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Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Kosh on May 27, 2009, 08:49:50 am

Title: ISS solar array mass
Post by: Kosh on May 27, 2009, 08:49:50 am: How heavy are each of the solar panels on the ISS?
Title: Re: ISS solar array mass
Post by: Flipside on May 27, 2009, 08:51:25 am: Insignificant compared to the Power of the Dark Side....

Oh, sorry, wrong Acronym...

Don't know :nervous:
Title: Re: ISS solar array mass
Post by: Narvi on May 27, 2009, 10:02:09 am: This is probably one of those things which the NSA would pay attention to you for asking.

Do you plan to drop the ISS on the President?
Title: Re: ISS solar array mass
Post by: iamzack on May 27, 2009, 10:05:33 am: Vhere do you keep the nuclear wessels?
Title: Re: ISS solar array mass
Post by: Pred the Penguin on May 27, 2009, 10:20:01 am: Quote from: Kosh on May 27, 2009, 08:49:50 am
How heavy are each of the solar panels on the ISS?
Heavier than your car...
Title: Re: ISS solar array mass
Post by: NGTM-1R on May 27, 2009, 10:26:59 am: Quote from: Kosh on May 27, 2009, 08:49:50 am
How heavy are each of the solar panels on the ISS?

I'm not sure of the size of them offhand, but photovolatic cels on the ground are not terribly heavy. You can put them on the roof of a house without trouble.

These are probably encased in some kind of acrylic to protect them from micrometeor damage or something though, plus space cooling/heating issues, so figure three to five times as heavy as equivalent ground panels.
Title: Re: ISS solar array mass
Post by: portej05 on May 27, 2009, 10:39:36 am: The whole station weighs about 304tonnes (source: wikipedia)
So, there's an upper bound.
Title: Re: ISS solar array mass
Post by: haloboy100 on May 27, 2009, 04:02:37 pm: Is it for an essay or something?
Title: Re: ISS solar array mass
Post by: Kosh on May 27, 2009, 11:28:29 pm: Quote
I'm not sure of the size of them offhand, but photovolatic cels on the ground are not terribly heavy. You can put them on the roof of a house without trouble.

The ones on the ISS are more than 100 feet long and nearly 40 feet wide. I'm curious because on another forum I'm in a debate with someone about the merits of nuclear reactors in space to power future space station. I'm making my point by comparing the amount of solar panels needed to equal the power output of 1 hyperion micro reactor.
Title: Re: ISS solar array mass
Post by: FUBAR-BDHR on May 28, 2009, 12:11:02 am: Well I found the P6 array weighs 17.5 tons. http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/071028-sts120-secondspacewalk.html

The most recent one was attached to a 16 ton piece which may or may not be part of the above section. http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/090320-sts119-solar-wings-unfurled.html

You should have asked this a couple of months ago. CNN did a whole thing on how big they are, how they packed them in the shuttle, how much they weighed, etc.
Title: Re: ISS solar array mass
Post by: Kosh on May 28, 2009, 03:27:49 am: Quote
You should have asked this a couple of months ago.

The debate didn't occur a couple months ago. :p Thanks for the info.