A PRACTICAL SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM OF THERMAL BENDING IN SPACECRAFT EXTENDIBLE BOOMS.
Abstract
The report considers solutions for the problem of protecting spacecraft extendible booms from thermal bending in sunlight. It was theorized that such protection could be achieved by devising a sunshield that would fit around the boom like a shroud, and that thermal bending would thus be reduced by orders of magnitude. However, no designs that would provide the desired protection and at the same time maintain compatibility between the boom and the boom-erection equipment were forthcoming and work on the sunshield was abandoned. This report describes a series of sunshield configurations that satisfy the compatibility requirements and have the following characteristics: Stowed Volume - < 2 cu in/100 ft; Weight - Less than 2 oz/100 ft; Projected Area Deployed - 2-3 times that of the bare boom; Deployment - Automatic - no extra equipment required; Retraction and Redeployment - Automatic - no extra equipment required; Thermal Improvement Over Bare Boom - Greater than 1000%.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1967
- Accession Number
- AD0657154
Entities
People
- D. W. Rabenhorst
Organizations
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory