“The first time I went into space in 1994,” NASA astronaut Dr. Leroy Chiao said, “it was literally a dream come true.” Four space missions, including six and a half months on the International Space Station, have shown him that dreams can be realized. He had spent years preparing for that mission: first in school, earning a bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. in chemical engineering; then four years training with NASA. In 2004, as a veteran of three shuttle missions, he lived for six and a half months onboard the International Space Station, a joint venture among 15 countries, stationed approximately 190 miles (350 kilometers) above the surface of the Earth.

Living in space has made Dr. Chiao aware of the possibilities of solar power. On the International Space Station, two solar arrays jut out like wings and each is covered in solar panels. The sunlight that hits these panels is converted into electricity, powering everything done onboard, including scientific experiments. Dr. Chiao says that he can envision a future in which a group of solar satellites in space could convert stored solar energy into microwaves, which could be beamed back to targeted receptor stations here on Earth. If this idea were actualized, the process would be more practical than solar farms, which require vast plots of land on Earth.