Patent ID: 8905357

Claim:
A thin membrane structure capable of being used to stabilize a spacecraft, the thin membrane structure comprising: a foldable structure having a plurality of triangular side panels, each triangular side panel having two side edges, a base edge, and first, second, and third corners; a deployment mechanism operatively attached to the foldable structure and for transitioning the foldable structure between an undeployed state in which each of the plurality of triangular side panels is folded and a deployed state in which each of the plurality of side panels is unfolded relative to the undeployed state; and a module for operatively engaging the remainder of a spacecraft, supporting the deployment mechanism, and supporting the foldable structure; wherein the first corner of each of the triangular side panels is operatively connected to the module and connected substantially adjacent to the first corner of each of the other triangular side panels so as to define an apex area; wherein the two side edges, between the second corner and the apex area and between the third corner and the apex area, of each of the triangular side panels being substantially unconnected from the two side edges of the other triangular side panels; wherein, when the deployment mechanism is used to place the foldable structure into a deployed state, (a) the first, second, and third corners of each of the plurality of side panels, when viewed from the same perspective, occur in a clockwise sequence beginning with the first corner, (b) the second corner of each of triangular side panels is located substantially adjacent to the third corner of one of the other triangular side panels so as to define a plurality of vertex areas, (c) the plurality of vertex areas and the base edges define a polygonal shape, (d) and each of the two side edges of each of the triangular side panels is disposed substantially adjacent to and substantially parallel to a side edge of another one of the triangular side panels to define a pyramid edge that extends between the apex and the polygonal shape, and (e) the plurality of vertex areas, the apex area, the base edges, and the pyramid edges define a pyramidal shape in which the apex area is spaced from a plane defined by the polygonal shape.