Roid Rage Stressed And Unpressed
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Sep 18, 2025 Join a fascinating discussion about the intricate redesign of solar arrays for deep-space missions. Learn what went wrong with Odin's panels and how those lessons shaped Deep Space-2. Discover the tradeoffs between different panel types, including the innovative use of carbon fiber and sandwich structures. Explore the challenges of deployment mechanisms and the team's unique solutions using samarium-cobalt magnets. With insights into testing and risk management, this conversation reveals the complexities behind powering spacecraft in the cosmos.
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Odin’s PCB-Backed Rollout Failure
- Odin used PCB-backed solar wings that unrolled from the inside and had a single HDRM down the center. This unroll geometry produced a larger shock at the end of deployment and created testing headaches.
Speed Versus Understanding Trade-Off
- Buying an off-the-shelf array bought time but limited understanding of in-space performance and thermal behavior. That trade for speed caused underestimation of actual power and introduced integration problems during vibe testing.
Test Deployments With Flight-Like Fixtures
- Test articulation with full flight-like fixtures including arrays attached to see real stalling and homing behaviors. Also validate power generation under sun-like illumination to avoid brownouts during deployment tests.