magnetic energy storage; electromagnetic launch systems; electromagnetic airport applications. Other promising space and aeronautical applications of HTSC which were identified but which are not pursued in detail at that time were: shielding from high energy particles; reentry magnetic braking; orbit raising energy transfer system; Aeropropulsion applications. The specific space power applications which were addressed in the initial Lewis- Argonne effort were microwave power transmission and magnetic energy storage. Microwave power transmission from a Mars synchronous orbit to the planet surface was the specific application addressed and in the case of magnetic energy storage, a low earth orbit (LEO) space station using superconducting magnetic energy technology for the on-board energy storage system was analyzed. The results of both of these investigations indicated that significant potential for HTSC applications to space power technology existed in these areas and that further application studies of this technology were warranted. This paper will address the previous studies, their status and their results. The proposed NASA program and future activities in a combined program with the Argonne National Laboratories will also be addressed. In addition some reflections about the impact of HTSC for space power systems and future NASA missions will be presented. NASA Missions of the Future The report of the Ride Committee, the Committee on Advanced Space Technologies, and the NASA initiatives for future space endeavors [2—4] contain viable scenarios for NASA’s future directions in space. The goals for NASA’s future aerospace goals include: for advance of scientific knowledge of the planet Earth, to explore the solar system and the universe beyond; to expand human presence beyond the Earth into the solar system, and to strengthen aeronautics research and develop technology to promote US leadership in civil and military aviation. To fulfil the space-related scenarios set forth in these studies, NASA must evaluate and develop new technologies to meet the technical requirements of the missions envisioned. A key technology discipline that will be required to ensure the success of these missions is that of space power. Just as on earth, so it will be in space: plentiful low cost power and energy will be crucial to man’s exploitation of space and developing the power and energy systems for the future NASA missions in space will be a key endeavor for NASA in the immediate future. HTSC technology will be an important element for NASA’s space power systems of the future. HTSC Power Technology Studies The NASA low earth orbit space station [5] is an example of a mission that can benefit from the use of HTSC. In this application the HTSC is employed in the form of HTSC magnetic energy storage (superconducting magnetic energy storage—SMES) to augment the station’s solar photovoltaic based power system. This station has a proposed altitude of 500 km with a 28.5° orbital inclination. The sun and shadow times
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