초록 ▼

An apparatus for heat shielding and deceleration of a spacecraft comprises an unfoldable shield of individual panels made of a high temperature resistant fiber reinforced ceramic and pivotally mounted on the outer structure of the spacecraft. An unfolding ring slides axially along the body of the sp

An apparatus for heat shielding and deceleration of a spacecraft comprises an unfoldable shield of individual panels made of a high temperature resistant fiber reinforced ceramic and pivotally mounted on the outer structure of the spacecraft. An unfolding ring slides axially along the body of the spacecraft. The panels are pivotally connected to the unfolding ring by compression struts acting as toggle levers. Tension springs pull the unfolding ring axially along the spacecraft body to toggle out the compression struts so as to outwardly pivotally deploy the panels. The unfoldable shield can be arranged on the forward end or the rear end of the spacecraft relative to its flight direction upon entry into the atmosphere.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. In a spacecraft having a spacecraft body and a shield arrangement mounted on said spacecraft body, wherein said shield arrangement is selectively deployable to a deployed configuration and selectively retractable to a retracted configuration, and wherein said shield arrangeme

What is claimed is: 1. In a spacecraft having a spacecraft body and a shield arrangement mounted on said spacecraft body, wherein said shield arrangement is selectively deployable to a deployed configuration and selectively retractable to a retracted configuration, and wherein said shield arrangement provides heat protection and deceleration of said spacecraft body with said shield arrangement deployed in said deployed configuration when said spacecraft enters from space into an atmosphere, an improvement wherein: said shield arrangement comprises a plurality of individual panels made of a high temperature resistant fiber reinforced ceramic material, said individual panels are movably connected to and extendable relative to said spacecraft body to be deployable to said deployed configuration, said individual panels overlap one another along longitudinal edge portions of said panels to form a deployed shield in said deployed configuration, said individual panels are not connected directly to one another, said shield arrangement further comprises a panel actuating ring that extends around and is movably connected to said spacecraft body so as to be movable along said spacecraft body parallel to an axis of said spacecraft body, and a plurality of compression struts that each respectively have first and second articulated bearing joints respectively on opposite first and second ends thereof, and said first articulated bearing joints of said compression struts are respectively connected to said individual panels and said second articulated bearing joints of said compression struts are connected to said panel actuating ring, so that a displacement of said panel actuating ring along and parallel to said axis of said spacecraft body is adapted to deploy said panels from said retracted configuration to said deployed configuration. 2. The improvement in the spacecraft according to claim 1, wherein each respective one of said panels respectively overlaps exactly two other ones of said panels that are adjacently neighboring said respective one of said panels along said longitudinal edge portions. 3. The improvement in the spacecraft according to claim 1, wherein said shield arrangement further comprises a plurality of pivot hinges that respectively pivotably connect respective inboard ends of said panels to said spacecraft body, and wherein a respective pivot axis of each one of said pivot hinges is angularly tilted by a twist angle of more than 0° and less than or equal to 20° relative to a tangent of a circumferential circle around said axis of spacecraft body. 4. The improvement in the spacecraft according to claim 1, wherein said fiber reinforced ceramic material of said panels is a carbon fiber reinforced ceramic material. 5. The improvement in the spacecraft according to claim 1, wherein said fiber reinforced ceramic material of said panels is able, without ablating and without burning-up, to withstand temperatures arising when said spacecraft enters from space into an atmosphere. 6. The improvement in the spacecraft according to claim 1, wherein said shield arrangement further comprises slide rods mounted on, and extending longitudinally parallel to said axis of, said spacecraft body, wherein said panel actuating ring is mounted slidably on said slide rods to movably connect said panel actuating ring to said spacecraft body. 7. The improvement in the spacecraft according to claim 1, wherein said shield arrangement further comprises a plurality of tension springs connected under tension between said spacecraft body and said panel actuating ring to urge said panel actuating ring in a direction parallel to said axis toward a position of said panel actuating ring in said deployed configuration. 8. The improvement in the spacecraft according to claim 1, wherein said compression struts including said articulated bearing joints, and said panel actuating ring are made of a high strength and high temperature resistant metal or a fiber reinforced ceramic. 9. The improvement in the spacecraft according to claim 1, wherein said panel actuating ring is lockable in a position thereof in said deployed configuration by an over-center travel of said panel actuating ring parallel to said axis whereby an angle of said compression struts relative to said axis crosses 90°. 10. The improvement in the spacecraft according to claim 1, wherein said shield arrangement further comprises at least one locking spring arrangement that lockingly engages and holds said panel actuating ring in said deployed configuration. 11. The improvement in the spacecraft according to claim 1, wherein said shield arrangement is arranged on a forward end portion of said spacecraft body that faces forwardly in a flight direction of said spacecraft in the atmosphere. 12. The improvement in the spacecraft according to claim 1, wherein said shield arrangement is arranged on a rear end portion of said spacecraft body that faces rearwardly opposite a flight direction of said spacecraft in the atmosphere. 13. The improvement in the spacecraft according to claim 1, wherein said shield arrangement is asymmetrical. 14. The improvement in the spacecraft according to claim 1, wherein said panels are movably connected and arranged relative to said spacecraft body so that retracting said panels to said retracted configuration involves increasing a degree of overlap of said panels relative to one another on said longitudinal edge portions thereof. 15. The improvement in the spacecraft according to claim 14, wherein said panels are movably connected and arranged relative to said spacecraft body so that retracting said panels to said retracted configuration involves pivoting outboard ends of said panels from said deployed configuration inwardly toward said axis of said spacecraft body so as to reduce an angle between said axis and each respective one of said panels and also involve partially rotating said outboard ends of said panels around said axis of said spacecraft body to reach said retracted configuration. 16. The improvement in the spacecraft according to claim 1, wherein said shield arrangement further comprises a plurality of pivot hinges that respectively pivotably connect respective inboard ends of said panels to said spacecraft body, and a plurality of torsion leg springs arranged on said pivot hinges to pivotally urge said panels toward positions thereof in said deployed configuration. 17. The improvement in the spacecraft according to claim 16, wherein said pivot bearing hinges are made of high temperature resistant metal, PM 1000 metal material, or a fiber reinforced ceramic. 18. In a spacecraft having a spacecraft body and a shield arrangement mounted on said spacecraft body, wherein said shield arrangement is selectively deployable to a deployed configuration and selectively retractable to a retracted configuration, and wherein said shield arrangement provides heat protection and deceleration of said spacecraft body with said shield arrangement deployed in said deployed configuration when said spacecraft enters from space into an atmosphere, an improvement wherein: said shield arrangement comprises a plurality of individual panels that are made of a high temperature resistant material and that together form a shield, said panels are movably connected to and extendable relative to said spacecraft body to be deployable to said deployed configuration, said panels slidably variably overlap one another along longitudinal edge portions of said panels, said individual panels are not connected directly to one another, said shield arrangement further comprises a plurality of pivot hinges that respectively pivotably connect respective inboard ends of said panels to said spacecraft body, and wherein a respective pivot axis of each one of said pivot hinges is angularly tilted by a twist angle of more than 0° and up to 20° relative to a tangent of a circumferential circle around said axis, said panels are movably connected to said spacecraft body by said pivot hinges and are movably arranged relative to one another and relative to said spacecraft body so that retracting said panels involves pivoting outboard ends of said panels from said deployed configuration angularly inwardly toward an axis of said spacecraft body so as to reduce an angle between said axis and each respective one of said panels and also involves partially rotating said outboard ends in a circumferential direction around said axis, and said panels are movably connected to said spacecraft body by said pivot hinges and are movably arranged relative to one another and relative to said spacecraft body so that retracting said panels also involves sliding said panels relative to one another to slidingly increase a degree of said overlap of said panels relative to one another on said longitudinal edge portions, and so that deploying said panels involves sliding said panels relative to one another to slidingly decrease said degree of said overlap of said panels relative to one another on said longitudinal edge portions. 19. The improvement in the spacecraft according to claim 18, wherein all of said panels making up said shield have a same size, same shape, and same arrangement as one another. 20. The improvement in the spacecraft according to claim 18, wherein each one of said panels includes a first one and a second one of said longitudinal edge portions respectively along opposite longitudinal edges thereof, and wherein said first one of said longitudinal edge portions of each respective one of said panels overlaps over said second one of said longitudinal edge potions of a neighboring one of said panels adjacent to said respective one of said panels, and said second one of said longitudinal edge portions of each said respective one of said panels overlaps under said first one of said longitudinal edge portions of another neighboring one of said panels adjacent to said respective one of said panels. 21. The improvement in the spacecraft according to claim 18, wherein all of said panels in said retracted configuration extend longitudinally parallel to and circumferentially around said axis. 22. The improvement in the spacecraft according to claim 18, wherein said high temperature resistant material of said panels is a fiber reinforced ceramic. 23. The improvement in the spacecraft according to claim 18, wherein said shield arrangement further comprises a panel actuating ring that extends around and is movably connected to said spacecraft body so as to be movable along said spacecraft body parallel to said axis of said spacecraft body, and a plurality of compression struts that each respectively have first and second articulated bearing joints respectively on opposite first and second ends thereof, said first articulated bearing joints of said compression struts are respectively connected to said individual panels and said second articulated bearing joints of said compression struts are connected to said panel actuating ring, so that a displacement of said panel actuating ring along and parallel to said axis of said spacecraft body is adapted to deploy said panels from said retracted configuration to said deployed configuration, said shield arrangement further comprises a plurality of tension springs connected under tension between said spacecraft body and said panel actuating ring to urge said panel actuating ring in a direction parallel to said axis toward a position of said panel actuating ring in said deployed configuration, and said shield arrangement further comprises a plurality of torsion springs arranged on said pivot hinges to pivotably urge said panels toward positions thereof in said deployed configuration.