Publication Date:
2019-07-13
Description:
NASA missions to Mars, both robotic and human, rely on solar arrays for the primary power system. Mars presents a number of challenges for solar power system operation, including a dusty atmosphere which modifies the spectrum and intensity of the incident solar illumination as a function of time of day, degradation of the array performance by dust deposition, and low temperature operation. The environmental challenges to Mars solar array operation will be discussed and test results of solar cell technology operating under Mars conditions will be presented, along with modeling of solar cell performance under Mars conditions. The design implications for advanced solar arrays for future Mars missions is discussed, and an example case, a Martian polar rover, are analyzed.
Keywords:
Lunar and Planetary Science and Exploration
Type:
NASA/TM-2004-213367
,
AIAA Paper 2004-5555
,
E-14835
,
Second International Energy Conversion Engineering Conference; Aug 16, 2004 - Aug 19, 2004; Providence, RI; United States
Format:
application/pdf
