USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Jordan R Schlater

Eugene Levin

Joseph A Carroll

Paul Oppenheimer

Adam Thurn

Chris Netwall

Curt Hogan

Kerry (andy) Griffith

Phillip A Feerst

Michael S Kubista

Shannon Coffey

Ivan Galysh

Joseph T Hays

A pneumatic artificial muscle (PAM) includes a bladder containing, internal to the bladder, the other components of the PAM: at least one valve controlling pneumatic pressure inside the bladder; at least one sensor configured to sense pressure inside the bladder; and at least one signal conditioning device, thereby providing a self-contained, volume-efficient, simple interface for the PAM.

Volume efficient pneumatic artificial muscle (PAM)

A tethered spacecraft has a first endmass and a second endmass with a telescoping stacer spring and a tether arranged between the endmasses. The spring is coiled around a center rod and initially contained within a housing, the spring being biased to push the first endmass away from the second endmass. The spring housing is affixed to the first endmass, a first end of the spring being affixed to the spring housing, and tether are affixed to spring at one end and to the second endmass at the other end. A pretensioned loop holds the endmasses abuttingly together, and a burnwire release mechanism cuts the loop to deploy the spring. Upon deployment, the spring extends to its full length to form a cylindrical boom, and the endmasses continue to move outward along the spring centerline until stopped by the tether.

Separation system and burn wire release mechanism for tethered spacecraft

Growing community of inventors

Rossburg, OH, United States of America

Jordan R Schlater