Patent ID: 8196869

Claim:
In combination, a cryogenic propellant depot incorporating an integral sunshield, said combination comprising: a tank having a sidewall enclosing a quantity of cryogen liquid therein; a bulkhead attached to an end of said tank, said bulkhead having an interior open space defining a thermal isolation reservoir between the tank and the bulkhead; a docking port formed on said bulkhead and communicating with an interior of said tank for selectively evacuating liquid in said tank; a sunshield attached to said tank, said sunshield comprising at least one sunshield panel selectively moved from a stowed position to a deployed position; a linear deployable main boom attached to said panel, said main boom when deployed causing said main boom to extend said panel in a first longitudinal direction; and a cross boom secured to a distal end of said panel, said cross boom being deployed to displace said panel in a second transverse direction thereby fully deploying the panel for use from the stowed position to the deployed position; and said tank extends along a longitudinal axis, and said sunshield is deployed at an angle from said longitudinal axis; and wherein said tank rotates about said longitudinal axis such that a gas core is formed extending through a center of the tank and along said longitudinal axis.