I'm curious as to how the new arrays are stiffened, given that the
"spine" had to unroll. The scissors deployment of the "heritage"
arrays has a more obvious (to me) way to lock.

I do know (from the comms) that there is a tensioning bolt. I'm
guessing that it works one of two ways. The first is pulling out on
the distal part of the spine which then locks like your knee does, and
using a pulley/block to run the pulling cable back to the tensioning
bolt. The second would be something like how I learned the BRT works,
by putting a twist on the joints and through that locking up the
joints; this doesn't require a return pulley/block.

Has anyone here found the actual method?

/dps

--
"Inviting people to laugh with you while you are laughing at yourself
is a good thing to do, You may be a fool but you're the fool in
charge." -- Carl Reiner

On 2021-06-28 03:18, Snidely wrote:
> I'm curious as to how the new arrays are stiffened,

They brought a few Playboy magazines to the ISS and the centerfold is
shown to the solar array whenever it isn't stiff ennough :-)

https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/changing-how-solar-power-rolls

Their public document mention something simular to measuring tape. Can
be rolled up, but once unrolled, wants to be straight because the metal
as a natural curved shape. For ROSA, the equivalent of that measuring
tape is apparanetly some carbon "tape" that wants to uncoils into a
extended/straight position. as long as it wants to lenghten to slightly
longer than the solar film in middle, that film will remain under a
slight tension.

JF Mezei noted that:
> On 2021-06-28 03:18, Snidely wrote:
>> I'm curious as to how the new arrays are stiffened,
>
> They brought a few Playboy magazines to the ISS and the centerfold is
> shown to the solar array whenever it isn't stiff ennough :-)
>
> https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/changing-how-solar-power-rolls

Thank you for the link.

> Their public document mention something simular to measuring tape. Can
> be rolled up, but once unrolled, wants to be straight because the metal
> as a natural curved shape. For ROSA, the equivalent of that measuring
> tape is apparanetly some carbon "tape" that wants to uncoils into a
> extended/straight position. as long as it wants to lenghten to slightly
> longer than the solar film in middle, that film will remain under a
> slight tension.

During the unrolling, the tape at the outside edges of the rolls showed
a distinct curl. It looked like some of it was white on one side and
black on the other.

/dps

--
"That's a good sort of hectic, innit?"

" Very much so, and I'd recommend the haggis wontons."
-njm