Deployable Collectors for Advanced Space Power and Propulsion

Deployable Collectors for Advanced Space Power and Propulsion Systems Small Business Innovation Research SRS Technologies Huntsville AL INNOVATION An inflatable solar concentrator made of a thin polyimide material ACCOMPLISHMENTS u Developed fabrication process for flight scale polymer membrane components including solvent seaming, and developed the necessary analytical tools u Fabricated and verification tested a flight scale inflatable concentrator u Applied torus design to fabricate inflatable torus for the Air Force u Developed handling procedures for flight scale membranes COMMERCIALIZATION u Over $250 K in sales to Boeing for technology related to membrane concentrators for space power and propulsion u The use of membrane materials in commercial satellites for thermal control in large antenna systems Glenn Research Center Space Power, Space Propulsion 3 -090 Membrane Concentrators During Thermal Vacuum Testing and Ambient Verification Testing GOVERNMENT/SCIENCE APPLICATIONS u Air Force Research Laboratory Dual Use Science and Technology (DUS&T) team utilized the focusing concentrator during recent successful thermal vacuum testing at the NASA GRC Solar Simulator facility u Integrated High Payoff Rocket Propulsion Technology (IHPRPT) program is utilizing the materials and processes technology to produce high temperature tooling and membrane concentrator system components for the Integrated Ground Testing 1997 Phase II, NAS 3 -99105, 7/02 NASA Contact – Carol Tolbert Company Contact – James Pearson