Title:
FURLABLE SHEET STRUCTURES AND METHODS OF FURLING
Document Type and Number:
WIPO Patent Application WO1991008949
Kind Code:
A3
Abstract:
The sail of a solar spacecraft or related structure can be furled by rotation about a central hub. Alternatively, hill and valley folds extend in a logarithmic spiral from the hub and the sail can be furled without strain, without multiple folds and without departing to any great extend from the plane of the unfurled sail. Support ribs every n'th hill fold take the form of flattenable tubes which are wound spirally about the hub in the furled structure. The set of the unfurled sail can be controlled by programmed flexure of the ribs to adjust the attitude of the craft relative to the direction of solar radiation.
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Inventors:
JOHNSON GERALD EDWARD (GB)
OSWALD GORDON KENNETH ANDREW (GB)
TEMPLE STEPHEN (GB)
SHEPHERD MARK RICHARD (GB)
OSWALD GORDON KENNETH ANDREW (GB)
TEMPLE STEPHEN (GB)
SHEPHERD MARK RICHARD (GB)
Application Number:
PCT/GB1990/001919
Publication Date:
August 22, 1991
Filing Date:
December 10, 1990
Export Citation:
Assignee:
CAMBRIDGE CONSULTANTS (GB)
International Classes:
B64G1/22; B64G1/24; B64G1/40; (IPC1-7): B64G1/40
Foreign References:
| US3848821A | 1974-11-19 | |||
| US3010372A | 1961-11-28 |
Other References:
AIAA Student Journal, Summer 81, (California, US), H.W. Price: "Solar sail engineering development mission", pages 14-18 and 42
NASA Contractor Report -CR-247, June 1985, (Washington, DC, US), A.C. Kyser: "The rotornet: a high-performance hypersonic decelerator for planetary entry", pages 1-83
NASA Contractor Report -CR-247, June 1985, (Washington, DC, US), A.C. Kyser: "The rotornet: a high-performance hypersonic decelerator for planetary entry", pages 1-83
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