondary batteries and combinations thereof are selected for detailed analysis. For the 30 day mission it is concluded that if no experiments are required during the shadow protion of the orbit, the integrated battery/solar cell system is superior by a large margin. If experiments are required in the shadow period, it is found that either the fuel cell system or the battery/solar cell system may be optimum depending on the magnitude and type of power required. It is also found that for a 60 day mission only the battery/solar cell system can be seriously considered. The analysis of the three power systems in support of the design study is developed step by step and may be used as a detailed guide for analyzing the characteristics of these systems for other missions.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 1965
Accession Number
AD0624668

Entities

People

  • Michael R. Anderberg

Organizations

  • Princeton University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Attitude Control Systems
  • Battery Chargers
  • Cells
  • Compound Semiconductors
  • Control Systems
  • Drinking Water
  • Energy
  • Fuel Cells
  • Heat Energy
  • Heat Transfer
  • Power Supplies
  • Reliability
  • Separators
  • Solar Cells
  • Solar Panels
  • Solar Radiation
  • Storage Batteries

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Control Systems Engineering.
  • Life Cycle Cost Analysis

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology
  • Space
  • Space - Satellites