NASA SBIR 00-1 SOLICITATION
FORM 9B - PROJECT SUMMARY
PROPOSAL NUMBER 00-1 28.01-8596 (Chron: 001405 )
PROJECT TITLE
Elastic-Energy Deployment of Very Large Hybrid Rigid/Flexible Spacecraft Booms
TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Assuming all other capabilities are equal, one measure of the relative performance of deployable spacecraft booms is the ratio of the boom's pre-deployed package size to final deployed size. Conventional deployable spacecraft booms made from rigid structural members face fundamental packaging size constraints that directly relate to maximum allowable strain of the materials used in the boom. Inflatable booms and inflated-then rigidized booms seem to offer some packaging advantages over coiled or hinged booms, but complications associated with inflation systems and the potential for leaks diminishes some of the appeal of inflatables. This proposal describes a new hybrid material approach that could lead to revolutionary performance improvements in spacecraft boom technology while eliminating the complications associated with pressurization. In Phase I KCI will perform analytical and experimental studies of our proposed concept to generate preliminary verification of projected performance improvements compared to conventional and inflatable booms. Appropriate materials will be identified and purchased, and lab-scale test articles fabricated and tested. Test results will be used to project a design for a very large deployable boom. Phase II will continue to extend the lab-scale Phase I technology by increasing complexity of test articles from single elements to a multi-element demonstration article.
POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
Future spacecraft systems will increasingly drive performance of deployable booms toward smaller, more volume-efficient packages. The push for smaller satellites, often launched as multi-satellite constellations, as well as concepts for super-scale deployable structures for use as solar sails, optical systems, and large aperture antennas, suggest that new boom designs that provide significant performance advantages in size and/or reliability will be readily accepted by the military, scientific and commercial spacecraft market. If low cost manufacturing methods such as pultrusion and filament winding can be adapted to automate the assembly of boom structures, and further cost savings can be achieved by stepping back slightly from the ultimate in performance demanded by space applications, it seems likely that new terrestrial market opportunities for lightweight, easily transported, and potentially disposable mast systems based on the proposed concepts might be developed, particularly for military applications.
NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
(Name, Organization Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
James J. Gorman
KaZaK Composites
32 Cummings Park
Woburn , MA 01801 - 2122
NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR
(Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip)
KaZaK Composites
32 Cummings Park
Woburn , MA 01801 - 2122