Solar Power to the Rescue!
This solar array on a spacecraft wing converts sunlight into electrical power to operate the spacecraft, even when operating three times further from the sun than the Earth.Copyright 2006 NASA/JPL, Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Solar_Array_Panels_Attached_to_Dawn_Spacecraft4.jpg
Students learn how the innovative engineering of photovoltaics enables us to transform the sun’s energy into usable power—electricity—through the use of photovoltaic cells. Watching a short video clip from “The Martian” movie shows the importance of photovoltaics in powering space exploration at extreme distances from the Earth. Then students learn that the photovoltaic technologies designed to excel in the harsh environment of space have the potential to be just as beneficial on Earth—providing electricity-generating systems based on renewable energy sources is important for our electricity-gobbling society. Two student journaling sheets assist with vocabulary and concepts.
Space exploration has challenged engineers to find creative ways to provide power to devices traveling far beyond the reaches of the nearest outlet, beyond where even the longest extension cord could reach (!). Aiming for the first human mission to Mars in 2030, NASA is now challenged to provide power 140 million miles from home! That’s where photovoltaic solar cells come to the rescue! Because the space environment is harsh and so far away from help, engineers are pushed to innovate extremely reliable, efficient and lightweight photovoltaic cells. As industry develops cost-effective ways to mass produce these solar cells, the technology is expected to transform the use of photovoltaics for power-generation on Earth, where the demand for “clean” electricity is growing.
After this lesson, students should be able to:
- Define the technology terms photovoltaics (PV), photovoltaic (solar) cell, solar energy and solar panel.
- Explain how people use the sun as a renewable energy source for power on Earth.
- Explain how the sun is used as a renewable energy source for power in space.