Study shows that 0.75-mil Al-Mylar laminate can be stored in canister of only three to five times its volume and inflated by h-p gas to serve as shadow shield to reduce propellant boiloff due to incident thermal radiation; in interplanetary space, low temperature on its shadowed side will permit cold-stiffening, e.g., of vinyl-base lacquer, to provide structural stiffness; shield effectiveness is determined by mass penalty comparison between thermal protection systems with and without inflatable shield; for lunar mission, shield gives no advantage if superinsulation is used in both cases, but it gives significant advantage when conventional insulation is used.
Lightweight inflatable shadow shields for cryogenic space vehicles
J Spacecraft Rockets
Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets ; 3 , n 5
1966
7 pages
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Englisch
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