Abstract
Inflatable space structures have many advantages such as small size, high reliability, and low cost. Aiming at a gravity-gradient boom for an XY-1 satellite, New Technology Verifying Satellite-1, a slender inflatable boom with low magnetic is presented. First of all, an inflatable boom with six self-supporting thin shells made of carbon and Vectran fiber composite materials on the inner wall was designed for eliminating a magnetic dipole moment and increasing structural stiffness. A precise stowage was designed for a tip mass surrounded by a pair of lightweight honeycomb blocks added on the top of the boom. The stowed boom was tested by sine sweep vibrations with three directions on the ground to verify the reasonable design. The XY-1 satellite which carried the inflatable boom was launched into low orbit. After being stowed state in space for at least 6 months, the inflatable boom orderly unfolded a 2.0 kg tip mass to 3.0 m away in May, 2013. The inflatable boom was successfully deployed from a series of photographs received on the satellite. The results show that this kind of lightweight inflatable boom with self-supporting thin shells can orderly unfold and fulfil the function of gravity-gradient in space for a long time.
Highlights
Ultra-lightweight inflatable space structures have been accepted by more and more scholars, because they can meet structural requirements for space applications with low cost and give a reliable deployment, since an inflatable deployment does not need any electric motors or moveable parts
The results show that the tip mass was unfolded fully by the inflatable boom with six supporting thin shells
A slender inflatable boom with six self-supporting nomagnetic thin shells was presented and a precise stowage was designed for a tip mass surrounded by a pair of honeycomb blocks on the top of the boom to increase the stiffness and strength
Summary
Ultra-lightweight inflatable space structures have been accepted by more and more scholars, because they can meet structural requirements for space applications with low cost and give a reliable deployment, since an inflatable deployment does not need any electric motors or moveable parts. Some simulation results show that the magnitude of boom tip vibration does not increase significantly in amplitude until the final 1/3 of the deployment time span [9]. This may be attributed to the resonance effect of the system’s natural frequency. Both stowage and support stiffness after deployment design are very important for inflatable space structures implementing their mission [10]. The inflatable boom in this paper is compared with a design of coilable mast as the same mission of gravity gradient The latter with 10 cm in diameter and 2.0 m in length will be designed to unfold a 5 kg tip mass. The in-space inflatable process was presented through pictures of the 3.0 m inflatable boom, and changing data before and after deployment on the satellite
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