University Nanosat Competition Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University: SWESat Team Presented by: Stephanie Lengyel AZ Space Grant Symposium April 17 and 18, 2009
Project Overview Design and build a nanosatellite to be sponsored by NASA and AFRL Nanosatellite would support Satellite Situational Awareness (SSA) Use piezoelectric film to quantify objects less than 10 μm in diameter Have a reflective outer surface to calibrate radars Launch several smaller calibration cubes, similar to NASA’s ODERACS program in the 1990’s
Design 2 parts o Top portion covered in solar panels for power o Bottom portion covered in piezoelectric film Top portion (Satellite Bus): o Subsystem hardware Bottom Portion (Payload): o 8 smaller cubesats to be ejected for radar calibration o Spring release system
CAD Models
Subsystems Power o Solar panels o Batteries Attitude and Control o Extendable gravity gradient boom Communication o GPS and Ham Radio Computer o Microprocessor Thermal o Insulation
Satellite Situational Awareness: Cubesats Orbital Debris Radar Calibration Spheres (ODERACS), NASA, 1990’s o Used 6 spheres of various materials and dimensions to calibrate radars on Earth in order to depict orbital debris SWESat considered 8 - 3cm Cubes of different materials and densities o One ‘smart’ cube for tracking
Satellite Situational Awareness: Piezoelectric Film Bottom portion of the nanosat would be covered in piezoelectric film o Sends a voltage spike on debris impact o Would quantify debris on the order of μm (dust) o Still needs fine-tuning and high speed testing
Questions?