Innovations by Radio Amateurs - Pentagon scientists successfully test solar panel in space

Ground demonstration testing of microwave wireless power transmission
https://www.kenkai.jaxa.jp/eng/research/ssps/150301.html



solar powersatsystems were a thing quite a while ago. Japanese spent some real coin on testing. I've just linked one site/test.

These were a thing until someone figured out the microwaves from space = directed energy weapon...

Even shows up in SciFi books
https://www.amazon.com/Daddys-Girl-D-K-Richardson-ebook/dp/B08BKWS91X
"The powersats envisioned the last Century, were, IMO, doomed from the start. Not for the lack of technology or even the space to site the RECTENAs on the ground. I believe the effort was spiked because they could easily (too easily) be turned into Directed Energy Weapons and used against humans. They represent to me just one of the many double-edged 'swords' of Technology.
The directed power as used in this story is a form of the MASER (Microwave Amplification thru Simulated Emission of Radiation)which we see defined as "a device using the stimulated emission of radiation by excited atoms to amplify or generate coherent monochromatic electromagnetic radiation in the microwave range". MASER technology preceded the LASER by quite some time. They were a hot item in the news in 1953, so by now fall into the 'old technology/never heard of it' realm. "

 

Yes. 2015.

Pretty crappy weapon. Energy density at target not high enough from space.

Published in 2020.


Hi Don,

There are many interesting attempts to deal with power transmission from space, and certainly the idea of using satellites to transmit power is almost 50 years old.

What is new, and which is why there is a international media pickup, is the merger of
'solar' with 'antenna' on the same aperture (in this case for the power transmission from space), with an appropriate 'sandwich'. That work dates back to 1998 (see post 7). That is what Paul Jaffe and crew had put up into space (see post 9). This solution, whereby one looks at efficiencies as defined by the APERTURE, is an important and enabling aspect unique to an aperture engine, in this case used by the PRAM.

73
Chip W1YW

 

In itself it is not workable.

However, a laser can have its-- de-collimation through the atmosphere-- mitigated , if simultaneously fired with a strong microwave beam at 22 GHz at the same spot. There is a spectral 'water line' at 1.35 cm wavelength.

Won't work through cloud cover.

Like I said: I had many years to consider the issues.

I don't do weapons.

 

CHIP



===

73 ES HAVE A FUN FILLED WEEKEND

K1LKP

 

WOW! Get legal help.

 

Back in the 80s I had an idea in my head about a system for 3D TV. Never pursued it beyond the notes on a napkin stage. Using a specific technology. But many years later I was surprised to see a big Japanese company, Sony, I think, had done that and patented it using the same concept and technology. But I don't think it was anything they ever successfully marketed here. Ah, well.

 

So how do you protect aircraft? Depending on altitude and moisture in the air an aircraft could be a good conductor feeding high altitude clouds to a potential to cause problems, and including unwanted spasmodic reflections back to other orbiting satellites ?

 

I am taking a break--my wife said if I was a drinking man she would make me a gallon-sized Martini to take the edge off this ripoff (rather intentional or not).

When I come back I will post a simple paper here showing why the power density is low enough to not worry about frying anything, but high enough to collect on the ground (as RF) for power.

Its an interesting topic and hams are very much part of the mix in wireless power transmission, and will continue to be.

73
Chip W1YW

 

Maybe that company with the caveman on TV...what's it called...INVENTHELP?

HAHA

 

BTW,

Here is a version of an 'aperture engine' panel. My colleagues and I built this a while back.

 

My post was not about you.

It was about powersats. And microwave power - clearly spelled out in the post/images posted..

As for space-based LASERs, you may find this of interest. - from 1988
https://larouchepub.com/eiw/public/...0729_024-laser_beams_hold_promise_for_sub.pdf

 

Microwaves from powersats make no sense to use as a space to earth based weapon. The energy density is too low at the ground. If you wanted to get hundreds+ of watts per square meter at target, you SPS sat and reflectors would so so huge that it would be like shooting at the side of a barn, so to speak. Easy to take down a fairly delicate space structure. A sitting duck.

Your sense that 'powersats could be used as weapons, so interest has gone down' is not correct. SPS interest is at record highs (pun intended). There is a rather large cottage industry at low TRL levels.

The main problem with lasers is they are very inefficient. They have a tight beam but the energy wasted in pumping is high. So you could do lasercomms space to earth, but again, the sat ends up quite big to charge the batteries.

 

Wouldn't it be a lot easier, less costly, and more efficient to just make a giant heliostat? Hell forget modulating it, just a giant array of steerable mirrors would make planet earth an unmistakable sign of intelligent life to whomever it was aimed at, when they finally got the signal. BTW this also proves that modulation is not necessarily a fundamental requirement in SETI. Just sayin.
Sorry they stole your idea. Welcome to revisionist history 101. Nothing new.

 

A very interesting idea. Let's take it from the ET to Earth end...

The problem is that the amount of light reflected back in a specific direction would still be swamped by the ambient light from the star itself at cosmic distances, unless extremely high angular resolution is used at our end. Even then the amount of reflected light is still likely smaller than the residual sidelobes and artifacts in the imaging, in blocking out the parent star.

Now if you were on MARS..that would be a great way to show your presence. In fact, I believe Percival Lowell suggested such an approach ...memory is fuzzy on that.

73
Chip W1YW

 

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