{"id":556477,"date":"2023-10-26T12:37:50","date_gmt":"2023-10-26T16:37:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?p=556477"},"modified":"2023-11-03T08:57:18","modified_gmt":"2023-11-03T12:57:18","slug":"nasa-tech-breathes-life-into-potentially-game-changing-antenna-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/directorates\/stmd\/nasa-tech-breathes-life-into-potentially-game-changing-antenna-design\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA Tech Breathes Life Into Potentially Game-Changing Antenna Design"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"padding-top-5 padding-bottom-3 width-full maxw-full hds-module hds-module-full wp-block-nasa-blocks-article-intro\"><div class=\"width-full maxw-full article-header\"><div class=\"margin-bottom-2 width-full maxw-full\"><p class=\"label carbon-60 margin-0 margin-bottom-3 padding-0\">4 min read<\/p><h1 class=\"display-48 margin-bottom-2\">NASA Tech Breathes Life Into Potentially Game-Changing Antenna Design<\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-wide\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-fit \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/freefall.jpg\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1536\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/freefall.jpg?w=2048\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"Freefall in space above the Earth.\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/freefall.jpg 4000w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/freefall.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/freefall.jpg?resize=768,576 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/freefall.jpg?resize=1024,768 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/freefall.jpg?resize=1536,1152 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/freefall.jpg?resize=2048,1536 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/freefall.jpg?resize=400,300 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/freefall.jpg?resize=600,450 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/freefall.jpg?resize=900,675 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/freefall.jpg?resize=1200,900 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/freefall.jpg?resize=2000,1500 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">FreeFall Tests Spherical Antennas at 159,000 feet on NASA\u2019s 60 million cubic foot stratospheric balloon.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">Credits: Dr. Christopher Walker, NIAC Fellow \/ FreeFall Aerospace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Some 30 years ago, a young engineer named Christopher Walker was home in the evening making chocolate pudding when he got what turned out to be a very serendipitous call from his mother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Taking the call, he shut off the stove and stretched plastic wrap over the pot to keep the pudding fresh. By the time he returned, the cooling air in the pot had drawn the wrap into a concave shape, and in that warped plastic, he saw something \u2013 the magnified reflection of an overhead lightbulb \u2013 that gave him an idea that could revolutionize space-based sensing and communications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That idea became the Large Balloon Reflector (LBR), an inflatable device that creates wide collection apertures that weigh a fraction of today\u2019s deployable antennas. Now, with an assist from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/stmd-the-nasa-innovative-advanced-concepts-niac\/\">NASA\u2019s Innovative Advanced Concepts<\/a> (NIAC) program, funded by the agency\u2019s Space Technology Mission Directorate, which supports visionary innovations from diverse sources, Walker\u2019s decades-old vision is coming to fruition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The concept turns part of the inside surface of an inflated sphere into a parabolic antenna. A section comprising about a third of the balloon\u2019s interior surface is aluminized, giving it reflective properties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With NIAC funding, and a grant from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Walker was able to develop and demonstrate technologies for a 33-foot-diameter (10 meters) LBR that was carried to the stratosphere by a giant balloon. For comparison, the aperture of NASA\u2019s massive <a href=\"https:\/\/webb.nasa.gov\/\" rel=\"noopener\">James Webb Space Telescope<\/a> is over 21 feet (6.5 meters) in diameter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere was no place other than NIAC within NASA to get this off the ground,\u201d says Walker, now a astronomy and optical engineering professor at the University of Arizona in Tucson. \u201cAt first, I was afraid to share the idea with colleagues because it sounded so crazy. You need a program within NASA that will actually look at the radical ideas, and NIAC is it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Parabolic dish antennas use their concave shape to capture and concentrate electromagnetic radiation. The larger the antenna\u2019s diameter, or aperture, the more effective it is for capturing light or radio waves and transmitting radio signals over great distances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In astronomy, there is a tremendous advantage to placing telescopes above the Earth\u2019s atmosphere, which tends to distort or degrade signals coming from space. The challenge is that traditional large reflector antennas are heavy, unwieldy, and difficult to stow, leading to launch constraints and risky in-space deployment schemes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The LBR design solves both problems. Made of a thin film structure, it inflates like a beachball, providing a stable parabolic-dish shape without the need for bulky and complex deployable hardware, and can fold into a tiny volume.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2018, Freefall Aerospace, a company co-founded by Walker to develop and market the technology, demonstrated the LBR\u2019s potential aboard NASA\u2019s stadium-sized stratospheric balloon, which carried a 3.28-foot scale model to an altitude of 159,000 feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"CatSat | Student-led CubeSat Project\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Z4OQG4ABJ_k?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Next up for the technology is a high-speed communications demonstration in low Earth orbit aboard a 6-unit CubeSat, about the size of a shoebox, called CatSat. It was selected for flight in 2019 as part of NASA\u2019s CubeSat Launch Initiative. It is a joint effort involving NASA, Freefall Aerospace, the University of Arizona, and Rincon Research Corporation in Tucson, Arizona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After reaching low-Earth orbit, CatSat\u2019s inflatable antenna deployment system will deploy from its container, inflate to a diameter of about one-and-a-half feet, and begin transmitting back high-definition Earth photos. The mission is slated for launch with several other CubeSats on Firefly Aerospace\u2019s Alpha rocket as part of the Educational Launch of Nanosatellites (ELaNa) 43 mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A more ambitious lunar mission concept is also being explored. NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, would use the inflatable antenna in tandem with a new instrument called Terahertz Spectrometer for In-Situ Resource Utilization, a miniature, high-power laser precisely calibrated to detect water, a critical exploration resource.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>“The technology demonstrated by CatSat opens the door to the possibility of future lunar, planetary and deep-space missions using CubeSats,” said Walker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It might be difficult to believe this all started because a young engineer\u2019s idea of dinner one evening was what most would consider dessert. Then again, one could say the proof was in the pudding.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-fit \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/brycetech-nasa-stmd-large-balloon-reflector-graphic-draft-v2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1152\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/brycetech-nasa-stmd-large-balloon-reflector-graphic-draft-v2.png?w=2048\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"Diagram of inflatable telescope concept by combining a suborbital balloon and ground-based telescope technologies.\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/brycetech-nasa-stmd-large-balloon-reflector-graphic-draft-v2.png 3999w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/brycetech-nasa-stmd-large-balloon-reflector-graphic-draft-v2.png?resize=300,169 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/brycetech-nasa-stmd-large-balloon-reflector-graphic-draft-v2.png?resize=768,432 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/brycetech-nasa-stmd-large-balloon-reflector-graphic-draft-v2.png?resize=1024,576 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/brycetech-nasa-stmd-large-balloon-reflector-graphic-draft-v2.png?resize=1536,864 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/brycetech-nasa-stmd-large-balloon-reflector-graphic-draft-v2.png?resize=2048,1152 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/brycetech-nasa-stmd-large-balloon-reflector-graphic-draft-v2.png?resize=400,225 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/brycetech-nasa-stmd-large-balloon-reflector-graphic-draft-v2.png?resize=600,338 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/brycetech-nasa-stmd-large-balloon-reflector-graphic-draft-v2.png?resize=900,506 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/brycetech-nasa-stmd-large-balloon-reflector-graphic-draft-v2.png?resize=1200,675 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/brycetech-nasa-stmd-large-balloon-reflector-graphic-draft-v2.png?resize=2000,1125 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">STMD invested in the development of LBR through the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">Credits: NASA\/BryceTech<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-social-media grid-container grid-container-block nasa-gb-align- width-full maxw-full margin-y-0 padding-y-5 padding-x-3 desktop:padding-x-0 font-weight-bold hds-module wp-block-nasa-blocks-social-media-links\">\t\t<div class=\"display-flex flex-align-center padding-y-1\" id=\"social-facebook\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"circle-4 minw-4 display-flex flex-align-center flex-justify-center\" style=\"background-color: #4267B2;\">\n\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-labelledby=\"facebookIconTitle\"><title id=\"facebookIconTitle\">Facebook logo<\/title><path d=\"M9 8h-3v4h3v12h5v-12h3.642l.358-4h-4v-1.667c0-.955.192-1.333 1.115-1.333h2.885v-5h-3.808c-3.596 0-5.192 1.583-5.192 4.615v3.385z\"\/><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-social-media-items padding-left-2\">\n\t\t\t\t<a target=\"_blank\" class=\"margin-right-2\" href=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/NASATechnology\" aria-label=\"Go to @NASATechnology on facebook\" 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twitter\">@NASA_Technology<\/a>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-topic-cards nasa-gb-align-full maxw-full width-full padding-y-6 padding-x-3 color-mode-dark hds-module hds-module-full wp-block-nasa-blocks-topic-cards\">\t\t<div class=\"grid-container grid-container-block-lg padding-x-0\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-row flex-align-center margin-bottom-3\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"desktop:grid-col-8 margin-bottom-2 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"label color-carbon-60 margin-bottom-2\">Keep Exploring<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"heading-36 line-height-sm\">Discover More Topics From NASA<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-row grid-gap-2 hds-topic-cards-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/space-technology-mission-directorate\/\" class=\"mobile:grid-col-12 tablet:grid-col-6 desktop:grid-col-3 topic-card margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-topic-card hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"skrim-overlay skrim-overlay-dark skrim-left mobile-skrim-top padding-3 display-flex flex-align-end flex-justify-start z-200\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"hds-topic-card-heading heading-29 color-spacesuit-white line-height-sm margin-top-0 margin-bottom-1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Space Technology Mission Directorate<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><circle class=\"color-nasa-red\" cx=\"16\" cy=\"16\" r=\"16\"><\/circle><path d=\"M8 16.956h12.604l-3.844 4.106 1.252 1.338L24 16l-5.988-6.4-1.252 1.338 3.844 4.106H8v1.912z\" class=\"color-spacesuit-white\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"525\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/stmd.jpg?w=525\" class=\"attachment-1536x1536 size-1536x1536\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/stmd.jpg 525w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/stmd.jpg?resize=197,300 197w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/stmd.jpg?resize=263,400 263w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/stmd.jpg?resize=394,600 394w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px\" \/><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/stmd-the-nasa-innovative-advanced-concepts-niac\/\" class=\"mobile:grid-col-12 tablet:grid-col-6 desktop:grid-col-3 topic-card margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-topic-card hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"skrim-overlay skrim-overlay-dark skrim-left mobile-skrim-top padding-3 display-flex flex-align-end flex-justify-start z-200\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"hds-topic-card-heading heading-29 color-spacesuit-white line-height-sm margin-top-0 margin-bottom-1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><circle class=\"color-nasa-red\" cx=\"16\" cy=\"16\" r=\"16\"><\/circle><path d=\"M8 16.956h12.604l-3.844 4.106 1.252 1.338L24 16l-5.988-6.4-1.252 1.338 3.844 4.106H8v1.912z\" class=\"color-spacesuit-white\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1041\" height=\"521\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/niac_magnetosphere.png?w=1041\" class=\"attachment-1536x1536 size-1536x1536\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/niac_magnetosphere.png 1041w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/niac_magnetosphere.png?resize=300,150 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/niac_magnetosphere.png?resize=768,384 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/niac_magnetosphere.png?resize=1024,512 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/niac_magnetosphere.png?resize=400,200 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/niac_magnetosphere.png?resize=600,300 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/niac_magnetosphere.png?resize=900,450 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1041px) 100vw, 1041px\" \/><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/goddard\/about\/\" class=\"mobile:grid-col-12 tablet:grid-col-6 desktop:grid-col-3 topic-card margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-topic-card hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"skrim-overlay skrim-overlay-dark skrim-left mobile-skrim-top padding-3 display-flex flex-align-end flex-justify-start z-200\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"hds-topic-card-heading heading-29 color-spacesuit-white line-height-sm margin-top-0 margin-bottom-1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>About Goddard<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><circle class=\"color-nasa-red\" cx=\"16\" cy=\"16\" r=\"16\"><\/circle><path d=\"M8 16.956h12.604l-3.844 4.106 1.252 1.338L24 16l-5.988-6.4-1.252 1.338 3.844 4.106H8v1.912z\" class=\"color-spacesuit-white\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"681\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/goddard-center.jpg?w=1024\" class=\"attachment-1536x1536 size-1536x1536\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/goddard-center.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/goddard-center.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/goddard-center.jpg?resize=768,511 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/goddard-center.jpg?resize=400,266 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/goddard-center.jpg?resize=600,399 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/goddard-center.jpg?resize=900,599 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/lunar-science\/programs\/small-sats-and-cube-sats\/\" class=\"mobile:grid-col-12 tablet:grid-col-6 desktop:grid-col-3 topic-card margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0\" rel=\"noopener\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-topic-card hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"skrim-overlay skrim-overlay-dark skrim-left mobile-skrim-top padding-3 display-flex flex-align-end flex-justify-start z-200\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"hds-topic-card-heading heading-29 color-spacesuit-white line-height-sm margin-top-0 margin-bottom-1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>SmallSats and CubeSats<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg viewBox=\"0 0 32 32\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><circle class=\"color-nasa-red\" cx=\"16\" cy=\"16\" r=\"16\"><\/circle><path d=\"M8 16.956h12.604l-3.844 4.106 1.252 1.338L24 16l-5.988-6.4-1.252 1.338 3.844 4.106H8v1.912z\" class=\"color-spacesuit-white\"><\/path><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"margin-bottom-0 margin-top-2 color-carbon-20-important\">These miniaturized spacecrafts are used to deliver small payloads into space. LTB (Lunar Trailblazer) is an example of a SmallSat...<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" src=\"https:\/\/smd-cms.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/NASA_logo.png\" ><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"nasa-gb-align-full width-full maxw-full padding-x-3 padding-y-0 article_a hds-module hds-module-full wp-block-nasa-blocks-credits-and-details\">\n<section class=\"padding-x-0 padding-top-5 padding-bottom-2 desktop:padding-top-7 desktop:padding-bottom-9\">\n\t<div class=\"grid-row grid-container maxw-widescreen padding-0\">\n\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-2 padding-right-4 margin-bottom-5 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-top-3 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LinkedIn.\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M4.98 3.5c0 1.381-1.11 2.5-2.48 2.5s-2.48-1.119-2.48-2.5c0-1.38 1.11-2.5 2.48-2.5s2.48 1.12 2.48 2.5zm.02 4.5h-5v16h5v-16zm7.982 0h-4.968v16h4.969v-8.399c0-4.67 6.029-5.052 6.029 0v8.399h4.988v-10.131c0-7.88-8.922-7.593-11.018-3.714v-2.155z\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"social-icon social-icon-rss\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"\/feed\/\" aria-label=\"Subscribe to RSS feed.\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 800 800\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M493 652H392c0-134-111-244-244-244V307c189 0 345 156 345 345zm71 0c0-228-188-416-416-416V132c285 0 520 235 520 520z\"\/><circle cx=\"219\" cy=\"581\" r=\"71\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-5 padding-right-4 margin-bottom-5 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-top-3 border-top-1px border-color-carbon-black\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"heading-14\">Details<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-row margin-bottom-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-4\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"subheading\">Last Updated<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-8\">Nov 03, 2023<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-row margin-bottom-3\"><div class=\"grid-col-4\"><div class=\"subheading\">Editor<\/div><\/div><div class=\"grid-col-8\">Loura Hall<\/div><\/div><div class=\"grid-row margin-bottom-3\"><div class=\"grid-col-4\"><div class=\"subheading\">Contact<\/div><\/div><div class=\"grid-col-8\"><div class=\"margin-bottom-3\"><div>Swati Patel<\/div><div><a href=\"mailto:swati.h.patel@nasa.gov\">swati.h.patel@nasa.gov<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-5 padding-right-4 margin-bottom-5 desktop:margin-bottom-0\"><div class=\"padding-top-3 border-top-1px border-color-carbon-black \"><div class=\"margin-bottom-2\"><h2 class=\"heading-14\">Related Terms<\/h2><\/div><ul class=\"article-tags\"><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/space-technology-mission-directorate\/\">Space Technology Mission Directorate<\/a><\/li><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/stmd-the-nasa-innovative-advanced-concepts-niac\/\">NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Some 30 years ago, a young engineer named Christopher Walker was home in the evening making chocolate pudding when he got what turned out to be a very serendipitous call from his mother. Taking the call, he shut off the stove and stretched plastic wrap over the pot to keep the pudding fresh. By the [...]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":556544,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"66","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":["297759"],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[2879,3344],"news-tags":[],"internal-terms":[9529],"coauthors":[11765],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"NASA Tech Breathes Life Into Potentially Game-Changing Antenna Design","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/directorates\/stmd\/nasa-tech-breathes-life-into-potentially-game-changing-antenna-design\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/directorates\/stmd\/nasa-tech-breathes-life-into-potentially-game-changing-antenna-design\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/freefall.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/freefall.jpg"},"articleSection":"NASA Directorates","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Swati Patel"}],"creator":["Swati Patel"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["NASA Directorates","Space Technology Mission Directorate","NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program"],"dateCreated":"2023-10-26T16:37:50Z","datePublished":"2023-10-26T16:37:50Z","dateModified":"2023-11-03T12:57:18Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"NASA Tech Breathes Life Into Potentially Game-Changing Antenna Design\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/directorates\/stmd\/nasa-tech-breathes-life-into-potentially-game-changing-antenna-design\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/freefall.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2023-10-26T16:37:50Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"NASA Directorates\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"NASA Directorates,Space Technology Mission Directorate,NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Program\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"Swati Patel\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":4,"time_ago":"8 months","featured_image":{"id":556544,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/freefall.jpg","title":"Free Fall","alt":"Freefall sphere antenna in space above the Earth.","caption":"FreeFall Tests Spherical Antennas at 159,000 feet on NASA\u2019s 60 million cubic foot stratospheric balloon."},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/556477"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/66"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=556477"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/556477\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":558555,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/556477\/revisions\/558555"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/556544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=556477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=556477"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=556477"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=556477"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=556477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}