Byu Solar Panel Origami

Space may be huge but astronauts are running out of room in the rockets that carry them there.

Byu solar panel origami. For more information on the design of the solar panel see these publications. Byu engineers have teamed up with a world renowned origami expert to solve one of space exploration s greatest and most ironic problems. Trease researchers from brigham young university and origami expert robert lang have created working prototypes of the origami solar panels. Byu designed solar arrays inspired by origami nsf helps launch origami into space science nation antenna application of compliant pointing mechanism.

Amanda kae fronk ba 09. Applying origami principles on rigid silicon solar panels a material considerably thicker than the paper used for the traditional japanese art the byu conceived solar array would unfold to. 2 million was awarded to byu s compliant mechanisms research group of which zirbel is a part by the national science foundation and the u s. Student in mechanical engineering at brigham young university provo utah unfolds a solar panel array that was designed using the principles of origami.

Accommodating thickness in origami based deployable arrays journal of mechanical design 135 11 2013. 156 panels cover zirbel s solar array to which solar cells are affixed. Working with nasa s jet propulsion laboratory a team of mechanical engineering students and faculty have designed a solar array that can be tightly compacted for launch and then deployed in space to generate power for space stations or satellites. Zirbel shannon a et al.

Shannon zirbel a ph d. Lang robert j spencer magleby and larry howell. A group of byu engineers has teamed up with physicist and world renowned origami expert robert lang to produce solar arrays or solar panels for nasa that can be compacted for launch using careful folding techniques. Air force to research engineering applications of origami.