Space Solar Power Review Vol 12 Num 1&2. 1993

gained about rectenna performance over an extended period in the hostile conditions of the orbital environment. For this type of mission the level of power received could probably generate useful scientific data even if the power received was only on the order of milliwatts. However, the lower the power levels received, the more tenuous the connection with the high level power beaming which the experiment is supposed to model. Keeping that in mind, one should remember the objective of showing that beamed power can be received over long distances at power levels high enough to be useful. The problems with reception of milliwatt power levels have already been discussed. With a single watt of received power, a small transponder could be powered. If power on the order of 10-100 watts was received, a small light bulb could be operated for the time the satellite was in the beam. If the step was made to kilowatts of power received, almost any space system now in operation could be powered. The third mission objective that must be addressed is that of publicity, a factor often ignored or downplayed in pure scientific missions. A highly visible

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