Abstract: A power combining arrangement includes an input divider waveguide and an output combiner waveguide, and a first and second amplifier. The power combining arrangement is configured to amplify RF energy having a characteristic wavelength ?. The first amplifier has a first input electrically coupled with a first output port of the divider waveguide. The second amplifier has a second input electrically coupled with a second output port of the divider waveguide. The first and second output ports are separated by a first distance corresponding to a phase delay Ø1, the first distance being selected substantially independently of the characteristic wavelength. The first amplifier has a first output electrically coupled with a first input port of the combiner waveguide and the second amplifier has a second output electrically coupled with a second input port of the combiner waveguide. The first and second input ports are separated by the first distance.

Abstract: A photovoltaic solar cell assembly includes a bypass diode, a first and a second planar solar cell. Each of the first and the second solar cell includes a front facing side and a rear facing side, each rear facing side including a respective conductive surface, each front facing side including a respective current collector bar, and corresponding grid of metallic lines conductively coupled with the current collector bar. A first terminal of the bypass diode is electrically coupled with the conductive surface of the first solar cell. A second terminal of the bypass diode is electrically coupled with the current collector bar of the second solar cell. Electrical coupling of the bypass diode with the first solar cell and the second solar cell excludes any external wiring or busbar.

Abstract: A modular, lightweight, high-survivable, photovoltaic flexible blanket assembly for a space solar array is disclosed. The modular blanket is an accordion foldable or rollable flexible photovoltaic solar panel blanket assembly comprising a plurality of common photovoltaic modules spaced in an orthogonal pattern. Each module is mechanically attached with multiple low profile fasteners on their backside to an open weave mesh tensioned backplane structure. The backplane forms a tensioned dimensionally stable planar surface in the deployed configuration onto which the modules are suspended. Each module is common and comprised of a rectangular substrate that includes solar cell assemblies, circuitry, exposed electrical contacts for integration of blanket-level harnessing, and frontside and rearside shielding and coatings as required for the mission application.

Abstract: A spacecraft includes a payload subsystem including a digital channelizer. The digital channelizer provides at least a portion of spacecraft command or telemetry functionality. The spacecraft may optionally also include a telemetry and command (T&C) subsystem, the T&C subsystem including one or more of a command receiver, a command decoder, a telemetry encoder and a telemetry transmitter. The digital channelizer may be communicatively coupled with at least one of the command receiver, the command decoder, the telemetry transmitter and the telemetry encoder.

Abstract: A directionally-controlled roll-out elastically deployable solar array structure is disclosed. The structure includes one or more longitudinal elastic roll out booms that may be closed section or open section to allow for efficient rolled packaging onto a lateral mandrel. A flexible photovoltaic blanket is attached to a tip structure and to a lateral base support structure, but remains uncoupled from the longitudinal booms. The solar array system may be stowed simultaneously into a rolled package comprised of the roll out booms and the flexible planar blanket together, or onto independent rolls. Alternatively, the system may be stowed by rolling the booms, and accordion Z-folding the hinged flexible photovoltaic blanket into a flat stack. Structural deployment is motivated by the elastic strain energy of the roll out booms, and several methods of deployment direction control are provided to ensure a known, controlled, and unidirectional deployment path of the elastically unrolling booms.

Abstract: Techniques for testing a component for compatibility with a depressurization profile associated with a launch vehicle payload fairing during ascent are disclosed. A pressure of air or other gas within a pressure vessel containing the component is raised to a first value substantially higher than one atmosphere absolute pressure. The air/gas pressure within the pressure vessel is lowered, by venting into the ambient atmosphere, at a rate simulating or demonstrating margin with respect to the launch vehicle payload fairing depressurization profile. The component is inspected for damage. The component may be a panel including a honeycomb core sandwiched between two faceskins, the panel having a planar area in excess of twenty five square feet.

Abstract: This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for determining beamforming coefficients that correct for pointing errors. In one aspect, a subsystem of a ground station can receive calibration signals from a satellite. The properties of the calibration signals can be measured and used to determine the pointing error of the satellite. Beamforming coefficients based on the pointing error can be provided by the ground station to the satellite.

Abstract: A system for detecting sensor failure and/or operating with a failed sensor in an electrical machine includes an electrical machine, three or more sensors configured to connect to the electrical machine, and a sensor module operatively connected to each sensor to receive sensor signals from the sensors. The sensor module includes a failure detection module operatively connected to each sensor and configured to determine if each sensor is a failed sensor or a functioning sensor. The sensor module also includes a virtual sensor module operatively connected to the failure detection module and configured to output simulated sensor signals for the failed sensor, wherein the sensor module is configured to output the sensor signals for each functioning sensor. The system includes a control module operatively connected to the sensor module and the electrical machine to receive sensor signals and simulated sensor signals to control operation of the electrical machine.

Abstract: A waste handling assembly includes a hose with an inlet for accepting waste. A plurality of pretreatment tablets are located within the hose and are removeably attached to the hose.

Abstract: A deployable root stiffness mechanism and method increases the bending and torsional stiffness and strength of a tubular slit boom while allowing the slit boom to be flattened and rolled to a compact stowage volume. The slit booms may be flattened and rolled into a compact cylindrical stowage volume and once released, elastically and immediately deploy from the rolled stowed configuration to the final structural tube shape. An embodiment of the disclosed apparatus comprises a base member which is engaging contact with a bottom surface of the tubular slit boom and a reaction member which translates along the base member as the tubular slit boom transitions between the storage configuration to the deployed configuration and between the deployed configuration to the storage configuration. The reaction member provides an opposing reactive force to a load conveyed through the thin-wall construction of the boom.

Abstract: Techniques for deorbiting a satellite include executing an orbit transfer maneuver that transfers the satellite from an operational orbit to an interim orbit. The operational orbit is substantially geosynchronous and has (i) an inclination of greater than 70 degrees; (ii) a nominal eccentricity in the range of 0.25 to 0.5; (iii) an argument of perigee of approximately 90 or approximately 270 degrees; (iv) a right ascension of ascending node of approximately 0; and (v) an operational orbit apogee altitude. The interim orbit has an initial second apogee altitude that is at least 4500 km higher than the first apogee altitude, and the interim orbit naturally decays, subsequent to the orbit transfer maneuver, such that the satellite will reenter Earth's atmosphere no longer than 25 years after completion of the orbit transfer maneuver.

Abstract: Latching or locking deployment hinges are provided that include a latch mechanism, a spring-loaded tensioning device, and a trigger mechanism. The trigger mechanism and the spring-loaded tensioning device are configured to transfer the compressed spring load in the spring-loaded tensioning device to the latch mechanism once the hinge has closed sufficiently far enough to latch together, thus inducing a pre-load through the latch mechanism that eliminates gapping in the hinge interface. The hinges may be sprung or actuated using a powered drive mechanism.

Abstract: Techniques for placing a satellite into a highly inclined elliptical operational orbit (HIEO) having an argument of perigee of 90° or 270° include executing an orbit transfer strategy that transfers the satellite from a launch vehicle deployment orbit to the operational orbit. The launch vehicle deployment orbit is selected to have an argument of perigee of approximately 90° greater than the argument of perigee of the operational orbit, and to be substantially lower than the operational orbit. The orbit transfer strategy includes (i) an apsidal rotation of approximately 90°, at least a substantial part of the apsidal rotation being attained without expenditure of any satellite propellant; and (ii) an electric orbit raising maneuver to attain an apogee altitude and a perigee altitude required by the HIEO.

Abstract: An array of antenna feed elements includes a plurality of horns, each horn having an aperture and configured for transmission of electromagnetic energy therethrough. At least a first horn is configured with an electrically conductive external surface proximate to the aperture, the external surface contoured so as to reduce mutual coupling between the first horn and an adjacent horn. Where the electromagnetic energy is within a radio frequency (RF) band, the external surface is contoured so as to provide an abrupt change in a gap dimension between the first horn and an adjacent horn, the change occurring at a distance behind the aperture of equal to a multiple of one half the characteristic wavelength of the RF band.

Abstract: A mode filter provides a low-loss transmission path for RF signals propagating in a first mode, while substantially suppressing at least one second mode. The mode filter includes a proximal port and a distal port, having a respective characteristic cross sectional dimension Dp1 and Dp2, and an electrically conductive hollow tube having a longitudinal axis that extends a length L between a distal end of the proximal port and a proximal end of the distal port. A cross section transverse to the longitudinal axis is non-uniform along length L and has a minimum internal characteristic dimension Dmin at least at a first longitudinal position and a maximum internal characteristic dimension Dmax at least at a second longitudinal position. The mode filter is configured to suppress the at least one second mode by at least 5 dB, and Dmax is less than 2.5 times the greater of Dp1 and Dp2.

Abstract: Techniques for testing whether a bond strength between a faceskin of a panel and a core of the panel exceeds a threshold value are disclosed. The testing includes: adhering a first surface of a sacrificial layer to a pull stub of a flatwise tensile (FWT) test apparatus by way of a first adhesive interface; adhering the second surface of the sacrificial layer to the panel faceskin by way of a second adhesive interface; operating the FWT test apparatus so as to gradually increase a FWT load on the faceskin; terminating the test upon the first to occur of separation of any one or more of the first adhesive interface, the second adhesive interface, the sacrificial layer and separation of the faceskin from the core; and determining that the bond strength exceeds the threshold value when separation of the faceskin from the core is not the first to occur.

Abstract: A system includes a first control system configured to operate at a first clock speed, a second control system configured to provide an output to the first control system and configured to operate at a second clock speed different from the first clock speed, and a synchronization module operatively connecting the first control module to the second control module and configured to synchronize the first control system and the second control system such that the output of the second control system is timed to synchronize with the first clock speed.

Abstract: A method for controlling an electric motor includes inputting a quadrature-axis current (Iq) and a direct-axis current (Id) into an electric motor, receiving speed feedback indicative of the speed of the electric motor, determining whether the speed of the electric motor increases given the input Iq, and controlling the Id to increase the speed of the electric motor by selectively weakening the electromagnetic field if the speed of the electric motor does not increase given the input Iq.

Abstract: A rollable and accordion foldable refractive lens concentrator flexible solar array blanket structure assembly for a spacecraft/satellite application consisting of at least one or more rows of electrically interconnected solar cells and at least one or more rows of deployable elongated refractive lenses elevated and aligned from the top surface of the solar cells. The entire blanket assembly, inclusive of lenses and solar cell substrates, kinematically deploys by unrolling or unfolding the assembly for its stowed package configuration, and the final tensioning of the blanket assembly produces an aligned assembly where the solar cell substrate subassembly and the lens subassembly are coplanar. Deployment of the integrated blanket assembly (with refractive lenses) is directly coupled through the unrolling or the accordion unfolding deployment kinematics of the concentrator blanket assembly.

Abstract: An automated system provides automated manufacturing of photovoltaic standard power modules for utilization in a space solar array, in both rolled blanket and z-folded configurations. The automated system provides robotically controlled systems for CIC-ing, glassing, stringing, laydown and acceptance testing of interconnected photovoltaic devices. A method of manufacturing the photovoltaic standard power modules includes the steps of robotic positioning of diodes, interconnects and busbars onto a SPM stringing tray followed by the robotic positioning of bare cells into position adjacent to the diodes, interconnects and busbars to form strings. The SPM stringing tray is thereafter robotically positioned adjacent to an integral welder for welding of the front side of the string. Cover glass is thereafter robotically placed over the cells. The string is flipped and the backside of the string is robotically positioned for welding.