Work

Design and dynamics of space- station-based one-degree-of-freedom repeatedly deployable exposure platform

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: For cosmic-dust experiments on the space station, this paper proposes a one-degree-of-freedom repeatedly deployable exposure platform supporting multiple panels. A 4-panel module forms the basic unit and, through a modular library, scales to any panel count with a folding ratio of 14.09 : (1) a uniform acceleration-deceleration driving strategy at the control end or motor is proposed. Kinematic models define the motion space for arbitrary panel numbers. Lagrange dynamics models predict torque demand versus panel number and deployment period. For the 4-panel case, the two strategies need 0.0777 N m and 0.0972 N m at 40 s; with a 1 N m target the minimum periods shorten to 14.05 s and 12.63 s. A 4-panel prototype verified smooth, synchronized deploy-retract. Positioning tests showed absolute accuracies better than 5.42 ± 0.60 mm and repeatability finer than 46 ± 2 μm on all axes, providing a validated basis for future space exposure platforms.

Source: iScience

DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.113390