Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.

Kevin Weed

Bevan D Staple

Jeremy Harvey

John Scott Knight

Erika Thorson Bannon

A spacecraft sunshade is provided. The sunshade includes a surface that is maintained in a sun facing orientation. Adjustments to a position of the sunshade are made in a plane that is transverse to a line of sight to the sun, in order to block sunlight from being directly incident on an instrument associated with the spacecraft. The sunshade can include photovoltaic elements on the sun-facing surface of the sunshade. In addition, the sunshade can be formed from an opaque material, and further from a material that absorbs heat from the sun and reradiate that heat to the instrument. The sunshade can perform stray light blocking, electrical power generation, and radiational heating functions.

Multiple function spacecraft sunshade systems and methods

An antenna system with integrated electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielded heat sink is disclosed. The system includes an antenna circuit board with a plurality of antenna or radiating elements formed on a common plane comprising a first surface. Circuit elements are placed on a second surface of the antenna circuit board. In addition, the second surface of the antenna circuits board is connected to a pocketed EMI shielding cover with individual shield pockets serving as an EMI shield and a heat sink containing a cooling fluid. At least some adjacent pockets can be in fluid communication with one another.

Antenna system with integrated electromagnetic interference shielded heat sink

Heat transfer systems and methods are provided. The heat transfer system includes an evaporator section integrated with or thermally joined to a heat dissipating system. The evaporator section is connected to a condenser section by a conduit. Together, portions of the evaporator section, the condenser section, and the conduit form a closed volume containing a heat transfer fluid. A superhydrophobic surface is present on at least a portion of the condenser section forming a part of the closed volume. The superhydrophobic surface can include a plurality of carbon nanotubes. The carbon nanotubes can be provided as a forest of carbon nanotubes extending from a rough surface.

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Superior, CO, United States of America

Kevin Weed