Spacecraft energy systems

See also Aircraft Combustion Diesel Cycle Engines Gasoline Engines Spacecraft Energy Systems Steam Engines Stirling Engines Thermodynamics Turbines, Gas Turbines, Steam. 

National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC Rocket Propellants Spacecraft Energy Systems... 

Energy systems in space technology are devices that convert one kind of energy into another to ensure the functioning of automated and piloted satellites, interplanetary probes, and other kinds of spacecraft. Multiple functions of any spacecraft require two distinctly different energy sources propulsion for launch and maneuvers, and electricity supply to power the onboard equipment. 

This section develops appropriate equations for failure rates for various spacecraft or satellite power system. The failure rate for a spacecraft power system presents a complex problem. The power system must consider failure rates for solar cells, for energy storage batteries, and for PC modules. 

Table 2.6 Reliability Improvement of tbe Spacecraft Power System Using All Redundant Units Sucb as Direct Energy Transfer, Charge Controller, and Battery Booster...

Propulsion generates kinetic energy to facilitate motion of spacecraft. Although propulsion is provided by various types of devices, the most common propulsion system of modern space technology is a rocket engine, a device that propels a rocket by a force... 

Power supply systems provide electricity to feed the onboard spacecraft equipment and can be classified by the primary energy sources chemical, solar, and nuclear. 

From the applied point of view, this reaction can be used to solve some important issues (1) production of organic subproducts (e.g., methanol, carbon monoxide, oxalic acid), which can be used for synthesizing many valuable organic substances (2) manufacture of synthetic fuels or energy-storage media and (3) removal and utilization of carbon dioxide in life-support systems for closed environments of spacecraft or submarines. 

In 1994, a unique incident occurred the impact of the Shoemaker-Levy comet on the Jovian atmosphere. Die strong gravitational field of Jupiter caused the comet to break up before it could enter the atmosphere, and the parts of the comet crashed separately into the atmosphere one after the other. This unique spectacle was observed by many observatories and also by the Galileo spacecraft and the Hubble telescope. It led to the discovery of yet another phenomenon the most intensive aurora effects in the solar system, observed at Jupiter s poles. Astronomers assume that the energy for these comes from the planet s rotation, possibly with a contribution from the solar wind. This process differs from that of the origin of the aurora on Earth, where the phenomenon is caused by interactions between the solar wind and the Earth s magnetic field. 

For closed-cycle applications, such as for spacecraft, submarines, or transportation vehicles, the combinations of lightweight, reasonable power density, and compact size are favorable features in comparison with equivalent-capacity battery-based systems. In the International Space Station, for example, both electricity and water are provided by fuel cells. Fuel cells have not only been used in space exploration, but also in submarines (because they generate no noise or vibration). They have also been used to recover the energy from methane that is generated by wastewater, by garbage dumps, and more recently in automobiles as an alternative to the IC engine. 

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