CPC B64G 1/58 (2013.01) [H05B 3/0014 (2013.01); H05B 3/145 (2013.01); H05B 3/34 (2013.01); H05B 2203/011 (2013.01); H05B 2214/04 (2013.01)] | 22 Claims |
1. A protective blanket for a spacecraft, the protective blanket comprising:
a flexible blanket body comprising a plurality of sheets of material operatively coupled together to define the flexible blanket body, wherein the plurality of sheets comprises one or more sheets composed at least in part of a carbon nanotube material and at least one sheet composed of a different material; and
a voltage supply electrically coupled at least to a first sheet of the one or more sheets composed at least in part of the carbon nanotube material, such that the first sheet defines a resistive heater;
wherein the first sheet comprises:
a carbon-nanotube-sheet body;
a first set of terminals coupled to and spaced along the carbon-nanotube-sheet body adjacent one edge of the carbon-nanotube-sheet body; and
a second set of terminals coupled to and spaced along the carbon-nanotube-sheet body adjacent an opposite edge of the carbon-nanotube-sheet body.
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