Distributed, Low Impact, Solid State Actuated, Curvature Stiffened Thin Film Louvers Upgrade to Harden Solar Arrays

This proposal is targeted at providing innovative near term transitionable methods of hardening solar arrays from hostile beamed energy threats through the use of curvature stiffened, space heritage thin film based, solid state actuatable shutters to control reflectivity in a time dependent manner. The concept builds on Mevicon Inc’s actuator design heritage and “Strength Through Curvature” concepts, and team partner ATK-SpaceSystems–Goleta expertise in deployable solar array panel hardware (the patented flight-tested CellSaver concept in particular). When not in use reflecting/blocking light, the louver can function in standard CellSaver concentrator mode thereby delivering significant cost savings for the same power level inherent in the CellSaver approach. In the Phase I we will refine system level analysis to derive threat assessment driven requirements to impose on the combined CellSaver/louver design, perform detailed component architecture, material, and actuator studies, perform critical path experimental tests to validate behavior and close with a detailed point design. This prepares the way for a PII focused on protoflight hardware development and the subsequent PII/PIII transition to flight demonstration opportunities. The potential likelihood of this transition occurring is indicated by the interest and teaming of a leading deployable solar array system integrator, ATK, in this PI effort.