II. NASA PROGRAM AND SYSTEM CONCEPTS There are several ways in which space technology can respond to society's energy needs. Of primary interest here is the possibility that electric power can be generated in space and then transmitted to antennas on the earth by microwave radio beams, thereafter to be distributed by conventional surface systems. An alternate possibility might be to use orbiting microwave reflectors to relay power from a remote earth-based generator to a spot conveniently close to a demand center. Power in space could be generated by nuclear reactors, safely removed from the earth's biosphere, or it could be generated by using the energy of the sun itself, an inexhaustible source and from the point of view of a geosynchronous satellite available essentially 24 hours a day. The Office of Energy Programs at NASA Headquarters and several of the NASA Centers have conducted, and are pursuing, a number of efforts related to a satellite power system both in terms of system concept definitions and supporting studies. This section of the report does not attempt to cover all relevant activities nor does it attempt to place a program structure on the essentially diverse but increasingly coordinated NASA activities that have been undertaken. The difficulty of such effort is indicated, for example, by the fact that the Marshall Space Flight Center currently recognizes the following SPS elements: • 13 Programs • 48 Projects • 124 Systems • 122 Subsystems • 233 Activities and Operations • 29 Facilities This section does have two specific aims. The first is to give an indication of the major activities and general thrust of the NASA efforts related to the SPS. The second aim is to briefly describe the major system concepts for an SPS that have thus far been developed.
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