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Roll Out Solar Array

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ROSA held by the robotic arms at the International Space Station

The Roll Out Solar Array (ROSA) and its larger version ISS Roll Out Solar Array (iROSA) are lightweight, flexible power sources designed by NASA to be deployed and used in space.[1]

This new type of solar array provides much more energy than traditional solar arrays at much less weight.[2] Traditional solar panels used to power satellites are bulky, with heavy panels folded together using mechanical hinges. Given a space-bound payload is limited in its mass and volume by necessity, ROSA is 20 percent lighter (with a mass of 325 kg (717 lb))[3] and four times smaller in volume than rigid panel arrays with the same performance.[4]

ROSA is a flexible and rollable solar array that operates the same way a measuring tape unwinds on its spool. The new solar array design rolls up to form a compact cylinder for launch with significantly less mass and volume, potentially offering substantial cost savings as well as an increase in power for satellites. ROSA has a center wing made of a flexible material which support the strings of photovoltaic cells that churn out electrical energy. Both the sides of the wing have a narrow arm that extends through the length of the wing to provide support to the array, called a high strain composite boom. The booms look like split tubes made of a stiff composite material, flattened and rolled up lengthwise. The array does not need any motor to unfurl. This is achieved using the potential energy stored in the booms that is released as each boom transitions from a coil shape to a straight support arm. The solar wings are then deployed due to strain energy in rolled booms that are present at the two ends of the structure.

Patent

Brian R. Spence and Stephen F. White were the first persons to come up with the idea of the Roll Out Solar Array on January 21, 2010.[5] They received a patent for this work on April 1, 2014.[5]

History

NASA tested the ROSA technology in vacuum chambers on Earth several years ago,[when?] but still decided to test it in space on June 18 of 2017. ROSA launched aboard SpaceX CRS-11 on 3 June.[3] Over the weekend of June 17–18, 2017, engineers on the ground remotely operated the International Space Station's robotic Canadarm2 to extract the Roll Out Solar Array (ROSA) experiment from the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship. After the observation the mechanism was not planned to be retrieved back to earth. The solar array unfurled June 18, extending by tensioning booms on both sides of the 1.6-meter-wide wing.[6] NASA decided to conduct continuous tests for a week and observe its consequences. Engineers observed the behavior of the solar array as it was exposed to extreme temperature swings through the ISS's orbit. Vibrations and oscillations were also mechanically introduced to assay the array's response to structural loads.[7] Subsequent to the experiments, ground controllers were unable to lock the solar panel in its stowed configuration. The solar array was therefore jettisoned from the International Space Station.[8]

Applications

ROSA is very compact in size and, due to its large power generation capacity, reliable for future missions, including for interplanetary travel which needs huge amounts of energy.

Over time, the photovoltaic cells on the ISS' existing Solar Array Wings on the Integrated Truss Structure have degraded gradually, having been designed for a 15-year service life. This is especially noticeable with the first arrays to launch, with the P6 and P4 Trusses in 2000 and 2006.

To augment the wings, 3 pairs of scaled-up versions known as iROSA will be launched by NASA aboard SpaceX Dragon 2 cargo launches from mid-2021 to late 2022, SpaceX CRS-22, CRS-25 and CRS-26. These arrays are intended to be deployed along the central part of the wings up to two thirds of its length.[9][10]

Work to install ROSA's support brackets on the truss mast cans holding the Solar Array Wings was initiated by the crew members of Expedition 64.

The Power and Propulsion Element of the Lunar Gateway will use ROSA technology to power its solar electric propulsion.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Roll Out Solar Array". Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  2. ^ Rory Barrett, Douglas Campbell (2006). "Development of a Passively Deployed Roll-Out Solar Array". Defense Technical Information Center, 2006.
  3. ^ a b "SpaceX CRS-11 Mission Overview" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
  4. ^ "Converting Sunlight into Electricity: Deployable Space Systems Inc". HighBeam. Archived from the original on 6 March 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Directionally controlled elastically deployable roll-out solar array". www.google/patents. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  6. ^ Clark, Stephen (30 June 2017). "Prototype solar array jettisoned as Dragon capsule prepares for trip home". SpaceFlightNow. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
  7. ^ Samantha, Mathewon. "NASA Tests Flexible Roll-Out Solar Array on Space Station". space.com. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  8. ^ "Jettison of ROSA". space.com. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  9. ^ Garcia, Mark. April 19, 2021. https://www.nasa.gov/feature/new-solar-arrays-to-power-nasa-s-international-space-station-research
  10. ^ "Current and Future Operations and Challenges with International Space Station" (PDF). ISS Program Office. NASA. 15 Oct 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2021.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Roll-Out Solar Array (ROSA).
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