LEO effects on candidate solar cell cover materials

In 1984, the LDEF (Long Duration Exposure Facility) was placed in LEO (Low Earth Orbit) for a mission planned to last approximately one year. Due to a number of factors, retrieval was delayed until 1990. An experiment, prepared under the direction of JPL, consisted of a test plate with thirty (30) individual thin silicon solar cell/cover samples. The covers consisted of conventional cerium doped microsheet platelets and potential candidate materials, such as FEP Teflon, silicon RTV's, glass resins, polyimides, and a silicone-polyimide copolymer encapsulant. The effects of the LDEF mission environment (micrometeorite/debris impacts, atomic oxygen, UV, and particulate radiation) on the samples are discussed

Leo micrometeorite/debris impact damage

The school bus sized Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) was retrieved in 1990, after nearly six years of 250 nautical mile altitude low earth orbit environmental exposure. The recovery of LDEF experiments has provided extensive information on space interactions, including micrometeorite, debris, atomic oxygen, ultraviolet, and particulate radiation. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory provided a test plate as part of Solar-Array-Materials Passive LDEF (SAMPLE) Experiment. The test plate contained thirty thin silicon solar cell/cover assemblies. The cover samples included a variety of materials such as Teflon and RTV silicones, in addition to conventional microsheet. The nature of the approximately 150 micrometeorite/debris impacts on the cell/cover samples, cell interconnects, and aluminum test plate is discussed

Advanced photovoltaic solar array development

Phase 2 of the Advanced Photovoltaic Solar Array (APSA) program, started in mid-1987, is currently in progress to fabricate prototype wing hardware that will lead to wing integration and testing in 1989. The design configuration and key details are reviewed. A status of prototype hardware fabricated to date is provided. Results from key component-level tests are discussed. Revised estimates of array-level performance as a function of solar cell device technology for geosynchronous missions are given

Advanced photovoltaic solar array design assessment

The Advanced Photovoltaic Solar Array (APSA) program seeks to bring to flight readiness a solar array that effectively doubles the specific power of the Solar Array Flight Experiment/Solar Electric Propulsion (SAFE/SEP) design that was successfully demonstrated during the Shuttle 41-D mission. APSA is a critical intermediate milestone in the effort to demonstrate solar array technologies capable of 300 W/kg and 300 W/square m at beginning of life (BOL). It is not unreasonable to anticipate the development of solar array designs capable of 300 W/kg at BOL for operational power levels approx. greater than 25 kW sub e. It is also quite reasonable to expect that high performance solar arrays capable of providing at least 200 W/kg at end of life for most orbits now being considered by mission planners will be realized in the next decade

Photovoltaic options for solar electric propulsion

During the past decade, a number of advances have occurred in solar cell and array technology. These advances have lead to performance improvement for both conventional space arrays and for advanced technology arrays. Performance enhancements have occurred in power density, specific power, and environmental capability. Both state-of-the-art and advanced development cells and array technology are discussed. Present technology will include rigid, rollout, and foldout flexible substrate designs, with silicon and GaAs solar cells. The use of concentrator array systems is also discussed based on both DOD and NASA efforts. The benefits of advanced lightweight array technology, for both near term and far term utilization, and of advanced high efficiency, thin, radiation resistant cells is examined. This includes gallium arsenide on germaniun substrates, indium phosphide, and thin film devices such as copper indium diselenide

GaP betavoltaic cells as a power source

Maximum power output for the GaP cells of this study was found to be on the order of 1 microW. This resulted from exposure to 200 and 40 KeV electrons at a flux of 2 x 10(exp 9) electrons/sq cm/s, equivalent to a 54 mCurie source. The efficiencies of the cells ranged from 5 to 9 percent for 200 and 40 KeV electrons respectively. The lower efficiency at higher energy is due to a substantial fraction of energy deposition in the substrate, further than a diffusion length from the depletion region of the cell. Radiation damage was clearly observed in GaP after exposure to 200 KeV electrons at a fluence of 2 x 10(exp 12) electrons/sq cm. No discernable damage was observed after exposure to 40 KeV electrons at the same fluence. Analysis indicates that a GaP betavoltaic system would not be practical if limited to low energy beta sources. The power available would be too low even in the ideal case. By utilizing high activity beta sources, such as Sr-90/Y-90, it may be possible to achieve performance that could be suitable for some space power applications. However, to utilize such a source the problem of radiation damage in the beta cell material must be overcome

NASA advanced space photovoltaic technology-status, potential and future mission applications

The NASA program in space photovoltaic research and development encompasses a wide range of emerging options for future space power systems, and includes both cell and array technology development. The long range goals are to develop technology capable of achieving 300 W/kg for planar arrays, and 300 W/sq m for concentrator arrays. InP and GaAs planar and concentrator cell technologies are under investigation for their potential high efficiency and good radiation resistance. The Advanced Photovoltaic Solar Array (APSA) program is a near term effort aimed at demonstrating 130 W/kg beginning of life specific power using thin (62 micrometer) silicon cells. It is intended to be technology transparent to future high efficiency cells and provides the baseline for development of the 300 W/kg array

Biochemical Studies on edible oysters Crassostrea madrasensis and Saccostrea cucullata.

n general, changes in biochemical components are closely linked to the state of sexual maturity of the mollusks and to energy supply, either directly from ingested food or from previously stored reserves. Carbohydrates are considered to be the main energy source in adult marine bivalves and are important for gamete formation and maintenance of adult condition during periods of nutritive stress or in winter. Many studies have related changes in the biochemical composition of bivalves with the reproductive cycle mostly in the natural environment. Energy storage and biochemical cycle are closely related to reproductive activity in marine bivalves. The present study indicates that major biochemical constituents in oyster Crassostrea madrasensis and Saccostrea cucullate are significantly influenced by environment condition such as quantity of food availability, temperature and salinity. The high contents of lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, and water content values, during summer are indicating this season as the best for harvesting this particular oyster species and the statistical analysis of the biochemical composition of the tissue sample of the oyster revealed positive correlation in both species of oyster Crassostrea madrasensis and Saccostrea cucullata. The strong Positive Correlation were observed in between the two stations and the highest value of protein, carbohydrate and lipids were observed in Crassostrea madrasensis rock and creek when it compare to Saccostrea cucullata. Keywords: Protein, Carbohydrate, Lipid , Crassostrea madrasensis, Saccostrea cucullata, oyster