cost savings. General Conclusions and Summary The panel believes that top priority should be given to determining a hard upper limit for the permissable microwave power density which can be sent through the ionosphere. The number being used, 23 mW/cm2 is based on an obsolete theoretical foundation and is without experimental support, and yet it is a constraining parameter in a number of the SPS design areas. The panel believes that the final system will probably not look much like the present reference system and urges NASA to recognize this in all future planning. Work on novel concepts is encouraged. The panel recommends more attention to systems engineering and failure analysis. Sensitivity trades should be employed to reveal optimum design parameters and review early design decisions. In view of the magnitude and potential importance of the SPS, the panel recommends major program management status and a single program office within NASA for greater coordination of the contractor effort. In Summary It is the consensus of the MPTS workshop review panel that a 5 GW SPS microwave power transmission system is probably technically feasible. However, a large amount of work will be necessary in a number of areas to establish certainty and to determine system efficiency, reliability, rf compatibility, security, safety, longevity, and cost.
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