Long Duration Tethered Satellite Experiments

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According to Ruth Netting, the main objectives of the Tethered Satellite System (TSS) experiments were: to test the engineering performance of the TSS, study the electro-magnetic forces at work with the TSS, examine the dynamical forces acting on the TSS, and verify the possibility for the use of tethered satellite systems on future craft, such as the International Space Station (2013). The TSS-1 experiment was flown on the STS-46 mission in 1992, but the satellite only went 840 feet before a protruding bolt caused the reel to jam (Wall, 2011). The experiment was then re-flown on STS-75 as TSS-1R, but the tether severed before the experiment was completely deployed (Wall, 2011). However, TSS-1R was able to collect data as it was being deployed, and, according to Mike Wall, it generated 3,500 volts and up to 0.5 amps, indicating that the experiment was successful up to the point the tether broke (2011).
To upgrade this experiment for long duration, a few things need to be done to ensure its safety and longevity. Research done on the severed tether of TSS-1R revealed that the reason for its failure lied in its construction. First of all, air bubbles trapped in the tether were released through tiny pinholes in the insulation upon deployment, and this trapped air became ionized during the experiment, causing the tether to melt (Stern, 2001). Additionally, the tinsel strength from the tether came from strands of Kevlar, and when those melted, the remaining strands were not sufficient to hold the tether together, and it snapped (Italian Space Agency, n.d.). To solve this problem, both the insulation and the amount of Kevlar strands would be doubled, and the tether would be exposed to the space environment before producing electricity....

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...y Findings from Tethered Satellite Mission Point to Revamping of Space Physics Theories. Energy Projects: Electrodynamic Tether. Retrieved February 16, 2014, from http://www.thelivingmoon.com/41pegasus/02files/Electrodynamic.html
Netting, R. (2013, April). TSS. NASA Science Missions. Retrieved February 16, 2014, from http://science.nasa.gov/missions/tss/
Stern, D. P. (2001, November). The Space Tether Experiment. GSFC.NASA.gov. Retrieved February 16, 2014, from http://www-istp.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/wtether.html
Tethers Unlimited Inc. (n.d.). Electrodynamic Tethers. Tethers.com. Retrieved February 16, 2014, from http://www.tethers.com/edtethers.html
Wall, M. (2011, July). Trying out a 13-mile space tether. 6 Cool Space Shuttle Science Experiments. Retrieved February 16, 2014, from http://www.space.com/12150-6-coolest-space-shuttle-science-experiments.html

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