Patent ID: 8770522

Claim:
A three-beam mechanism for the deployment of components on a spacecraft employing three bi-stable tape spring mechanisms, said three-beam deployment mechanism comprised of: a. first, second, and third essentially identical bi-stable tape spring mechanisms; b. a planar central structure having a center and an outer circular ring with said three tape spring mechanisms attached to said outer ring, such that they are equally spaced about said ring, have their hub cylinder axes of rotation tangent to said ring, and all rotate in the same direction for deployment, whereby rotational forces acting on the spacecraft are essentially canceled out during deployment and retraction employing said three-beam mechanism; c. each of said bi-stable tape spring mechanisms including a tape spring having two ends which extend centrifugally from said center in opposite directions when deployed and moves centripetally towards said center when being retracted into a stowed configuration around a hub cylinder; and d. means for simultaneously initiating the rotations of said tape spring mechanisms while in the stowed configuration whereby the deployment thereafter by said tape spring mechanisms is powered by the release of energy during the progression from a higher energy state to a lower energy state of the tape springs and the torque imparted to the spacecraft is essentially canceled out.