Inflatable Solar Concentrator Using Formed-Gore Technology

Inflatable membrane concentrators for space solar power currently have two large weight penalties. The extra inflatant needed to make up for gas leaked through construction defects or meteoroid holes can dominate system weight for long missions. Also the inefficiency of the canopy over the reflector can be great, requiring doubling the reflector¿s size to compensate. We plan to make the inflatable membrane concentrators for space solar power viable by reducing these two largest weight penalties. We can greatly reduce the first penalty by lowering inflation pressure to a minimum by constructing the reflector from formed gores, requiring essentially zero strain to obtain the desired shape. We will learn in laboratory testing how to seam such formed gores to retain surface accuracy. Thus we allow large hybrid reflectors of combined, formed gores to be made. The second penalty can be reduced by selecting proper canopy configurations to minimize oblique incidence of solar energy and by applying anti-reflection coatings. We will perform a system configuration study and laboratory tests to learn how to do this. Thus we will make viable the replacement of hard reflectors with inexpensive, light-weight, and easily deployed inflatable membranes.