Non-Motorized-Deployment Heliostat

grabcad

This heliostat does not require a motor to deploy itself, reducing weight, cost, and risk of malfuntion. One-time use telescoping tubes will contain springs that will provide the force needed for deployment. The mirrors will straighten when forced upward from their folded position. The dimensions of the mirrors can be adjusted depending on the desired thickness of the telescoping tubes. In the model, each mirror had a reflectice area of 1.5 square meters. At least 7 mirrors should be used following these dimension to create a total reflective area of 10.5 square meters, but more can be added. Solar panels can be added as well. Sun tracker sensors should be placed on the top of the heliostat, and two motors should be placed at the base to rotate it 360 degrees horizontally and 180 degrees vertically. The entire package can be scaled down to fit into or onto a rover. More mirrors can be added to make up for reduced reflecting area.