CaltechAUTHORSDeployable Tensegrity Reflectors for Small SatellitesA. G.TibertauthorS.PellegrinoauthorFuture small satellite missions require low-cost, precision reflector structures with large aperture that can be packaged in a small envelope. Existing furlable reflectors form a compact package which, although narrow, is too tall for many applications.An alternative approach is proposed, consisting of a deployable “tensegrity” prism forming a ring structure that deploys two identical cable nets (front and rear nets) interconnected by tension ties; the reflecting mesh is attached to the front net. The geometric configuration of the structure has been optimized to reduce the compression in the struts of the tensegrity prism. A small-scale physical model has been constructed to demonstrate the proposed concept. A preliminary design of a 3-m-diam, 10-GHz reflector with a focal-length-to-diameter ratio of 0.4 that can be packaged within an envelope of 0.1 x 0.2 x 0.8 m^3 is presented.Caltech Library Services2002-09AIAAArticle

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