From Space to Earth


Book Description

From Space to Earth tracks the evolution of the technology of photovoltaics, the use of solar cells to convert the sun's energy into electricity. John Perlin's painstaking research results in a fascinating account of the development of this technology, from its shaky nineteenth-century beginnings mired in scientific controversy to its high-visibility success in the space program, to its current position as a versatile and promising power source.




Space Electricity


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Vehicular Electric Power Systems


Book Description

Vehicular Electric Power Systems: Land, Sea, Air, and Space Vehicles acquaints professionals with trends and challenges in the development of more electric vehicles (MEVs) using detailed examples and comprehensive discussions of advanced MEV power system architectures, characteristics, and dynamics. The authors focus on real-world applications and highlight issues related to system stability as well as challenges faced during and after implementation. Probes innovations in the development of more electric vehicles for improved maintenance, support, endurance, safety, and cost-efficiency in automotive, aerospace, and marine vehicle engineering Heralding a new wave of advances in power system technology, Vehicular Electric Power Systems discusses: Different automotive power systems including conventional automobiles, more electric cars, heavy-duty vehicles, and electric and hybrid electric vehicles Electric and hybrid electric propulsion systems and control strategies Aerospace power systems including conventional and advanced aircraft, spacecraft, and the international space station Sea and undersea vehicles The modeling, real-time state estimation, and stability assessment of vehicular power systems Applications of fuel cells in various land, sea, air, and space vehicles Modeling techniques for energy storage devices including batteries, fuel cells, photovoltaic cells, and ultracapacitors Advanced power electronic converters and electric motor drives for vehicular applications Guidelines for the proper design of DC and AC distribution architectures




Fundamentals of Electric Propulsion


Book Description

Throughout most of the twentieth century, electric propulsion was considered the technology of the future. Now, the future has arrived. This important new book explains the fundamentals of electric propulsion for spacecraft and describes in detail the physics and characteristics of the two major electric thrusters in use today, ion and Hall thrusters. The authors provide an introduction to plasma physics in order to allow readers to understand the models and derivations used in determining electric thruster performance. They then go on to present detailed explanations of: Thruster principles Ion thruster plasma generators and accelerator grids Hollow cathodes Hall thrusters Ion and Hall thruster plumes Flight ion and Hall thrusters Based largely on research and development performed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and complemented with scores of tables, figures, homework problems, and references, Fundamentals of Electric Propulsion: Ion and Hall Thrusters is an indispensable textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate students who are preparing to enter the aerospace industry. It also serves as an equally valuable resource for professional engineers already at work in the field.




Electric Currents in Geospace and Beyond


Book Description

Electric currents are fundamental to the structure and dynamics of space plasmas, including our own near-Earth space environment, or “geospace.”This volume takes an integrated approach to the subject of electric currents by incorporating their phenomenology and physics for many regions in one volume. It covers a broad range of topics from the pioneers of electric currents in outer space, to measurement and analysis techniques, and the many types of electric currents. First volume on electric currents in space in over a decade that provides authoritative up-to-date insight on the current status of research Reviews recent advances in observations, simulation, and theory of electric currents Provides comparative overviews of electric currents in the space environments of different astronomical bodies Electric Currents in Geospace and Beyond serves as an excellent reference volume for a broad community of space scientists, astronomers, and astrophysicists who are studying space plasmas in the solar system. Read an interview with the editors to find out more: https://eos.org/editors-vox/electric-currents-in-outer-space-run-the-show




Electric Waves


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Electric Space


Book Description




The Case for Space Solar Power


Book Description

This book makes the case for Space Solar Power; recounting the history of this fascinating concept and summarizing the many different ways in which it might be accomplished. The book describes in detail a highly promising concept - SPS-ALPHA (Solar Power Satellite by means of Arbitrarily Large Phased Array) - and presents a business case comprising applications in space and markets on Earth. The book explains how it is possible to begin now with technologies that are already at hand, while developing the more advanced technologies that will be needed to deliver power economically to markets on Earth. The Case for Space Solar Power concludes by laying out a path forward that is both achievable and affordable: within a dozen years or less, the first multi-megawatt pilot plant could be in operation. Getting started could cost less than $10 million over the first 2 years, less than $100 million over the next half dozen years. Given that space solar power would transform our future in space, and might provide a new source of virtually limitless and sustainable energy to markets across the world, the book poses the question, "Why wouldn't we pursue space solar power?"