Review of Inflatable Booms for Deployable Space Structures: Packing and Rigidization

Inflatable space structures offer the promise of efficient packaging during launch, with subsequent deployment into large-scale lightweight structures. Two of the key challenges in the design of space inflatables are the selection of a suitable packing scheme and rigidization method. Cylindrical booms are an important category of inflatable space structures because they form the basic elements in truss structures and are used as support structure for solar sails and solar arrays. The classic z-folded booms suffer from unpredictable deployment, and coiled/wrapped booms complicate the possibility of interconnected booms. Alternatives are provided by the use of origami folding patterns and telescopic conical booms. An important concept in applying origami to engineering is the notion of 'rigid' origami. This assumes that the material does not bend or stretch between the fold lines and can be modeled effectively as rigid panels connected by frictionless hinges.