Oriented wire electrostatic radiation protection system and method for spacecraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11136147-B2
Application number	US-201816141933-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 25, 2018
Priority date	Sep 25, 2018
Publication date	Oct 5, 2021
Grant date	Oct 5, 2021

Abstract

There is provided an oriented wire electrostatic radiation protection system for a spacecraft. The system has a wire management system, and first and second wires coupled to the wire management system. A first wire orientation apparatus orients the first wire in a first wire direction toward, and in parallel alignment with, an approach path of approaching solar particles. A second wire orientation apparatus orients the second wire in a second wire direction opposite to the first wire direction. The system has a control system, and a power supply to charge the first wire to a positively-charged wire and to charge the second wire to a negatively-charged wire. When the approaching solar particles travel alongside the positively-charged wire toward the spacecraft, the positively-charged wire deflects the approaching solar particles away from the spacecraft, via electrostatic repulsion, and the positively-charged wire creates a radiation protection shielded region around the spacecraft.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An oriented wire electrostatic radiation protection system for a spacecraft, the oriented wire electrostatic radiation protection system comprising:
a wire management system operable to couple to the spacecraft, the wire management system comprising a first wire orientation apparatus and a second wire orientation apparatus;
a first wire coupled to the wire management system, the wire management system deploying the first wire from a first wire stowed position to a first wire extended position, and the first wire orientation apparatus orienting the first wire in the first wire extended position in a first wire orientation, where the first wire is oriented in a first wire direction toward, and in a parallel alignment with, an approach path of approaching solar particles;
a second wire coupled to the wire management system, the wire management system deploying the second wire from a second wire stowed position to a second wire extended position, and the second wire orientation apparatus orienting the second wire in the second wire extended position in a second wire orientation, where the second wire is oriented in a second wire direction opposite to the first wire direction and away from the approach path of the approaching solar particles;
a power supply having a power supply first portion coupled to the first wire, the power supply first portion charging the first wire, to obtain a positively-charged wire, and the power supply having a power supply second portion coupled to the second wire, the power supply second portion charging the second wire, to obtain a negatively-charged wire; and
a control system controlling operation of the oriented wire electrostatic radiation protection system,
wherein, when the approaching solar particles travel in parallel and alongside the positively-charged wire toward the spacecraft, the positively-charged wire deflects the approaching solar particles away from the spacecraft, via electrostatic repulsion, and the positively-charged wire creates a radiation protection shielded region around the spacecraft, and the negatively-charged wire maintains a charge balance at a spacecraft position.

2. The oriented wire electrostatic radiation protection system of claim 1 , wherein the wire management system further comprises one or more wire management assemblies, the wire management assembly comprising:
a spooling apparatus;
a deployment apparatus coupled to the spooling apparatus;
one or more motors coupled to the spooling apparatus, to drive the spooling apparatus; and
a controller and a control interface of the control system, the control interface coupled to the controller, and the controller coupled to the spooling apparatus, via the one or more motors, and coupled to the deployment apparatus, the controller controlling operation of the spooling apparatus and the deployment apparatus.

3. The oriented wire electrostatic radiation protection system of claim 1 , wherein the first wire and the second wire comprise a multi-strand wire having a plurality of bonded portions.

4. The oriented wire electrostatic radiation protection system of claim 1 , wherein the first wire and the second wire are comprised of one or more conductive metal materials.

5. The oriented wire electrostatic radiation protection system of claim 1 , wherein a length of the first wire is in a range of from 1000 meters to 5000 meters, and further wherein a length of the second wire is in a range of from 1000 meters to 5000 meters.

6. The oriented wire electrostatic radiation protection system of claim 1 , wherein a diameter of the first wire is in a range of from 0.5 millimeters to 2.0 millimeters, and further wherein a diameter of the second wire is in a range of from 0.5 millimeters to 2.0 millimeters.

7. The oriented wire electrostatic radiation protection system of claim 1 , wherein the first wire orientation apparatus and the second wire orientation apparatus comprise a microsatellite having a guidance and positioning system, and having a propulsion system with one or more ion thrusters.

8. The oriented wire electrostatic radiation protection system of claim 1 , wherein the first wire orientation apparatus further maintains the first wire orientation of the first wire at a first wire predetermined distance from the spacecraft, and wherein the second wire orientation apparatus further maintains the second wire orientation of the second wire at a second wire predetermined distance from the spacecraft.

9. The oriented wire electrostatic radiation protection system of claim 1 , wherein the approaching solar particles originate from a solar source comprising one or more of, a solar wind, and a solar coronal mass ejection (CME).

10. A spacecraft for interplanetary space travel, the spacecraft comprising:
one or more solar particle detector devices coupled to the spacecraft, the one or more solar particle detector devices detecting approaching solar particles originating from a solar source comprising one or more of, a solar wind, and a solar coronal mass ejection (CME);
one or more oriented wire electrostatic radiation protection systems coupled to the spacecraft, the one or more oriented wire electrostatic radiation protection systems comprising:
a wire management system comprising a first wire orientation apparatus and a second wire orientation apparatus;
a first wire coupled to the wire management system, the wire management system deploying the first wire from a first wire stowed position to a first wire extended position, and the first wire orientation apparatus orienting the first wire in the first wire extended position in a first wire orientation, where the first wire is oriented in a first wire direction toward, and in a parallel alignment with, an approach path of approaching solar particles, the first wire orientation apparatus further maintaining the first wire orientation of the first wire at a first wire predetermined distance from the spacecraft;
a second wire coupled to the wire management system, the wire management system deploying the second wire from a second wire stowed position to a second wire extended position, and the second wire orientation apparatus orienting the second wire in the second wire extended position in a second wire orientation, where the second wire is oriented in a second wire direction, opposite to the first wire direction, and away from the approach path of the approaching solar particles, the second wire orientation apparatus further maintaining the second wire orientation of the second wire at a second wire predetermined distance from the spacecraft;
a power supply having a power supply first portion coupled to the first wire, the power supply first portion charging the first wire, to obtain a positively-charged wire, and the power supply having a power supply second portion coupled to the second wire, the power supply second portion charging the second wire, to obtain a negatively-charged wire; and
a control system, to control operation of the one or more oriented wire electrostatic radiation protection systems,
wherein, when the approaching solar particles travel in parallel and alongside the positively-charged wire toward the spacecraft, the positively-charged wire deflects the approaching solar particles away from the spacecraft, via electrostatic repulsion, and the positively-charged wire creates a radiation protection shielded region around the spacecraft, to protect any spacecraft occupants and spacecraft equipment from solar particle radiation, and the negatively-charged wire maintains a charge balance at a spacecraft position.

11. The spacecraft of claim 10 , wherein the wire management system further comprises one or more w

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Russell James C
• Henson Landon K

Classifications

• B64G1/2229

  characterised by the deployment actuating mechanism (inflating B64G1/2227) · CPC title

• B64G1/54 Primary

  Protection against radiation · CPC title

• B64G99/00

  Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass · CPC title

• B64G1/12

  manned · CPC title

• B64G1/1064

  specifically adapted for interplanetary, solar or interstellar exploration · CPC title