Living In Space: Energy

Space is filled with radiant energy and beyond earth's atmosphere this energy flow more steadily and more intensely from the sun than that which penetrates to the surface of the Earth. So an abundant and essential source of energy that would be used in space for the space colony would be solar radiation by developing satellite solar power stations.

To live in space, humans must be protected from the fierce intensity and penetrating wavelengths of unattenuated sunlight, but this same energy is one of the primary resources of space. The colony will have to have enough energy to maintain a fairly uniform temperature even

though it is apace. The sun shines twenty-four hours a day and is not dimmed by an atmosphere. Shaded materials not exposed to direct sunlight will almost be at absolute zero. While the temperature in closed bodies exposed to the sun can soar above the boiling point. The colony will need to have both heaters and air conditioners. On the other hand, this sun's energy can be converted into electricity in the colonies. It will be converted with ten percent efficiency to electrical power which is sold at a rate of .012 kw/hr, a square kilometre of space would return more than $14,000,000 ea

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The net effect of this arrangement is that the sunlight falling on the cell shakes the electrons loose in the material, then these electrons move off into an outside circuit, which is detected as an electrical current. This would be a serious threat to human lives and the space program would really feel a major set back. Solar power satellites are a pollution free way to generate electricity and cost no more than coal or nuclear energy. Their repair will depend on regular Shuttle flights: if these are interrupted, serious power shortages may result and experiments, or even habitation modules, may have to abandoned.

There is one drawback in today's technology of the solar power satellite stations. The satellite solar power stations would intercept enough sunlight to replace five nuclear reactors or coal plants. A useful material is found in lunar soil is silicon which is used to make solar cells. There has been twomajor designed stations made so far. The stations could be as big as nine miles long and four miles wide and it would only weigh twenty thousand tons. So getting energy from the sun would seem pretty easy. Cells convert sunlight directly into electricity and this could be used to supply the electricity for the construction and operation of the space colony. One is designed by Peter Glaser of Author D. Even if we could convert sunlight to electricity at one-hundred percent efficiency, it would take a sheet about three feet on a side to power an ordinary toaster. But with more research and development, we should be able to improve on today's technology and we will not have to worry about human lives taking a major risk.

Approximate Word count = 922
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

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