Ultra-Compact Lightweight Elastic Deployable Roll-Out Boom

DSS"s innovative elastic deployable Roll-Out Boom will provide revolutionary performance when compared to conventional state-of-the-art technologies, and will significantly enhance operations and capability for future MDA and DoD missions, including PTSS and STSS. The proposed technology is strong, stiff, lightweight, thin, compactly-stowed, scalable, affordable, and can be fabricated from ultra-lightweight composite or metallic materials, and in a broad range of cross-sections. The technology can be made magnetic, non-magnetic, conductive, or non-conductive, and can seamlessly integrate harnessing. The technology can be used as a self-deploying antenna, deployment and support for calibration sensors, electric field antenna, linear actuator, grapple arm, gravity gradient boom, camera support, inspection aid, or as an actuator/structure for deploying payloads, antennas, solar arrays, instrument benches, solar sails, and sunshades. The Roll-Out Boom technology employs an innovative deployment synchronization system to provide controlled, reliable and repeatable deployments in a known kinematic path. The technology provides exceptional structural performance in a small lightweight package, and is a direct replacement to current state-of-the-art systems. Boom sizes envisioned can be from 0.5-inch to 12-inches in diameter (or greater), with lengths from 0.25m to 50m long (or longer).