Solar-pumped laser power transmission, a way to dramaticallydecrease launch costs?
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From: Sylvia Else on 17 Dec 2009 23:37 Jonathan wrote: > I like this idea, Relatively small mirrors would power > the lasers, not huge solar cell arrays. The lasers would > transmit their beams to other satellites that convert it to, and > beam it down, as microwaves. No need for mile-size > collectors in orbit. > > Proceedings of the ASCE Earth&Space 2006 Conference > April 2006 > > Space Power Grid- Evolutionary Approach To Space Solar Power > > > "At a higher level, a direct solar-pumped laser could be used to > convert solar energy on the LEO satellites, and transmit the laser > beams to other satellites where the demand for power is greater > (e.g., satellites over the dark side of earth). Recently, development > of such lasers has reached a stage where efficiency of up to 38% > has been shown. These satellites would receive incoming > laser energy using their high-efficiency narrow-band photovoltaic > cells, convert it to microwave, and beam it to Earth. This > architecture has two advantages: the beaming to Earth > could be done at optimal microwave frequencies for maximum > transmission through the atmosphere, without requiring excessive > transmitter size. The laser beams would propagate with very > high efficiency, and require only small collectors. Thus the mass > and overall cost per unit power of the system with this architecture > may be substantially lower than the lower-risk option > presented before." > > http://www.adl.gatech.edu/archives/adlp06040601.pdf > > > > And it should be noted, the SPS start up company, Space Energy Inc, > maybe one of the more legitimate commercial attempts at SPS, has > as one of it's technical advisors this guy, and his /current/ specialty > might be a clue of things to come..... > > > Dr. Richard Dickinson > > Space Energy Inc technical advisors > > "Mr. Dickinson is one of the world's foremost experts on Wireless > Power Transmission (WPT). President of OFF EARTH-WPT, > Mr. Dickinson was Group Supervisor of the High-Power Transmitter > Group at Goldstone and was NASA's microwave power transmission > specialist on the Solar Power Satellite Reference System team.... > > .....he is currently involved in studying and designing the solar pumped > laser-power beaming phased array for interstellar missions." > http://www.spaceenergy.com/s/TechnicalAdvisors.htm > What's missing, as always, is any detailed costing. It's easy to wave one's hands around, and conjure up systems that could be made to work technically. But the bottom line is the bottome line, and as usual, it's concealed. Sylvia. |