By the 1960s, satellites had become essential for communications, navigation and scientific research. But engineers faced a difficult problem. How could a satellite keep working when it passed out of direct sunlight? Better nickel-hydrogen batteries for spacecraft did the trick.
Solar Panels Could Generate Electricity In Sunlight …
Solar panels can generate electricity in sunlight, but a spacecraft also needs rechargeable batteries to supply power during the dark part of its orbit.
Nickel-cadmium batteries had already proved useful in space. However, engineers wanted batteries that could survive many more charge-discharge cycles ,and provide dependable service over long missions.
Replacing a battery on an ordinary vehicle was relatively straightforward. Replacing one inside a satellite hundreds or thousands of kilometres above Earth was another matter entirely.
Nickel-Hydrogen Batteries Offered Several Advantages
The search for better nickel-hydrogen batteries for spacecraft led engineers to investigate a different combination of materials: nickel and hydrogen.
Nickel-hydrogen batteries offered several important advantages. They could withstand repeated charging and discharging. And tolerate demanding operating conditions and provide a long service life.
These Qualities Made Them Especially Attractive
These qualities made nickel-hydrogen batteries especially attractive for satellites that needed to operate reliably for many years.
The technology was not initially for everyday household equipment. Its design was specialized, expensive and more complicated than that of conventional batteries. Hydrogen had to be contained under high pressure, requiring strong metal vessels.
The Potential Benefits Justified The Effort
Nevertheless, the potential benefits justified the effort. During the 1970s, research teams began developing nickel-hydrogen batteries specifically for aerospace applications.
Their work would eventually produce batteries capable of powering communications satellites, the Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station.
The first step was to develop a battery that could withstand the unusual demands of life in orbit.
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