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File:Space to ground microwave, laser pilot beam.png

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Space_to_ground_microwave,_laser_pilot_beam.png (261 × 191 pixels, file size: 104 KB, MIME type: image/png)

Summary

Description
English: Diagram illustrating the operation of a solar power satellite, a satellite that would harvest solar energy and transmit it to Earth as a beam of microwaves, where it would be received and converted to electric power. The satellite would have a large area of W:solar cells, to convert sunlight to electricity. This would be converted to microwaves by high frequency vacuum tubes and beamed down to Earth by a phased array antenna, where it would be received by a rectenna array several kilometers square. A "pilot beam" of light from a laser would keep the phased array aimed at the rectenna. The rectenna would convert the microwaves into DC electric power, which would be converted to AC power and added to the electric power grid. The advantage of the solar power satellite, invented in the 1960s by Peter Glaser, over ground-based solar cells is that it is never "night" or cloudy in space so the satellite could produce power 24 hours a day.
Date
Source http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20110013138_2011013651.pdf
Author NASA

Licensing

Public domain This file is in the public domain in the United States because it was solely created by NASA. NASA copyright policy states that "NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted". (See Template:PD-USGov, NASA copyright policy page or JPL Image Use Policy.)
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16 August 2011

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current06:39, 16 August 2011Thumbnail for version as of 06:39, 16 August 2011261 × 191 (104 KB)Beaucouplusneutre

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