Energy is the key to mankind's future exploration, development, and utilization of space. In his address commemorating the 20th anniversary of the APOLLO-11 lunar landing, President Bush outlined the objectives of the United States Space Program. The priorities include the space station, a lunar base, and a manned Mars mission. The availability of safe, reliable, and lightweight energy sources in space provides the foundation to support the missions that accomplish the space program objectives President Bush presented. However, the availability of power in space is currently constrained by the ''Ever-Ready Energizer'' approach: individual power sources tailored to each application for each mission. This paper describes an alternative approach to power generation and distribution in outer space known as power beaming, an integrated power generation and distribution network that will open space to many new applications. Power beaming is the basis for a completely new space power architecture and a fully integrated, transportable space power infrastructure. The power- beaming infrastructure begins with the early deployment, just after the turn of the century, of a power-beaming architecture to support near-Earth systems and missions. This architecture and the terrestrial infrastructure supporting it is then replicated as mankind explores farther into the solar system. By modifying the near-Earth beam-power receiver and using the same transmitter, a power-beaming architecture would be available to support manned lunar activities including the establishment of a permanent base on the moon. As mankind ventures to Mars and beyond, a power-beaming-based space power architecture would support these activities as well; the power system would integrate into the transportation infrastructure by providing the power source for electric propulsion. 14 refs., 4 figs.
Space exploration initiative mission architectures utilizing space power generation and distribution
1991
20 pages
Report
No indication
English
Electric Power Transmission , Extraterrestrial Exploration , Power Systems , Space , Space Power Reactors , Space Vehicles , Exploration , Lasers , Luna Space Probes , Mars Space Probes , Mission Analysis , Optical Systems , Photovoltaic Cells , Power Distribution , Power Generation , Power Transmission , Power beaming , Space exploration , EDB/240100 , EDB/240200 , EDB/210600