Discover
/
Article

Projects to harness solar power from space date back to 1990s

JAN 21, 2016
Physics Today

Motherboard : In the 1990s Soviet space scientist Vladimir Syromyatnikov devised a giant space mirror to reflect sunlight back to Earth and extend the workday. The effort was particularly appealing for northern regions, where days are extremely short in the winter. In this article for Motherboard, Brian Merchant describes Syromyatnikov’s extensive work on the Znamya project. Although Znamya 2 launched in 1992 and successfully deployed its 20-meter test mirror, the next attempt failed and the project was eventually scrapped. Now the idea is once again being taken up, this time to beam solar power back to Earth. Both the US Naval Research Laboratory and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency are developing plans for orbital solar power plants to be launched within the decade.

Related content
/
Article
The finding that the Saturnian moon may host layers of icy slush instead of a global ocean could change how planetary scientists think about other icy moons as well.
/
Article
/
Article
After a foray into international health and social welfare, she returned to the physical sciences. She is currently at the Moore Foundation.
/
Article
Modeling the shapes of tree branches, neurons, and blood vessels is a thorny problem, but researchers have just discovered that much of the math has already been done.

Get PT in your inbox

pt_newsletter_card_blue.png
PT The Week in Physics

A collection of PT's content from the previous week delivered every Monday.

pt_newsletter_card_darkblue.png
PT New Issue Alert

Be notified about the new issue with links to highlights and the full TOC.

pt_newsletter_card_pink.png
PT Webinars & White Papers

The latest webinars, white papers and other informational resources.

By signing up you agree to allow AIP to send you email newsletters. You further agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.