https://phys.org/news/2023-04-china-stirling-orbit.html
"The China National Space Agency (CNSA) has made considerable progress in
recent years with the development of its Long March 5 (CZ-5) rocket and the
completion of its Tiangong-3 space station. The agency also turned heads when
it announced plans in June 2021 to create an International Lunar Research
Station (ILRS) that would rival the Artemis Program. On top of all that, China
upped the ante when it announced later that month that it also had plans to
send crewed missions to Mars by 2033, concurrent with NASA's plans.
As part of their growing efforts to become a major power in space, which
includes human exploration, China recently announced the completion of the
first in-orbit test of a Stirling thermoelectric converter. The Shenzou-15
mission crew performed the test aboard Tiangong-3, and it was the first
successful verification of the technology in space. This technology is also
being investigated by NASA and is considered a technological solution to the
challenges of space exploration, especially where long-duration stays and
missions to locations in deep space are concerned.
Similar to how hydroelectric dams generate power, a Stirling unit converts heat
into electrical energy through a series of piston-driven magnets. These pistons
rely on a fuel source to generate heat, pushing the magnets back and forth
through a coil of wire, generating electrical current. This process is known as
the Stirling cycle, which is more efficient than solar-powered systems and
conventional batteries. Compared to other power systems, it is also
lightweight, has a simple structure, a quick start-up cycle, and produces minor
vibrations and low noise.
All of this makes the technology appealing to spacecraft engineers and mission
planners, who see it as a more sustainable means for providing power to
spacecraft and surface habitats. On the one hand, it can reduce their
dependence on solar energy, which is limited by solar cell efficiency and is
not always accessible in certain environments. Around the moon's South
Pole-Aitken Basin, where multiple agencies plan to build research stations
before the end of the decade (including China's ILRS), a lunar night lasts
fourteen days."
Via
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mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
