Controlled-emission solar tabs for attitude solar sailing

摘要

Solar tabs are provided which have thermal emissivity and absorptivity properties designed to increase the attitude-control torques that can be generated with rotatable wings in a spacecraft. These increased torques enhance the ability to offset attitude-disturbance torques which typically tend to alter the attitude of a spacecraft from a desired attitude. The tabs include highly absorptive and nonemissive front faces, highly emissive back faces and a high thermal conductivity between the front faces and the back faces.