Activation of Self-folding Origami in Microgravity Environment (AoSOME)

The goal of this project is to understand the self-folding dynamics of shape memory polymer (SMP) sheets in microgravity. Shape memory polymers can be used as lightweight mechanical actuators to deploy solar arrays or open/close antennas. They offer significant weight savings over motors and are not likely to be affected by lunar dust. As these actuators are driven by the release of stored energy, understanding the building blocks of self-folding science will inform the design and development of SMP deployment mechanisms.

Problem Statement 
Lightweight mechanisms are obtained by pre-straining the polymer so that it shrinks when heated above the glass transition temperature. Specific actuation/folding patterns may be obtained by controlling local energy absorption properties of the material, e.g. via coating. Local heating due to infrared (IR) light absorption by ink patterns produces a gradient of temperature and shrinking through the thickness of the sheet, which induces self-folding. This approach has been demonstrated in ground-based experiments, and the effects of parameters such as ink pattern geometry, darkness, and light intensity have been investigated. The effects of space environments, e.g. radiation and vacuum, on polymers have been evaluated through combinations of ground and on-orbit based testing. However, microgravity effects on self-folding can only be approximated in ground-based experiments for the simplest of fold patterns. 

Technology Maturation
These flight tests will investigate self-folding of single fold and intersecting fold (e.g. Miura-Ori) patterns in a microgravity environment and compare the results to ground-based experiments as a step toward resolving unknown self-folding SMP behaviors. Characterization of self-folding in microgravity is necessary to advance the TRL for future applications in deployable structures.

Summary of Flight Test
2025-04-29 This was the second microgravity flight for this experimental system. In this campaign, the team was able to test the modifications made to the system since the first campaign. The modifications improved the performance of the system, and researchers were able to fold five additional samples in microgravity (and one in hypergravity). During the flight, the team collected important lessons to modify and revise the experimental apparatus, especially related to how to operate the system in microgravity. The team demonstrated that the computer system responded accurately to the inputs given, which provided confidence in the computer control system for turning the sample carousels, initiating the experiment with IR light, and digitally recording the experiment.

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