6 .El APPENDIX VI.E ESTIMATE OF THE ELECTRICAL ENERGY REQUIREMENTS OF THE SPACE COLONY Electrical energy is the major source of environmental power for the prototype colony. Power is used for monitoring and guidance of the colony, for colonists' use in maintaining their lifestyle, and for temperature and humidity control of the colony environment. A detailed analysis of power requirements is not possible at present; an estimate is developed that suggests the level of magnitude of the need. Skylab, this country's first space station, had a solar array ,designed to operate in parallel with a battery power system to provide 2.67 kW/person of electrical power continuously for its 3-man crew (6.El). This supplied power was ·used for such space vehicle functions as life support and environmental control, guidance and control, communications, data processing, vehicle maintenance and operation, scientific experimentation, etc. Power levels of this magnitude afford a spartan energy environment compared with the average power consumption for residents of the united States. The concept of the prototype space colony differs dramatically from Skylab; the goal of an "Earth-normal" environment poses increased energy demands. This study proposes that 2 kW/person be assigned for guidance and control, communications, data processing, colony control, maintenance and operation. Thus P input ; 2. 0 kW/person operationsper person An estimate of the power needed for temperature and humidity control, Pthermal' is separate from the lifestyle estimate. Pthermal is further explored in appendices VI.Hand VI.I, on Brayton and Rankine cycle heat flow operations. The lifestyle estimate, Pinputlifestyle' is added to Pthermal a nd Pinputoperations' to determine the total electrical power demand.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTU5NjU0Mg==