History of Electrochemical and Energy Storage Technology Development at NASA Glenn Research Center

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Glenn Research Center (GRC) has a rich heritage of developing electrochemical technologies and energy storage systems for aerospace. Primary and rechargeable batteries, fuel cells, flywheels, and regenerative fuel cells are among the GRC's portfolio of energy storage devices and primary power systems. These technologies have been developed for missions and applications such as low Earth orbit and geosynchronous Earth orbit satellites, space shuttle, astronaut spacesuit, International Space Station, landers and rovers, and lunar and planetary habitats. The desire for lower mass, lower volume, higher efficiency, and more reliable power systems has most often been the driving force behind the development of these technologies. Often, as with fuel cells for the early Gemini and Apollo missions, development of the technology has been mission enabling. Although many of these technologies were initially developed for applications in space, the existence of such capabilities or development successes at GRC has led to their adoption for terrestrial uses or further research and development for terrestrial applications, including electric vehicles, unmanned aerial and underwater vehicles, and all-electric aircraft. This paper discusses the history of and the current research and development at the GRC in electrochemical and energy storage technologies. The future outlook for each of these technologies is also addressed. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)AS.1943-5525.0000323. (C) 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.