Astrium Gmbh

Dornier Gmbh

Airbus Ds Gmbh

Airbus Defence and Space Gmbh

Manfred Schmid

Reiner Barho

Peter Weimer

Harald Langenbach

Ulrich Trabandt

Dietmar Scheulen

A beam steering mirror device includes a mirror having an optical part with a reflecting or optical surface and a mirror body. The optical part is essentially thermally de-coupled from the body. A biaxial suspension of the mirror body has two rotation axes arranged essentially perpendicular with respect to each other and being located in a common plane. The suspension includes a set of four flexible pivots with a pair of pivots assigned to each rotation axis. The mirror is arranged with regard to the biaxial suspension such that its center of mass is approximately located in the intersection point of the two rotation axes. The device also includes motors for moving of the mirror body around the two rotation axes, sensors for determining the tilting angle of the mirror, and a housing for the mirror, the biaxial suspension, the motors and the sensors.

Beam steering mirror device

An apparatus for heat shielding and deceleration of a spacecraft comprises an unfoldable shield of individual panels made of a high temperature resistant fiber reinforced ceramic and pivotally mounted on the outer structure of the spacecraft. An unfolding ring slides axially along the body of the spacecraft. The panels are pivotally connected to the unfolding ring by compression struts acting as toggle levers. Tension springs pull the unfolding ring axially along the spacecraft body to toggle out the compression struts so as to outwardly pivotally deploy the panels. The unfoldable shield can be arranged on the forward end or the rear end of the spacecraft relative to its flight direction upon entry into the atmosphere.

Deployable heat shield and deceleration structure for spacecraft

A deployable antenna reflector comprising a central dish and a plurality of deployable sheet-like panels arranged around the central dish. The reflector further comprises a central supporting body, whereon the central dish is fixedly mounted and whereto the deployable sheet-like panels are hinged. The rotation axes of the individual deployable sheet-like panels are tilted with respect to the center point of the central dish. In the stowed configuration of the reflector, the deployable sheet-like panels are at least partially deflected in order to minimize the envelope of the reflector and that the panels relax upon deployment.

Deployable antenna reflector

A device is provided for the accurate positioning of an antenna of a satellite in space, in which the antenna is fastened to a plate mounted on gimbals, with the plate capable of being swiveled around two axles supported in bearings and extending vertically to one another. A rotary drive is provided for each axle, said rotary drive consisting of an arm of a lever, said arm being connected to the axle, and a linear drive that freely affects the arm.

Growing community of inventors

Immenstaad, Germany

Manfred Schmid