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Early results of the ATS-6 solar cell flight experiment

This paper presents preliminary ATS-6 solar-cell flight-experiment data through the first 247 days in synchronous orbit. The experiment is transmitting data on forty 2 x 2-cm solar cells representing 16 solar-cell configurations. The experiment is designed to study the effect of this orbit on select solar cells and cover-glass parameters such as solar-cell thickness and base resistivity, cover-glass thickness variation, new cover processes, and materials such as 7940 and 7070 integral covers as well as the FEP covers, the COMSAT 'violet' cell, and backside irradiation effects. The in-space solar-cell data indicate short-circuit currents are running higher by 1% to 8% than in measurements made with solar simulations; maximum power varied between -1% and +6%. Degradation of short-circuit current due to ultraviolet effects was determined to be about 2% after 50 days in orbit. All cells performed well through 247 days in orbit except the FEP-covered cells, which appear to have increased their rate of degradation during the eclipse season.

Goldhammer, L. J.↗

Improvement and extension of data from ATS-6 Solar Cell Radiation Damage Experiment (SCRDE)

The ATS 6 solar cell radiation damage experiment data through 2 1/3 years of synchronous orbit operation are presented. Comparisons are made of the performances of the 13 different types of solar cell/cover configurations, including solar cell and cover thickness variations, base resistivity variation, new cover processes and materials, and the COMSAT violet cell. These performances are also compared to the performance of the LES 6 solar cell experiment, the ATS 6 main solar arrays, and laboratory spectrum electron irradiations. It is found that the cells of the ATS 6 experiment generally performed as expected through 6 to 9 months in orbit, but that at 2 1/3 years they were severely degraded in current. The short circuit current degradation after 2 1/3 years in orbit appears to exhibit an anomalous additional degradation of 5 to 9 percent over what was experienced in synchronous orbit operation.

Goldhammer, L. J.↗

ATS-6 solar cell experiment/improvement

ATS 6 solar cell flight experiment data through 2 years of synchronous orbit operation are presented. Comparisons are made of the performances of the 13 different types of solar cell/cover configurations, including new cover processes and materials, and the COMSAT violet cell. These performances are also compared to the performances of the LES 6 solar cell experiment, the ATS 6 main solar arrays, and the Hughes Aircraft Company solar arrays, and to laboratory spectrum electron irradiations. It was found that the cells of the ATS 6 experiment generally performed as expected through 6 to 9 months in orbit, but that at 2 years they were more severely degraded than expected.

Goldhammer, L. J.↗

ATS-6 solar cell flight experiment through 2 years in orbit

ATS-6 solar cell flight experiment data through 2 years of synchronous orbit operation are presented. Comparisons are made of the performances of the 13 different types of solar cell/cover configurations, including new cover processes and materials, and the Comsat violet cell. These performances are also compared: (1) to the performances of the LES-6 solar cell experiment, the ATS-6 main solar arrays, and the Hughes Aircraft Company solar arrays, and (2) to laboratory spectrum electron irradiations. It was found that the cells of the ATS-6 experiment generally performed as expected through 6 to 9 months in orbit, but that at 2 years they were more severely degraded than expected.

Goldhammer, L. J.↗

Flight qualification test results for violet cells

The violet solar cell has been submitted to a flight qualification program. The tasks included in this program were: to define the violet cell's electrical output from -100 C to +100 C; to determine the violet cell's degradation under 2 MeV, 1 MeV and .3 MeV proton irradiation, under a high humidity environment and under ultraviolet light; to thermal cycle two similar modules of violet cells; to flight qualify a full size violet cell panel for the IMP-J flight; and to obtain a primary balloon-flown standard of the violet cell type. The results of these tests demonstrate that the violet cell is fully qualified for space flight use with no further development work. The tests show that the violet cell offers a power increase of at least twenty-one per cent over presently available commercial cells.

Gaddy, E. M.↗

Ultraviolet damage in solar cell assemblies with various UV filters

Ultraviolet damage to the new violet and non-reflective type solar cell assemblies, was studied, and potential advantages of using coverslides with no filters or filters with cut-off wavelengths below 0.35 micron were determined. The experiments consisted of three types of tests on fused silica coverslides with 0.35- and 0.30-micron cut-off filters and no cut-off filters, as well as on ceria-doped microsheet coverslides. Ultraviolet irradiation for over 1500 hours at one sun conditions (AMO) was carried out under vacuum of about 1 million torr. Nearly identical results for non-reflective type cells with 0.35-micro cut-off filters or ceria-doped coverslides were obtained. The 0.30-um filtered cell shows greater than average degradation. The unfiltered cell shows an abrupt drop in the first 20 UVSH and very little subsequent degradation.

Meulenberg, A., Jr.↗