SPS interest and studies in the USSR VLADIMIR PRISNYAKOV* Summary: The USSR (now Commonwealth of Independent States or CIS) research of solar energy conversion systems as applied to the on - board space energy systems of space vehicles and solar space electrical power stations is considered in the report. The characteristics of modern solar batteries and of solar energy plants with the dynamic transformation based on Brayton cycle and the ways of their development have been analyzed. The USSR research digest on generation of super high frequency radiation in the orbit, its transmission and transformation on the Earth is given. Intensive exploration of space, started by launching the first automatic and manned spacecraft in the CIS and the USA, laid the foundation for developing the new branch of power engineering - space power engineering. By the end of the 20th century, the development of power engineering on Earth has come across a number of problems mainly ecological problems connected with the pollution of environment. This is caused by the population growth and the consumption of artificially produced energy which by present has reached on average 2.3 kW per person. Today, nuclear power stations, hydroelectric stations and heat power plants are used to supply energy, but mining, transportation and burial of these plants waste result in ecological pollution of biosphere. With continuing use of traditional fuels, ecological damage will increase. That is why searching for new techniques in power engineering assumes ever great significance. The idea of our compatriot K.Tsiolkovsky put forward as early as 1903 may be considered the most important in this respect. It is connected with utilization of solar energy (1). The space power industry in Russia is being developed in four directions: • power supply for space vehicles and stations; • power supply for power intensive space programs (development of space industries, interorbital flights with the help of electric rocket engines, for example, transfer from the low - altitude orbit to the geostationary one, flight to Mars, etc.); • power for utilization of luminous and thermal energy on the Earth (for example, illumination of the Arctic region of the CIS during polar nights, lighting of solar power stations, etc.); • space power stations. Intensive work has been carried out lately to realize the project of producing electric energy in space and transferring it to the Earth. The project was proposed by P. Glaser in 1968 (2). * Dnepropetrovsk State University, Ukraine
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