Deployable Composite Structures

The intent of this technology development is to provide NASA with a means for enhancing the utility of inflatable habitats for future space exploration. The first direction that extended space exploration will take us is still undefined, but it is becoming more evident that expandable structures can greatly increase the crew living environment where ever we go. CTD will be ready and is advancing the technology TRL of secondary structures appropriate for expandable habitats for both surface and zero-g exploration. With the goals set by NASA to support the manned exploration of other planets, the development of innovative structure technologies that will advance expandable exploration space modules and surface based habitats is a necessity. The proposed deployable technology will make significant progress toward this end by providing a low-cost, mass-minimized deployable structure that can be used to maximize operational volume and structural performance of a crewed or material transfer pressure vessel.

The most immediate Non-NASA application for this technology is to work with companies developing low earth orbit commercial habitats and help advance their product lines. Full-scale demonstrations of working hardware that will greatly increase the utility of their type of habitat will be essential to attract commercial investment. This technology is protected by patent and by unique materials and engineering for extremely thin composites, making collaboration efforts the best possibility for product advancement. However, licensing of technology can also be considered to allow commercial entities to have a higher degree of design control. In addition, all forward progress with stiffer laminates, more complex geometries, integration techniques and deployment methodologies are applicable across all of CTD's rolled structure programs. CTD has taken rolled space solar arrays and modified them for quick-setup terrestrial arrays and man-portable bridges. More »