DODGE SATELLITE POWER SYSTEM

Abstract

The DODGE (Department of Defense Gravity Experiment) satellite was launched on July 1, 1967 to an altitude of 18,000 statute miles into a near-synchronous orbit. The satellite was designed, as an experiment to demonstrate two- and three-axis gravity-gradient stabilization using magnetic and hysteresis damping techniques. A solar cell/battery power system furnishes all of the electrical energy required to operate the satellite subsystems. The solar power generating capability is 45 watts (average). A 6-ampere-hour 10-volt nickel-cadmium battery operates peak electrical loads during light and dark orbits as required. DC-to-AC inverters and DC-to-DC converters transform the solar/battery voltage to the proper levels required to operate the on-board electrical loads. The power system contains protective devices for safeguarding the battery against excessive discharge currents and charging voltages.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1968
Accession Number
AD0669994

Entities

People

  • Louis Wilson

Organizations

  • Johns Hopkins University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Artificial Satellites
  • Buses
  • Cameras
  • Capacitance
  • Converters
  • Detection
  • Detectors
  • Electrical Loads
  • Generators
  • Inverters
  • Measurement
  • Physics Laboratories
  • Satellite Buses
  • Solar Cells
  • Solar Energy
  • Solar Panels
  • Telemetry

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Aerospace Propulsion Engineering.
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Hall-Effect Thruster
  • Space - Satellites