RIGEX: Preliminary Design of a Rigidized Inflatable Get-Away-Special Experiment

Abstract

As space structures grow in size and complexity, their weight and cost increase considerably. The use of inflatable and rigidizable structures offers drastic improvements in all areas of spacecraft design. The goal of this experiment is to verify and validate ground testing of inflation and rigidization methods for inflatable space structures. The Rigidized Inflatable Get-Away-Special Experiment is an autonomous, self-contained space shuttle experiment that will inflate and rigidize several structures. After inflation, the experiment will perform a structural analysis by exciting the rigidized structures and collecting vibration data. A systems engineering approach is utilized to make design decisions based on a total system and life-cycle perspective.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2001
Accession Number
ADA390157

Entities

People

  • John D. Disebastian

Organizations

  • Air Force Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Sensors
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Accuracy
  • Air Force
  • Climate Change
  • Complex Systems
  • Data Analysis
  • Energy
  • Engineering
  • Life Cycles
  • Measurement
  • Modal Analysis
  • Space Shuttles
  • Space Systems
  • Spacecraft
  • Systems Engineering
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Test Equipment
  • Test Methods

Fields of Study

  • Engineering

Readers

  • Distributed Systems and Data Platform Development
  • Missile Defense Systems.
  • Structural Dynamics.

Technology Areas

  • Space