Patent ID: 6975282

Claim:
An integrated reflector and boom assembly, comprising: a facesheet of stiff reflecting material defining a curved reflecting surface; a series of stiff interlocking ribs defining a reflector section and a boom section, with said boom section being contiguous to said reflector section and covering a smaller area than said reflector section, said series of ribs being interlocked to form a single stiff grid having an axis of symmetry extending through both said reflector section and said boom section; said interlocking ribs further comprising: a first plurality of straight ribs oriented in a first direction, said ribs of said first plurality being evenly spaced and in parallel; said first plurality of straight ribs including; a first rib in alignment with said axis of symmetry and extending in one piece through both said reflector section and said boom section and second and third ribs positioned on opposite sides of said first rib, each of said second and third ribs respectively extending in one piece through both said reflector section and said boom section; a second and third plurality of ribs, said second and third plurality of ribs being equal in number; said plurality of ribs in said second plurality being evenly spaced and in parallel and said plurality of ribs in said third plurality being evenly spaced and in parallel; said second plurality of ribs being oriented at a first predetermined angle relative to said first rib of said first plurality of ribs; and said third plurality of ribs being oriented at a second predetermined angle relative to said first rib of said first plurality of ribs, said second predetermined angle being equal to said first predetermined angle and opposite in direction thereto; an additional straight rib positioned in said boom section, said additional straight rib being oriented at right angles to and interlocked to each of said first, second and third ribs of said first plurality of straight ribs; said second and third plurality of straight ribs extending through said reflector section with a minority of straight ribs in each of said second and third plurality of straight ribs also extending into said boom section; and said facesheet being bonded to an edge of said first, second and third plurality of ribs located in a front face of said grid within said reflector section.