The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 30, 2006
Filed:
Jan. 27, 2005
James W. Wehner, Torrance, CA (US);
Christian M. Harris, Manhattan Beach, CA (US);
Michael K. O'rell, Manhattan Beach, CA (US);
James W. Wehner, Torrance, CA (US);
Christian M. Harris, Manhattan Beach, CA (US);
Michael K. O'Rell, Manhattan Beach, CA (US);
Northrop Grumman Corporation, Los Angeles, CA (US);
Abstract
Controlling the solar torque imposed on a spacecraft () in flight by providing a film () with variable absorptive, reflective, emissive and/or transmissive properties on the sun side of a thermal shield () of the spacecraft (). As the orientation of the thermal shield () changes relative to the sun line, the absorptive, reflective, emissive and/or transmissive properties of the shield () change to cause the shield's () center of solar pressure to change, thus aligning it with the spacecraft () center of mass () as viewed from the direction of the sun line. In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the spacecraft () is provided with a plurality of control vanes (110–116) that have a variable absorptive, transmissive, reflective and emissive property to maintain the spacecraft () stably pointed towards the sun.