An inflatable structure, called a concentrator, was to support a Fresnel lens that would concentrate sunlight. Using an in flatable structure would provide significant reductions in weight. Also, since the inflatable structure could be placed in orbit deflated and then inflated prior to use, the overall size of the payload would be substantially reduced. Development work on inflatable structures is being continued at Marshall Space Flight under several projects. One project, called Advanced Solar Orbit Transfer Vehicle Concentrator Technology (ASCOT), will develop an experiment that would fly on an expendable launch vehicle in the year 2000. This experiment will have an inflatable structure that supports a Fresnel lens. The lens will project the sun's light into a calorimeter for measurement of the amount of heat generated. Also, the performance of a pointing and control system for the inflatable concentrator will be studied. Other in-house projects at Marshall Space Flight Center will address numerous issues and problems with the development of inflatable space structures.
Dynamic testing of inflatable spacecraft structures
Sound and Vibration ; 33 , 6 ; 16-20
1999
5 Seiten, 8 Bilder, 1 Tabelle, 7 Quellen
Article (Journal)
English