Title :
A PV power generation system for missions to Mercury
Author :
Macellari, Michele ; Russo, Raffaele ; Schirone, Luigi
Author_Institution :
Dipt. di Ingegneria Aerospaziale e Astronautica, Univ. degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, Rome
Abstract :
A special architecture for photovoltaic generation of electricity has been studied for a mission to Mercury. This paper deals with solar panel design primary concerns, with regards to the harsh Hermian thermal environment and to the need for great amounts of power for solar electric propulsion at 1 A.U.. A novel concept of a combined system of photovoltaic generators together with Fresnel lens solar concentrators will be presented as a possible solution to the different power demands of the whole mission
Keywords :
Mercury (planet); electric propulsion; photovoltaic power systems; solar energy concentrators; solar powered vehicles; space vehicle power plants; Fresnel lens solar concentrators; Hermian thermal environment; Mercury missions; photovoltaic power generation system; solar electric propulsion; solar panel design; Gravity; Mercury (planets); Photovoltaic cells; Photovoltaic systems; Planets; Power demand; Power generation; Propulsion; Solar power generation; Space missions;
Conference_Titel :
Aerospace Conference, 2006 IEEE
Conference_Location :
Big Sky, MT
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-9545-X
DOI :
10.1109/AERO.2006.1656003
