Joshua Laub Jake Tynis Lindsey Andrews Advisor: Dr. Robert Ash

 Small, lightweight satellites  Size = 10 cm cube (1 U up to 3U)  Total Mass < 1 kg  Orbital altitudes as great as 900 km (ISS is about 350 km)  CubeSat lifetime: ≈ 500 years (  km)  Velocities ≈ 7.4 km/s  NASA/IADC Guideline: Orbital lifetime of 25 years or less

 Develop a prototype inflatable device to deorbit CubeSats  Increase frontal area >> Increase drag >> Decrease orbital lifetime  Current Challenges:  Folding/Packaging  Inflation Initiation  Material Procurement

 US Air Force Plug and Play prototype system  LabVIEW to trigger the inflation sequence:  Boolean program outputs about 1 Volt  +1 Volt output is sent to relay  Relay amplifies signal up to 30 Volts, if desired  Amplified signal sent to Micro Solenoid valve to start air flow (inflation)

 Mylar  Resistant to punctures  Low cost  Vulnerable to radiation over long periods of time  Kapton  Good mechanical properties  External chemical coating necessary to prevent atomic oxygen degradation  Both will be utilized in the prototype development

Space-Qualified Design MaterialCostMass (g) Upilex-S polyimide film (50µm)$75126 Elastosil S$ Aluminum 6061-T6$ SUVA-236fa refrigerantunknown1.77 Aluminum 6061-T6 (from stock)$02.13 Upilex-S polyimide film (50µm)included above0.74 Dyneema$ Clippard≥ $70Around 11 g Misc.$15 CostNet mass (g) $ Prototype MaterialCost 2 Mil Mylar$33 Contact Cement$10 Gas Cylinder (from lab)$0 Lab air$0 Aluminum (from stock)$0 Valve (Clippard)$48 Circuit board$2 Misc.$15 Net cost:$108

We have begun integration, headed towards full system testing!

 Investigated different folding methods in the lab  Folding affects speed and ease of inflation  Must consider decreased frontal area due to bulges  Found that this is an area requiring further refinement

 STK software used for drag analysis  Inputs: Orbital characteristics, frontal area  Outputs: Predicted orbital decay, orbital lifetime  EXAMPLE: Plausible CubeSat orbit and frontal area: Time Elapsed (Years 2004 – 2021) Yellow: Height of Apogee Red: Height of Perigee Blue: Eccentricity Eccentricity (0 to 0.004)

 Acquired Materials:  Mylar  Adhesive  Gas cylinder  Micro Solenoid Valve  Relay  Aluminum Deorbit Casing  Steel “Cubesat” Micro Solenoid Valve Above: Deorbit Casing Below: Mock CubeSat

 Have now acquired all parts; ready for lab simulation.

 Goal: Create deorbiting device for CubeSat  Complete Lab simulation using:  LabVIEW  Remote Communication  Challenges:  Weight  Packaging  Folding  Signaling

 Bate, Roger R, Donald D Mueller and Jerry E White. Fundamentals of Astrodynamics. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.,  Bradford Engineering. "Sold Propellant Cool Gas Generator."  California Polytechnic, State University. "CubeSat Design Specification Rev.12."  Clippard Instrument Laboratory, Inc  D.C. Maessen, E.D. van Breukelen, B.T.C. Zandbergen, O.K. Bergsma. "Development of a Generic Inflatable De-Orbit Device for CubeSats." (n.d.).  DuPont. "Summary of Properties for Kapton Polymide Films.".  IADC. "Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines." Standard  Lokcu, Eser. "Design Considerations for CubeSat Inflatable Deorbit Devices in Low Earth Orbit." Old Dominion University (2010).  McMaster Carr. 27 November  Office for Outer Space Affairs. "Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines of the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space." Vienna: United Nations,  Pumpkin, Inc. CubeSat Kit  R. Janovsky, M. Kassebom, H. Lubberstedt, O. Romberg. END-OF-LIFE DE-ORBITING Strategies for Satellites. Bremen: OHB System AG,  RobotShop. 30 November  Wacker Chemie AG. 1 December 2010.

 Questions?