0191-9067/85 $3.00 + .00 Copyright ® 1985 SUNSAT Energy Council COOPERATION OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH ACTIVITIES FOR SPS* MAKOTO NAGATOMO Institute of Space and Astronautical Science 4-6-1 Komaba Meguro-ku Tokyo 153 Japan Abstract — Although the basic principles of the SPS system are known very well, the system for future electrical power is so large and complicated that more extensive study in the individual disciplined fields are required to identify and to solve problems between disciplinary areas. In the early stage of the study, prior to starting dedicated study for SPS, researchers had to rely on general data of known facts within the framework of existing disciplined fields. A chance for SPS researchers to take advantage of other research projects is the space station. A concept of central facility to accommodate several experiments can be used for the SPS project. Another example is the international geophysical observations which are multidisciplinary and most valuable for environmental study. It is important to organize a small multidisciplinary study group to promote this project. Evolution of jobs of individual disciplinary study through the project life has been briefly surveyed. 1. INTRODUCTION It has been recognized that the Solar Power Satellite (SPS) system is so large that it can be realized only by multinational cooperation (1). For the same reason, multidisciplinary research is essential from the beginning of the study. It is difficult to organize a formal international multidisciplinary team at the present stage when the project is not authorized. On the other hand, there are many problems to be surveyed by such a team prior to authorization of the project. Thus, the situation resembles the endless question, which should come first, the chicken or the egg? This paper discusses the possibility for some existing research projects to play an important role in the early SPS study and evolution of work throughout SPS research and development. 2. UNIQUENESS OF SPS SYSTEM CONFIGURATION A conventional electrical powerplant using fossil or nuclear fuels is constructed in an integrated system in which it is considered that all the problems should be technically solved enclosed in a system at reasonable expenses. Recently, with increase of the power level per unit and the number of units as well, harmful effects of the system output have become significant. Thus the environmental issue is a factor in determining the value of an energy system. The situation of a conventional type of *Presented at the 34th Congress of the International Astronautical Federation, Budapest, Hungary, 10-15 October 1983.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTU5NjU0Mg==