High-Energy Radiation and Solar Cell Shields
High energy electron radiation effect on optical transmission of transparent materials for solar cell shields
TRANSPARENT MATERIAL↗
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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
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The effects of multiple Coulomb scattering and range straggling in shielding against solar- flare protons.
Multiple Coulomb scattering and range straggling effects in shielding against solar flare protons and trapped protons in Van Allen belt
Alsmiller, R. G., Jr.↗
Radiation damage shielding of solar cells on a synchronous spacecraft.
Silicon solar cells radiation damage shielding on ATS 1 synchronous spacecraft
Waddel, R. C.↗
The feasibility of a programmed heat shield for solar cell performance control
Positionable despun thermal shield to control temperature and power of solar array for spacecraft on-board power during 0.2 AU Pioneer space probe
PIONEER SPACE PROBE↗
Graphitic heat shields for solar probe missions
The feasibility of using a graphitic heat-shield system on a solar probe going to within 4 solar radii of the center of the sun is investigated. An analysis of graphite vaporization, with commonly used vaporization coefficients, indicates that the maximum mass-loss rate from a conical shield as large as 4 m in diameter can be kept low enough to avoid interference with measurements of the solar environment. In addition to the mass-loss problem, the problem of protecting the payload from the high-temperature (up to 2300 K) primary shield must be solved. An analysis of radiation exchange between concentric disks provides a technique for designing the intermediate shielding. The technique is applied to the design of a system for the Starprobe spacecraft, and it is found that a system with 10 shields and a payload surface temperature of 600 K will have a payload diameter of 2.45 m. Since this is 61% of the 4-m diameter of the primary shield, it is concluded that a graphitic heat-shield system is feasible for the Starprobe mission.
Lundell, J. H.↗
Solar Surfing: Final Report on a Phase I NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Study
The Sun sustains life on Earth and NASA has made its study one of the four pillars of the Science Mission Directorate. A specific area of study, the coronal heating problem, has been of significant concern for nearly 80years; namely how does the 5800 K surface of the Sun heat the nearby corona to over 1,000,000 K. Differing theories have been proposed to explain this process, but verification by actual measurement would not only resolve this issue, it would provide close-up measurements of the Sun never before obtained. However, this requires the development of a solar shield that can protect a satellite located less than 10,000 km from the Sun's surface. Steps towards that capability are the goal of this NIAC project. The current state-of-the-art in solar shielding is best shown by the upcoming Parker Solar Probe Mission, so the approach taken by that satellite is discussed and used as a starting point; allowing a distance of 9.5 solar radii from the Sun's center to be reached. It is then shown that state-of-the-art solar reflectors do not improve this performance. Next, we review the use of pressed powder as a better solar reflector and show that there is some improvement, but not sufficient to reach the Sun's surface. We spend some time on this architecture because the Parker Solar Probe has a thin scattering layer on its solar shield and it is important to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this feature.
solar surfing↗
Long term cryogenic storage system integration
Investigations have revealed significant increases in performance when a reliquefier and solar shield in conjunction with a zero-gravity vapor vent system are utilized. Application of a reliquefier and solar shield in long term deep space missions may effect a 60% reduction in propellant loss, compared to that associated with the vapor vent system only. Significant improvements in storage system performance are possible for low earth orbit applicatons; for the typical system that was evaluated, system performance gains were realized for mission durations exceeding 7 days. Spherical solar shields are generally not competitive for low earth orbit applications.
Stonemetz, R. E.↗
Primary and secondary particle contributions to the depth dose distribution in a phantom shielded from solar flare and Van Allen protons
Calculations have been made using the nucleon-meson transport code NMTC to estimate the absorbed dose and dose equivalent distributions in astronauts inside space vehicles bombarded by solar flare and Van Allen protons. A spherical shell shield of specific radius and thickness with a 30-cm-diam. tissue ball at the geometric center was used to simulate the spacecraft-astronaut configuration. The absorbed dose and the dose equivalent from primary protons, secondary protons, heavy nuclei, charged pions, muons, photons, and positrons and electrons are given as a function of depth in the tissue phantom. Results are given for solar flare protons with a characteristic rigidity of 100 MV and for Van Allen protons in a 240-nautical-mile circular orbit at 30 degree inclination angle incident on both 20-g/sq cm-thick aluminum and polyethylene spherical shell shields.
Santoro, R. T.↗
Solar-flare shielding with Regolith at a lunar-base site
The Langley high energy nucleon transport computer code BRYNTRN is used to predict time-integrated radiation dose levels at the lunar surface due to high proton flux from solar flares. The study addresses the shielding requirements for candidate lunar habitat configurations necessary to protect crew members from these large and unpredictable radiation fluxes. Three solar proton events have been analyzed, and variations in radiation intensity in a shield medium due to the various primary particle energy distributions are predicted. Radiation dose predictions are made for various slab thicknesses of a lunar soil model. Results are also presented in the form of dose patterns within specific habitat configurations shielded with lunar material.
Nealy, John E.↗
Shielding of solar cells against Van Allen belt protons.
Satellite solar cell life in Van Allen belt proton flux predicted as function of shielding thickness by computer program
Carosella, C. A.↗
Space Weather, Geomagnetic Disturbances and Impact on the High-Voltage Transmission Systems
Geomagnetically induced currents (GIC) affecting the performance of high-voltage power transmission systems are one of the most significant hazards space weather poses on the operability of critical US infrastructure. The severity of the threat was emphasized, for example, in two recent reports: the National Research Council (NRC) report "Severe Space Weather Events--Understanding Societal and Economic Impacts: A Workshop Report" and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) report "HighImpact, Low-Frequency Event Risk to the North American Bulk Power System." The NRC and NERC reports demonstrated the important national security dimension of space weather and GIC and called for comprehensive actions to forecast and mitigate the hazard. In this paper we will give a brief overview of space weather storms and accompanying geomagnetic storm events that lead to GIC. We will also review the fundamental principles of how GIC can impact the power transmission systems. Space weather has been a subject of great scientific advances that have changed the wonder of the past to a quantitative field of physics with true predictive power of today. NASA's Solar Shield system aimed at forecasting of GIC in the North American high-voltage power transmission system can be considered as one of the ultimate fruits of those advances. We will review the fundamental principles of the Solar Shield system and provide our view of the way forward in the science of GIC.
Pullkkinen, A.↗
Numerical and Analytical Model of an Electrodynamic Dust Shield for Solar Panels on Mars
Masuda and collaborators at the University of Tokyo developed a method to confine and transport particles called the electric curtain in which a series of parallel electrodes connected to an AC source generates a traveling wave that acts as a contactless conveyor. The curtain electrodes can be excited by a single-phase or a multi-phase AC voltage. A multi-phase curtain produces a non-uniform traveling wave that provides controlled transport of those particles [1-6]. Multi-phase electric curtains from two to six phases have been developed and studied by several research groups [7-9]. We have developed an Electrodynamic Dust Shield prototype using threephase AC voltage electrodes to remove dust from surfaces. The purpose of the modeling work presented here is to research and to better understand the physics governing the electrodynamic shield, as well as to advance and to support the experimental dust shield research.
Calle, C. I.↗
Shielding from Solar Particle Event Exposures in Deep Space
The physical composition and intensities of solar particle event exposures or sensitive astronaut tissues are examined under conditions approximating an astronaut in deep space. Response functions for conversion of particle fluence into dose and dose equivalent averaged over organ tissue, are used to establish significant fluence levels and the expected dose and dose rates of the most important events from past observations. The BRYNTRN transport code is used to evaluate the local environment experienced by sensitive tissues and used to evaluate bioresponse models developed for use in tactical nuclear warfare. The present results will help to the biophysical aspects of such exposure in the assessment of RBE and dose rate effects and their impact on design of protection systems for the astronauts. The use of polymers as shielding material in place of an equal mass of aluminum would prowide a large safety factor without increasing the vehicle mass. This safety factor is sufficient to provide adequate protection if a factor of two larger event than has ever been observed in fact occurs during the mission.
Wilson, John W.↗
Protective telescoping shield for solar concentrator
An apparatus is described for use with a solar concentrator such as a parabolic dish which concentrates sunlight onto a small opening of a solar receiver, for protecting the receiver in the event of a system failure that could cause concentrated sunlight to damage the receiver. The protective apparatus includes a structure which can be moved to a stowed position where it does not block sunlight, to a deployed position. In this position, the structure forms a tube which substantially completely surrounds an axis connecting the receiver opening to the center of the concentrator at locations between the receiver and the concentrator.
Argoud, M. J.↗
Electrodynamic Dust Shield for Solar Panels on Mars
The Materials Adherence Experiment on the Mars Pathfinder mission measured an obscuration of the solar arrays due to dust deposition at a rate of about 0.2 8% per day. It was estimated that settling dust may cause degradation in performance of a solar panel of between 22% and 89% over the course of two years [1, 2]. These results were obtained without the presence of a global dust storm. Several types of adherence forces keep dust particles attached to surfaces. The most widely discussed adherence force is the electrostatic force. Laboratory experiments [3] as well as indirect evidence from the Wheel Abrasion Experiment on Pathfinder [4] indicate that it is very likely that the particles suspended in the Martian atmosphere are electrostatically charged.
Calle, C. I.↗
Space vehicle shielding studies. part ii- the attenuation of solar flares by aluminum shields
Attenuation of solar flares by aluminum shields of slab and spherical-shell geometries of varying thickness
ALUMINUM↗
Telescoping Shield for Point-Focusing Solar Concentrators
Telescoping shield normally stowed around solar receiver protects heat engine and supporting structure from overheating when concentrator aimed few degrees away from line to Sun. When extended, shield intercepts off center concentrated solar radiation. Heat spread out over thermally conductive shield and reradiated diffusely not to cause structural damage.
Argoud, M.↗
Preliminary design study of solar probe heat shields
The requirements, constraints, design guidelines, and expected performances of heat-shield systems for a solar probe are analyzed. A multiple-stage, asymmetric, right-angle radiation cascade configuration is used as the basis for comparison. Output-to-input radiative flux ratios are first calculated for a system employing gray surfaces. Assuming that the temperature of the inner surface of the payload bus is allowed to reach 400 K, it is shown that four- and five-stage cascade systems employing graphite can approach, respectively, to within about 5.5 and 4 solar radii of the sun. The systems using slip-cast silica and tungsten are then analyzed accounting for the degradation of surface-optical performance caused by the solar wind. It is shown that two- and three-stage silica-tungsten systems can approach, respectively, to within 4 and 3 solar radii of the sun.
Park, C.↗