djmullen@facstaff.wisc.edu (Dave Mullenix) writes: >Does anybody know the inclination for this flight? I believe the May SPARTAN flight will be near the minimum inclination for a KSC launch, about 28 degrees. Not favorable for many of us. I might just take a trip south that week! >I've often wondered what would happen if you took two H-U-G-E sheets >of mylar, aluminized one of them and then locked them both into a giant >embroidery hoop and pumped a little air in between them. Does anybody >know how to calculate whether it's possible to inflate the aluminized >sheet into a parabola this way? Yes, that's exactly what they're doing. For inflatable antennas like this, the "embroidery hoop" you mention is usually designed as a very skinny inflatable donut around the edge of the structure, pressurized enough to hold its shape against the *slightly* pressurized lens shape in the middle. The mylar sheets for this experiment were extremely carefully fabricated to yield the desired shape when inflated. -------------------------------------------- Alan Anderson Delco Electronics Remanufacturing Services Test Equipment System Software Group