United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of Nasa

Elliott Martin

Patrick Allen O'Neill

David Parker

Konrad Bergandy

Robert Meloy

Martin Matson

Charles Bacon

Michael Liszka

William Davies

Christopher Lashley

Claef Hakun

A self-adjusting gap system, including: a flexure connected to a first electrically isolated element, wherein the flexure allows motion or has a flexible element, and has an electrically conductive element; a contact fixture connected to a second electrically isolated element, wherein the second electrically isolated element is electrically isolated from the first electrically isolated element; and a contact point on one of the contact fixture and the flexure configured to be a discharge location for a discharge of a differential charge between the first electrically isolated element and the second electrically isolated element; wherein the flexure is configured to flex or move due to the differential charge to reduce an initial first gap between the flexure and the contact fixture.

Self-adjusting gap system for space charging mitigation and monitoring

Blind mate mechanisms that are capable of simultaneously making multiple connections in a single motion are disclosed. Such mechanisms may be useful for applications where two or more of structural, electrical, and/or fluid couplings could be made manually or robotically at the same time using the mechanism. The mechanism may include a removable side and a fixed side.

Blind mate mechanism

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Greenbelt, MD, United States of America

Elliott Martin