Lockheed Martin Corporation

Joseph Charles Munder

Bronson Murray

Spencer Keith Connor

Jeffrey John Bank

Clement Alphonse Berard, Jr

Timothy ONeill

A deployment system for a spacecraft may include a fitting for coupling a deployable device to the spacecraft, and a moment bearing shear ball assembly. The moment bearing shear ball assembly may include a shear ball engaged within the fitting, and a moment collar mounted onto the shear ball. The moment collar may have a planar surface engaged with a planar surface of the fitting. A separation interface may be defined between at least one of (1) mating surfaces of the fitting and the shear ball and (2) mating surfaces of the fitting and the moment collar. Engagement of the shear ball within the fitting constrains shear forces in at least two axes and axial forces in at least a third axis. Engagement of the moment collar with the shear ball and the fitting constrains overturning moments of the shear ball about at least two axes, and axial forces in at least a third axis.

Spacecraft deployment systems and methods using moment bearing shear ball

A cable restraint/deployment mechanism is disclosed for deploying an object in space from a spacecraft. To deploy the object, the cable restraint/deployment mechanism cuts a cable attached to the spacecraft and the object. For example, a spacecraft may include a solar panel array that is restrained by the spacecraft in a stowed form through the use of a wire rope cable. The cable may be affixed at one end to a deployable object. The other end of the cable is affixed to the spacecraft through a cutting mechanism, such as a pyrotechnically actuated cutting device. The cutting mechanism cuts the cable at a swaged sleeve of the cable. The swaged sleeve of the cable substantially prevents splaying of the cable and cutting debris.

Swaged cable deployment in space

An array antenna including: a frame having a two-dimensional array of a plurality of openings; an electromagnetically radiating tile disposed in each opening; and mounting means for holding at least one tile in a corresponding opening of the frame, each of the mounting means comprising at least two biasing members, each biasing member exerting a biasing force on the tile relative to the frame. Preferably, each biasing member is a leaf spring having first and second ends attached to the frame and a bowed section attached to the tile. Furthermore, it is preferred that each biasing member further have a way to vary the biasing force with temperature, such as fabricating the bow portion from a first and second material, each having a different coefficient of thermal expansion. Also provided is a spacecraft which utilizes the array antenna of the present invention.

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Doylestown, PA, United States of America

Joseph Charles Munder