The nodal concept of deployment and the scale model testing of its application to a membrane antenna

Abstract

Two challenges of thin film space structures, viz., deployment control and difficulty of scale model testing, are addressed. To dynamically stabilize the shape evolution of a deploying membrane, it is proposed that its entirety be folded into tight bundles - nodes - which are imparted a controlled pattern of initial velocities. The structure unfolds from the nodes as the latter move along in space. The associated dynamics is shown favorable for a simple model. A practical summary of constant thickness scaling, which avoids changing film and member wall thicknesses while the entire structural geometry is proportionally scaled, is presented. The presented scaling laws are applied to the nodal deployment of an example lenticular membrane antenna configuration. Vacuum chamber dimensions to accommodate drop tests of the considered model are calculated and shown to be reasonable.