You are designing a spacecraft going to Mars. For the on-board electronics, you

Question

You are designing a spacecraft going to Mars. For the on-board electronics, you need a minimum amount of power in order to function properly. The power is generated by solar cells that have a total surface area of 6.5 m2. From satellites orbiting Earth, you know that the maximum power that these solar panels can generate is 800 W. What is the efficiency of the solar cells?

>>the efficiency calculated for this part was 9%.

but the part I need help with is;..

As the spacecraft travels towards Mars, it moves away from the Sun. We expect the power generated by the solar panels to decrease but we need at least 400 W. When the spacecraft is near Mars

Explanation / Answer

Mars Earth Ratio (Mars/Earth) Solar irradiance (W/m2) 589.2 1367.6 0.431 source :- http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/marsfact.html there fore the power generated will be reduced to 0.431 times that is produced near earths orbit therefore the power generated will be (800*0.431) W which is 344.8 watts which is less than400 w and hence is not suffucient

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse Y
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.