THE RECIPIENT PROPOSES A MISSION CONCEPT FOR A 100M ASSEMBLED ULTRA-LIGHT STARSHADE FOR EXOPLANET DISCOVERY AND CHARACTERIZATION THAT LEVERAGES DISSIPATIVE METAMATERIALS/PHONONIC CRYSTALS AND CREASED PLATE THEORY TO ACHIEVE INCREASED DAMPING, STIFFNESS, AND PRECISION WITH DRAMATICALLY DECREASED STRUCTURAL MASS. THIS STRUCTURE WILL BE DESIGNED TO WORK IN TANDEM WITH LARGE GROUND-BASED TELESCOPES AS A VIABLE PATH TOWARDS OBSERVATORIES WITH >20M APERTURES IN THE NEXT TWO DECADES, BUT CAN ALSO PROVIDE AN ALTERNATIVE TECHNICAL PATH TO SMALLER STARSHADES TO WORK WITH HWO.