An Energetics Experiment on a Space Platform KYOICHI KURIKI & HIROAKI OBARA Summary The space platform co-orbiting with the Space Shuttle (STS) or Space Station provides unique opportunities for the technology development relevant to the Solar Power Satellite. Prospective technology experiments to be performed on the platform and the results of preparatory studies and ground tests are described. Interactive operations between the platform and STS are also reviewed. Introduction A growing interest in the Solar Power Satellite (SPS) has been found among Japanese scientists, engineers and sociologists. They consider that the exploitation of power in space is not limited to terrestrial use but extended to in situ use in space. In the near future the major space power users will be materials producers, as envisaged for Space Station activities. The milestones for the approach to the SPS are shown in Fig. 1. In chronological order, the first two facilities are space platforms, although they are not totally dedicated to the energy missions. They are the Space Flyer Unit (SFU), a small space platform; and a larger bus platform, an element of the Space Station. Energetics missions are proposed as Space Station missions under the title of Space Energetics and Environment Laboratory (SEEL). The SEEL mission is dedicated to the development of SPS-related technologies and the assessment of environmental impacts induced by SPS [1]. The environment referred to above is limited to the vicinity of the platforms. The comprehensive assessment of SPS-originating impacts on the ecology can be done only above a certain power level, 10 MW, as shown in Fig. 1. The Kyoichi Kuriki, Professor, Space Propulsion, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Yoshinodai, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 229, Japan; and Hiroaki Obara, Manager, Satellite Technology, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Tokyo, Japan.
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