There is a need for large mirrors that can be launched to various bodies in the solar system in a packed form and unfolded to provide the required dimensions. The solution to the need for foldable panels that can be made as mirrors or other structures including antennas, etc. has been conceived using an origami configuration that is folded in two dimensions. The foldable panel configuration, if made as a mirror, allows supporting rover operation in craters and caves that are shadowed and inaccessible to direct sunlight. The benefits of its use include providing light to the solar cells of the rover, providing a heating source using sunlight, and illuminating the area of operation where the rover is located.
The origami concept enables folding mirrors that can be stowed in compact configuration and, when needed, to expand into a full-size mirror.
This work was done by Yoseph Bar-Cohen and Mircea Badescu of Caltech, and Bahador Behdad and Renato Valz-Brenta for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. NPO-49472
This Brief includes a Technical Support Package (TSP).

Effective Packing of Large Panels via Scrolling and Origami Folding
(reference NPO-49472) is currently available for download from the TSP library.
Don't have an account? Sign up here.