Rca Inc.

General Electric Company

Neotec Corporation

Eugene R Ganssle

Richard Jean Williams

Donald R Webster

William V Fuldner

Ralph Richard Scott

Alan Lochead

Nelson F Samhammer

Claude P Miller

A spacecraft structure for orbital assembly and servicing includes a payload module, a propulsion module and a bus module each of these modules includes attachement means for separately attching to the cargo bay of the Shuttle directly and via planar cradles. The bus module includes module docking and latching fittings at each end and matching locking and latching fittings at one end of each of said payload and propulsion modules. The bus module includes sectionalized assemblies forming a matrix of identical cavities adapted to receive orbital replacement submodules that allow easy replacement of equipment in orbit by an astronaut.

Spacecraft structure for orbital assembly and servicing

A solar array structure for use with satellites requiring large areas of solar arrays. Each array is a single continuous structure having continuous longitudinal members which in a stowed condition enable the panel to be wrapped around the satellite within its launch vehicle. In a deployed configuration, the longitudinal members are reconfigured to provide substantially increased stiffness in the direction of winding.

Large solar arrays with high natural frequencies

An orbiting satellite system includes an asymmetrically deployed antenna and two deployable solar cell arrays. The solar cell arrays are deployed to a location which compensates for the asymmetry of the antenna so that the resulting station keeping thruster torques balance. Also, the system surfaces may be configured and the arrays so deployed to balance solar pressure torques on the system.

Spacecraft structure with symmetrical mass center and asymmetrical

A communications spacecraft reflector is accurately positioned with respect to its feed assembly by a thermally stable stiff mounting platform which is secured in distortion isolation from the rest of the spacecraft. A yaw actuator can move the platform about an axis parallel to the spacecraft yaw axis.

Reflector antenna mounted in thermal distortion isolation

A spacecraft support cradle structure includes a keel rod which depends from its lower extremity and which mates with a female receptacle in the base of a cargo bay of a launch vehicle. An illuminating cable and an imaging cable made of optical fibers coaxially mounted within the keel rod, terminate at the rod's lower extremity. The illumination cable transmits light to the lower extremity of the keel rod to illuminate the female receptacle. The illuminated region image as received by the imaging cable is picked up and displayed by a television system to aid the alignment of the keel rod with the receptacle.

Apparatus for remotely indicating alignment of male and female members

Spacecraft structures which are suitable for mounting within the bay of a space shuttle. Each structure comprises a plurality of modules, each module in the form of a truss network, these networks being secured to one another. Electronic payloads, thrusters, fuel tanks, solar arrays and other equipment are attached to the trusses. The end modules of each spacecraft structure include adjustable trunnions to releasably secure the spacecraft structure to the shuttle. A module may include a keel for releasably securing it (and the spacecraft structure of which it is a part) to the shuttle. Each spacecraft structure may be individually designed. For example, the number of expansion modules secured between two end modules of a structure may be varied as required by the load carrying capacity desired of a spacecraft structure.

Modular spacecraft structures

A spacecraft is secured to a reusable cradle mounted in a space shuttle cargo bay. It is launched from the shuttle by separation apparatus secured to the cradle, which apparatus imparts forces in the same direction to three spaced points on the spacecraft such that a line passing through the center of gravity of the spacecraft, extending in the direction of application of the forces, passes through the triangle formed by lines joining these three points. The apparatus includes a plurality of interconnected spring loaded push rods which propel the spacecraft equal distances in the same direction and time interval, thereby precluding any rotation.

Spacecraft separation apparatus

A mounting platform for heat producing instruments operated in a narrow equilibrium temperature range comprises a grid-like structure with relatively large openings therein. The instruments are secured to and thermally coupled with the grid surface facing the instruments. Excess heat from the instruments is selectively radiated to the ambient through openings in the grid, the grid surfaces at these openings exhibiting low thermal emissivity and adsorptivity. The remainder of the grid is maintained at the equilibrium temperature and is covered with a thermal insulating blanket. Thus, the entire system including the platform and instruments is maintained substantially isothermal, whereby the instruments remain in fixed physical relationship to one another.

Mounting structure

An automatic test instrument for gaging the percentage of various constituents in organic substances by comparing the reflective optical density of the subject at various wavelengths. Narrow band optical filters are connected together in the form of a rotatable paddle wheel positioned so that the filters can be individually swept through the incident light path between the specimen and wideband light source. As the filter wheel turns, the band of light passed by each filter is progressively shifted with the changing angle of the filter relative to the light path. The filter wheel configuration includes opaque vanes extending from the ends of the filters to periodically interrupt the passage of light to the specimen. Photocells are positioned to sense the level of light reflected from the specimen. The output of the photocells is sampled at predetermined times relative to the rotation of the filter wheel to yield values indicative of reflected intensity at certain wavelengths. Using these values, an electronic circuit in one embodiment calculates three optical density difference values corresponding to moisture, protein and oil content of the specimen. The difference values are automatically inserted in three linear equations which are solved to obtain readings representing the true percentages of oil, water and protein contained in the specimen. Each time a new specimen is loaded for testing, the instrument is automatically calibrated against a standard sample, preferably Teflon (Trademark). The output of the photocells is amplified in a special circuit which subtracts the level of dark period current from the output when the photocells are illuminated.

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Skillman, NJ, United States of America

Eugene R Ganssle