Solar Panels - Old, New and Fictional

[Usonian]

I am pecking away at a Skylab Reuse addon, based on the actual proposal made in 1978. That scheme included a "power module" added to Skylab with two 104 foot long solar panels. The proposal's very small scale sketches give the impression of paired panels extended by a central telescoping mast or expanding truss - rather like the solar panels on today's ISS.

The ISS solar cells are mounted on an accordian folded fabric. Was that system available in the late 70s or early 80s? Or, at that time, would it more likely be rigid panels, like those on Skylab? 104 feet seems awfully long for a rigid panel system.

Can anyone help? I want to avoid issuing an 80s era add-on with 90s era technology:lol:

 

[DaveS]

The ISS solar cells are mounted on an accordian folded fabric. Was that system available in the late 70s or early 80s? Or, at that time, would it more likely be rigid panels, like those on Skylab? 104 feet seems awfully long for a rigid panel system.

They actually tested the ISS Solar Array Wing blanket design on Discovery's first mission, STS-41D.

Here's a photo of it: http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/lucenewe...hitsperpage=15&pageno=7&photoId=STS41D-35-070

It went under the name OAST-1 Solar Array Experiment.

 

[Urwumpe]

The ISS Panels are actually as old as Skylab, their basic design was done for the Space Shuttle before 1981.

 

[Usonian]

Thanks to both of you - that answers that.

The photo from STS-41 is a little freaky - it looks like a billowed sail catching a stiff breeze. Don't let the conspiracy guys see it