M.m.a. Design, LLC

Lyn Eric Ruhl

Mitchell T Wiens

Mark A Bailey

Asa Darnell

A deployable antenna system for deployment in an extraterrestrial environment is provided, the deployable antenna system comprising a deployment mechanism including one or more extendable support structures comprising at least one axial support structure adapted to extend in a z-direction parallel to a z-axis in the deployable antenna system and a deployable antenna attached to the one or more extendable support structures and adapted to be stowed in an undeployed state and to be unfurled into a deployed state by the deployment mechanism, the deployable antenna being further adapted to extend and unfurl during deployment from the deployment mechanism in the z-direction responsive to extension of the at least one axial support structure, the deployable antenna including one or more flexible membranes coupled to the at least one axial support structure and extending from the z-axis in the deployed state.

Deployable antenna system

An example system for extraterrestrial deployment of a flexible membrane surface includes a flexible membrane having a periphery and an interior. The flexible membrane is rolled about a roll axis into a cylindrical geometric shape in an undeployed state. A payload base has extendable radial booms, wherein the distal end of each extendable radial boom is attached to the periphery of the flexible membrane and the interior of the flexible membrane is free of attachment to the extendable radial booms. The payload base and the extendable radial booms are positioned to one side of the flexible membrane along the roll axis. The extendable radial booms are configured to extend orthogonally to the roll axis from the payload base to unroll the flexible membrane about the roll axis to form the flexible membrane surface in a deployed state, wherein the roll axis is substantially orthogonal to the flexible membrane surface.

Deployable system with flexible membrane

A deployable antenna structure is provided that, in one embodiment, implements an offset feed, cylindrical parabolic antenna. The antenna structure employs a semi-rigid panel that can transition from a stowed state characterized by the retention of substantial strain energy to a deployed state characterized by less strain energy than in the stowed state but more than if the panel were in a strain-free state and a portion of the panel having a shape that closely conforms to a cylindrical parabolic shape.

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Louisville, CO, United States of America

Lyn Eric Ruhl