Space Solar Power: A Rose By Any Other Name…
Posted by Coyote on November 27, 2007
Our good friend, Howard Bloom, raised an important point about the need to standardize our terminology. He’s right. From here on out, we will simply refer to space solar power (SSP) and NOT space-based solar power (SBSP). They mean the same thing, but SSP is by far the more common term. So, SSP it is!
How did the term Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP) ever come about? Okay, I confess that’s sort of my fault. Read on. You’re going to laugh (as we do here).
When the Green Hornet, Lips, and the Evil Dr Mankins (my fellow conspirators; the original SSP Caballeros) began discussing space solar power we sent lots of emails to each other. This was before texting was popular, apparently. Unfortunately, whenever they would use the acronym “SSP” it would trigger a very aggressive anti-virus software on the particular unclassified network that I used inside the Pentagon. It would not only trash the email and attachments, but usually would lock me out of the network!
Each time this occurred I was visited by our lovely and talented security and IT personnel who only wanted to help! They were very patient and taught me how to fill out many forms and reports. With so many emails with “SSP” contained therein, we became good friends. (Actually, I suspect Lips was entertaining himself at my expense by sending me several such emails every hour, despite my protestations).
A couple of weeks later, after I became bored with my new friends, I asked the others if we could please start calling it space-based solar power (SBSP) so other people in my organization could spend more time with our security and IT staff. They reluctantly consented, and the term space-based solar power (meaning space solar power) was created.
Well, progress has been made and “SSP” is not a problem for the networks inside the Pentagon anymore. Don’t worry, we’ve found other work for the security and IT managers in my old office.
In the meantime, you were probably wondering what idiot lied awake at night and invented an entirely new acronym for good ol’ SSP.
As Paul Harvey says, “and now you know…the rest of the story.”
Cheers!
Coyote
P.S. Someone referred to me as the “Che Guevara of spacepower” the other day. Great. I guess our mantra becomes “SOLAR POWER TO THE PEOPLE!”
P.P.S. Dude, if it advances space solar power, I’ll take up wearing a beret and khakis.
November 28, 2007 at 11:51 am
Im almost scared to ask ,is this another case of how deep does the rabbit hole go? Cheers to the Great White Fleet!
December 6, 2007 at 6:59 pm
I guess I adopted the less-used terminology when I set up Citizens for Space Based Solar Power. Probably picked it up from the feasibility study. I will include a question in the FAQ that is being developed to tell folks that SSP and SBSP mean the same thing.
The good news is perhaps I stand less of a chance of triggering any anti-virus applications!
December 10, 2007 at 7:05 am
Thank you for sharing, Coyote.
SBSP, SSP, SPS - no matter how you acronymize it, the concept is obscured.
Words are so much better. Space solar power. Solar power satellites. Clean green energy from space. Space-based solar power is perfectly fine, no matter what the genesis, so long as it’s not SBSP.
December 18, 2007 at 10:14 pm
Hi. I had an idea I wanted to run past Coyote, but I can’t find his email on the site. (It should be accessible in the “email” field I filled out above.)
Thanks!
December 18, 2007 at 10:14 pm
(My email, that is. Please drop me a line).
December 24, 2007 at 11:15 am
Palau is interested in SSP: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gMOg-D8-UyHFE3GmhgU5eUMRVF0gD8TNBC2G0
January 15, 2008 at 10:41 am
Interesting post! Thanks
January 16, 2008 at 2:28 pm
The article is interesting, but I do not understand why Mr Reed want to build the satellite for testing transmission. Why not mount the transmitter to ISS? Actually, mounting some equipment to a tandem lifter from JP Aerospace would be enough for most transmission tests.
January 18, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Except for a puny transmission test, the equpment is bulky. Likely the largest module yet for the ISS. My guess is less cost and quicker without the ISS.
If we think a one megawatt beam 500 kilometers long, from low earth orbit: a spot size of one thousand square meters is one thousand watts per meter = 1/10 watt per square centimeter, which is the allowable leakage for microwave ovens = not very hazardous. I think that small a spot size is possible with centimeter waves, but a shorter wave length may be necessary for a transmitting antenna of reasonable size. I don’t think the laser diodes are ready yet, but we may be able switch shortly before launch, if they are ready then. The laser diodes are definately better for small spot size. The laser diode energy can be received by the larger solar panel arrays which already exist, while rectennas need to be perfected and built. Neil
April 22, 2008 at 11:47 pm
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