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Completed TRL 4 (started at 2, targeting 4)
The goal of this proposed research is to develop novel origami based deployable composites for load bearing space structures such as building pillars for surface habitat. The new materials would be shape reconfigurable for economic packaging by origami, and would deploy and self-rigidize so they don't need supplementary inflating gas. They will provide structural integrity to the current inflatable space habitat.
The novel origami based deployable and rigidizable composites can benefit to the Artemis mission by providing strong building pillars for a lunar habitat that keep astronauts healthy and productive during an exploration mission on the surface. This composite can be used for other surface infrastructures like landing pad, solar array and payload transfer systems for Moon/Mars surface explorations. The proposed research supports several Langley STIP topics. The novel origami-based micrometeoroid and radiation shielding composite addresses, “4. Safe Human Travel Beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO)” with the structure components for deployable space habitat. In addition, this project provides an autonomous assembly for “6. On-orbit serving, assembly, and manufacturing (OSAM)”. The shape reconfigurable and rigidizable, anti-penetrator and radiation shielding composite also benefit to intelligent airframe and subsystems for civil and military aerospace applications.
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