Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Dean R Daily

David Rohweller

Tiffany Glassman

A space-based occulter is selectively movable between stowed and deployed configurations. A base hub has a longitudinally oriented center axis. A plurality of petals are provided, each petal extending radially outward from, and spaced radially apart from, the base hub when in the deployed configuration. Each petal has a hypergaussian edge made up of a plurality of hypergaussian edge panels. Each hypergaussian edge panel defines a portion of the hypergaussian edge of the petal. Each hypergaussian edge panel is made substantially of a material having a near zero coefficient of thermal expansion. A circular central portion is located radially between the base hub and the plurality of petals. A covering skin extends laterally between the hypergaussian edges of each petal and over the circular central portion. The covering skin defines a substantially planar surface oriented substantially perpendicular to the center axis when the occulter is in the deployed configuration.

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Torrance, CA, United States of America

Dean R Daily