Deployment Simulations of the Space Tow Solar Sail

The Space Tow is a modular solar sail design, uniting versatility of size with ease of manufacturing in an easily stowable package. All stowed structures must be deployed to their mission configuration, which is challenging for such a light and flexible design. The present study explores the “leave behind” and “drag along” deployment strategies in simulation and mathematical analysis. The conclusions are that the “drag along scheme” is sensitive to perturbations and that the “leave behind” scheme needs careful consideration of its parameters or risk that the undeployed stack is overrun by the deployed structure. The present study also discusses the energy dissipation needed for a robust deployment and proposes both a frictional and acceleration-rate proportional damping such as occurs in deformations in an accelerating frame.