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AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsPeter K. Homer, Robert V. Parenti, Joel DeStefano, Wensen Chen, Eric Talley, John E. Close
Estimating the term…
To reduce the time required to build spacecraft, and to reduce costs, the spacecraft are members of a set of spacecraft. Each member has the same structural members, such as panels, but different members of the set are elongated by multiples of an increment such as five inches. The structural panels of larger members of the set are elongated in the longitudinal direction, to provide more surface area for mounting payload, and to provide more heat rejection surface. The propellant tank(s), which may be fuel and oxidizer tanks, are spherical in the shortest members of the set, and are increased in length by addition of cylindrical sections, to provide greater volume in larger members to thereby provide longer operating life. Similarly, the solar panels, heat pipes and the like may be elongated.
A member of a set of spacecraft, each member spacecraft of said set defining a longitudinal axis which is longitudinal during launch, said set of spacecraft including member spacecraft having overall longitudinal dimensions parallel to said longitudinal axis which differ, among members of said set, by a dimension which is a multiple, including the integer one, of a predetermined incremental dimension, each said member comprising:
A member of a set of spacecraft, each member spacecraft of said set defining a longitudinal axis which is longitudinal during launch, said set of spacecraft including member spacecraft having overall longitudinal dimensions parallel to said longitudinal axis which differ, among members of said set, by a dimension which is a multiple, including the integer one, of a predetermined incremental dimension, each said member comprising:
A member of a set of spacecraft, each member spacecraft of said set defining a longitudinal axis which is longitudinal during launch, said set of spacecraft including member spacecraft having overall longitudinal dimensions parallel to said longitudinal axis which differ, among members of said set, by a dimension which is a multiple, including the integer one, of a predetermined incremental dimension, each said member comprising:
A member of a set of spacecraft, each member spacecraft of said set defining a longitudinal axis which is longitudinal during launch, said set of spacecraft including member spacecraft having overall longitudinal dimensions parallel to said longitudinal axis which differ by at least one predetermined incremental dimension among members of said set, each said member comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.