Development of a resettable, flexible aperture cover

A flexible aperture cover and latch were developed for the Thermal Ion Detection Experiment (TIDE). The latch utilized a high-output paraffin (HOP) linear motor to supply the force to operate the latch. The initial approach for the cover was to use a heat-treated, coiled strip of 0.05 mm (.002-inch)-thick beryllium-copper as the cover. Development test results showed that one end of the cover developed a trajectory during release that threatened to impact against adjacent instruments. An alternative design utilizing constant force springs and a flexible, metallized Kapton cover was then tested. Results from development tests, microgravity tests, and lessons learned during the development of the aperture cover are discussed.