A Vehicle Integrated Power System for a Manned Orbiting Space Vehicle

The problems associated with the integration of a space power system into an orbiting manned space vehicle are reviewed in this paper. Various candidate power systems are discussed with a description of their physical and performance characteristics. Candidate systems considered are limited to these showing promise for availability in the 1965–1970 time period.

A discussion of vehicle and mission requirements is presented to show the effect of the mission upon the selection of a power system. These requirements include mission duration, orbit characteristics, subsystem requirements, and power profile.