On Fri, 14 Feb 2003, Michael Wallis wrote:
> > ...It's better to have separate solar arrays -- which could be
> > mechanically rather simpler with a flexible cell material -- and optimize
> > the exterior of the station itself for thermal control.
>
> True, but you want to cover the SOFI to keep it attached to the tank
> vs. being scoured by the non-vaccuum stuff in LEO. It has to be
> protected anyway - may as well generate power while you're at it.
Especially for a big manned spacecraft -- notoriously high on volume and
thus heat-generating equipment and people, and low on surface area -- I
think you're going to be driven to choose the outer layer purely on
thermal issues. Using it for power is appealing, but the price is needing
considerably bigger heat radiators to keep the people from cooking: an ET
broadside-on to the Sun and covered in solar array will be absorbing over
500kW of sunlight, and 90% or so of that will be coming out as heat!
Henry Spencer
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