Avi Blizovsky
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Space shuttle crews will soon be able to stay on the International Space Station longer, thanks to the installation of an electrical power transfer system that will allow a space shuttle docked at the station to use solar power from the space station and not rely solely on electricity produced by the shuttle's fuel cells.
The Station-Shuttle Power Transfer System (SSPTS) will make it possible to use the station's solar collectors to boost the shuttle's electrical system. The extra power will reduce the need for power from the shuttle's fuel cells that require liquid hydrogen and oxygen to operate. With the new capacity, the ferry will be able to dock at the station for 9-12 days instead of 6-7 days with the current system.
"Basically, we can throttle the fuel cell system and use the electricity from the station as much as possible to save power," said Eric Gietl (Gietl), director of the SSPTS train at the Boeing company that built the system. "Using the electricity from the shuttle we will be able to use less oxygen and less hydrogen and thus be able to dock longer."
The new system will be installed in the three remaining shuttles, and will be operational starting in October 2006, when it will launch to the International Space Station.
The station's electrical system can convert the power from 28 volts to the 120 volts required in the shuttle, but there is no means of transferring power from the station to the shuttle. A new unit at SSPTS, the power conversion unit will also be able to transfer up to eight kilowatts of electrical power per hour from the station to the dash.
"The shuttle crews are in a hurry when they arrive at the station, so extra time is very valuable to NASA and the visiting crews, to perform science experiments and deliver payloads," Jittel said.
Also, NASA plans to launch all subsequent shuttles on a trajectory that will bring them together with the space station so that they can dock in case of an emergency. The extra power might be useful in such a rescue mission. According to Gitel, extra time in such a case might help solve problems.
There are currently three solar panels on the space station, but Jaital says Boeing plans to increase that number to four by the time the SSPTS is operational, providing 75 kilowatts of power to the US leg. The fourth will also be uploaded on the same flight in which the SSPTS will be delivered.
"We can route the electricity to different users and we can also allocate electricity for a short period to the ferry.
Boeing began working on the system in September 2003 and was able to shorten the three-year system development cycle to just two years thanks to Boeing's internal development capability.
The system will also fit the new passenger vehicle that will replace the ferry and whose development is expected to be completed in 2010. "It is a modular system suitable for transferring crew members to the space station." Jital said.
Yadan International Space Station
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