Design and Flight Qualification of the Rigidizable Inflatable Get-Away Special Experiment

The Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) developed the Rigidizable Inflatable GetAway-Special Experiment (RIGEX) to demonstrate the feasibility of using rigidizable, inflatable, technology for space structures. RIGEX autonomously deployed and captured the structural characteristics of three rigidizable, inflatable tubes while in the space environment. The three identical tubes were manufactured by L’Garde Inc. and were made from carbon fibers in a thermoplastic resin. RIGEX was designed to fly in the DoD’s Space Test Program’s Canister for All Payload Ejections (CAPE) container within the Space Shuttle Orbiter's payload bay. RIGEX completed its mission on March 26, 2008 after being in orbit for 16 days. This paper summarizes the science and motivation behind RIGEX's inflatable rigidizable structure research and provides an overview of the experiment design. It also details the experiment build and flight qualification testing of the RIGEX/CAPE payload, including modifications and design changes made to the experiment during the build and test phases. Results from flight qualification testing are presented which were used to validate RIGEX’s structural integrity, functionality, and space compatibility. These test results were compiled into the payload’s Acceptance Data Package which was provided to the National Air and Space Association (NASA). RIGEX was integrated and flown under the direction of DoD’s Space Test Program.