Hoytether™ Tension Member For Space Propulsion Applications, Prototype, Hoytether™ Tension Member for Space Propulsion Applications

This braided space tether, made from one of the strongest fibers available today, is a momentum-exchange tether. It takes advantage of the momentum of a body in orbit to “throw” a payload, such as a satellite, into a different orbit. Such an apparatus could be adapted for the low-fuel transportation of loads to the moon or beyond. Its braid-like construction is designed to prevent all the strands from being severed simultaneously by flying micrometeoroids.
The tether was designed in 2001 by Dr. Robert P. Hoyt and manufactured in 2004 by Tethers Unlimited, Inc. The rust-colored, multi-line braid of Zylon® PBO fiber with braided interconnections, manufactured by Toyobo Corporation, Ltd., is designed to provide redundancy in the event some of the fibers are damaged.
The museum’s collection contains historic and contemporary examples of braided textile structures, but none with such a high performance application. As part of the museum’s 2005 exhibition, Extreme Textiles: Designing for High Performance, this tether demonstrates that strength can come from a fiber a fraction of the diameter of its metal counterpart.

Hoytether™ Tension Member For Space Propulsion Applications, Prototype, Hoytether™ Tension Member for Space Propulsion Applications; Designed by Dr. Robert P. Hoyt; Engineered by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (United States); Manufactured by Tethers Unlimited, Inc. (United States), Toyobo Co., Ltd.; USA; multi-line braid of zylon®pbo with braided interconnections; Overall: 500 x 20.3 cm (16 ft. 4 7/8 in. x 8 in.); Gift of Tethers Unlimited, Inc.; 2005-19-1