Composite Materials and Deployable Boom Technology

Space missions planned for Shuttle launches in the next decade require deployable booms that are stronger, stiffer, and longer than those that have been flown in the past. Recent develoments in deployable lattice boom technology include improved designs of the Astromast* using S-glass/epoxy rods as linear elements and a new folding boom called 5TACBEAM (Stacking Triangular Articulated Compact Beam) which employs graphite/epoxy rods or tubes. The design features of this new sequentially deployable truss result in improved performance and reliability compared with earlier booms.