Spacecraft heat shield
AssigneeSpace Forge Limited
InventorsAndrew Paul Bacon, Oliver David Turner, Josip Andrasec, Ana Paula Nunes
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Spacecraft Heat Shield A deployable spacecraft atmospheric-entry heat shield (30, 40, 50, 60) is configured in a flasher pattern with a transformable polyhedral-surface. The transformable polyhedral-surface has a plurality of sectors (2, see FIG. 1a), each sector (2) having a plurality of mountain fold lines (4, 5), a plurality of valley fold lines (6, 7), a plurality of facets (8) lying between the fold lines (4, 5, 6, 7) and an outside edge (12). The heat shield (30, 40, 50, 60) is configured to unfold from a stowed configuration to a deployed configuration.
Claims11
A deployable spacecraft atmospheric-entry heat shield having a transformable polyhedral-surface comprising:
- a polygon central region of order m;
- and
- a plurality of sectors disposed around the central region, each sector having a plurality of mountain fold lines, a plurality of valley fold lines, a plurality of facets lying between the fold lines, and an outside edge,
- wherein:
- the plurality of mountain fold lines comprise a plurality of major mountain fold lines and minor mountain fold lines;
- the plurality of valley fold lines comprise a plurality of major valley fold lines and minor valley fold lines;
- the major mountain fold lines and the major valley fold lines extend from the central region to the outside edge;
- the heat shield is configured to unfold from a stowed configuration to a deployed configuration,
- the transformable polyhedral-surface is configured to adopt a swept back form in the deployed configuration;
- and
- the major mountain fold lines have a swept back angle that is substantially constant from the polygon central region to the outside edge in the deployed configuration.
A spacecraft comprising a heat shield having a transformable polyhedral-surface comprising:
- a polygon central region of order m;
- and
- a plurality of sectors disposed around the central region, each sector having a plurality of mountain fold lines, a plurality of valley fold lines, a plurality of facets lying between the fold lines, and an outside edge,
- wherein:
- the plurality of mountain fold lines comprise a plurality of major mountain fold lines and minor mountain fold lines;
- the plurality of valley fold lines comprise a plurality of major valley fold lines and minor valley fold lines;
- the major mountain fold lines and the major valley fold lines extend from the central region to the outside edge;
- the heat shield is configured to unfold from a stowed configuration to a deployed configuration;
- the transformable polyhedral-surface is configured to adopt a swept back form in the deployed configuration;
- and
- the major mountain fold lines have a swept back angle that is substantially constant from the polygon central region to the outside edge in the deployed configuration.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.