Robert P. Hoyt (born September 15, 1968) is a physicist and engineer who is known for his work developing the SpiderFab architecture for in-space additive manufacture of spacecraft as well as for his invention of the Hoytether. He also originated the MXER Tether concept, which combines momentum-exchange techniques with

electrodynamic In physics, electromagnetism is an interaction that occurs between particles with electric charge. It is the second-strongest of the four fundamental interactions, after the strong force, and it is the dominant force in the interactions of a ...

reboost propulsion to enable a bolo tether system to serve as a fully reusable in-space upper stage for boosting many payloads from LEO to GEO or lunar trajectories. He also has done work and collaborated with the late

Robert L. Forward Robert Lull Forward (August 15, 1932 – September 21, 2002) was an American physicist and science fiction writer. His literary work was noted for its scientific credibility and use of ideas developed from his career as an aerospace engineer. He ...

on electrodynamic

space tether Space tethers are long cables which can be used for propulsion, momentum exchange, stabilization and attitude control, or maintaining the relative positions of the components of a large dispersed satellite/spacecraft sensor system. Depending on t ...

s for use for deorbiting

space junk Space debris (also known as space junk, space pollution, space waste, space trash, or space garbage) are defunct human-made objects in space—principally in Earth orbit—which no longer serve a useful function. These include derelict spacecr ...

and interplanetary transport. He was one of the authors of a paper on using tethers for cis-lunar transportation. The Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum included a Hoytether designed and fabricated by Hoyt in an exhibition on high-tech textiles. In addition to his work on space tethers, Hoyt has pioneered methods for using

additive manufacturing 3D printing or additive manufacturing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer co ...

to create structures and components for

spacecraft A spacecraft is a vehicle or machine designed to fly in outer space. A type of artificial satellite, spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, Earth observation, meteorology, navigation, space colonization, p ...

, both on the ground and in orbit, and has worked to develop self-fabricating satellites under funding from

DARPA The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is a research and development agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of emerging technologies for use by the military. Originally known as the Adv ...

and

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

."SpiderFab: Process for On-Obit Construction of Kilometer-Scale Apertures"
/ref> Hoyt also invented the Structureless Antenna technology, which uses electrostatic forces to deploy ultra-lightweight large-

aperture In optics, an aperture is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture and focal length of an optical system determine the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane. An opt ...

antenna reflectors, enabling small spacecraft to deploy and use large, high-gain antennas. Other projects he has been involved with are an invention to drain the Van Allen radiation belts, development of robotic arms for small spacecraft, and development of tether-based methods to enable tiny nanosatellites to capture and de-spin asteroids and space debris objects. Hoyt is the CEO and Chief Scientist of

Tethers Unlimited Tethers Unlimited, Inc. (TUI) is an American private aerospace company headquartered near Seattle, Washington, which performs research and development of new products and technologies for space, sea, and air. Founded in 1994 by Robert P. Hoyt ...

, Inc. Hoyt also co-founded ScienceOps in 2007, a company that develops custom scientific algorithms and software for a wide range of industries, including

biotech Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used b ...

online advertising Online advertising, also known as online marketing, Internet advertising, digital advertising or web advertising, is a form of marketing and advertising which uses the Internet to promote products and services to audiences and platform users. ...

, and

aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astrona ...

. ScienceOps was acquired by Acquisio in 2012.

External links

The Space Show: Interview with Hoyt
retrieved 4th Jan 2010

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoyt, Robert P. Space scientists American aerospace engineers 20th-century American inventors 21st-century American inventors Living people 1968 births