Other
Scientific paper
Jan 2002
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2002iaf..confe.650u&link_type=abstract
IAF abstracts, 34th COSPAR Scientific Assembly, The Second World Space Congress, held 10-19 October, 2002 in Houston, TX, USA.,
Other
Scientific paper
This paper describes the use of "commercial-off-the-shelf" open-architecture satellite sub-systems, based on the flight- proven "SNAP" nanosatellite platform, to provide "hands-on" education and training at the United States Air Force Academy. The UK's first nanosatellite: SNAP-1, designed and built by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) and Surrey Space Centre staff - in less than a year - was launched in June 2000. The 6.5 kg spacecraft carries advanced, UK-developed, GPS navigation, computing, propulsion and attitude control technologies, which have been used to demonstrate orbital manoeuvring and full three-axis controlled body stabilisation. SNAP-1's primary payload is a machine vision system which has been used to image the in-orbit deployment of another SSTL-built spacecraft: Tsinghua-1. The highly successful, SNAP-1 mission has also demonstrated how the concept of using a standardised, modular nanosatellite bus can provide the core support units (power system, on-board data-handling and communications systems and standardised payload interface) for a practical nanosatellite to be constructed and flown in a remarkably short time-frame. Surrey's undergraduate and post-graduate students have made a major input to the SNAP concept over the last six years in the context of project work within the Space Centre. Currently, students at the USAF Academy are benefiting from this technology in the context of designing their own nanosatellite - FalconSAT-2. For the FalconSAT-2 project, the approach has been to focus on building up infrastructure, including design and development tools that can serve as a firm foundation to allow the satellite design to evolve steadily over the course of several missions. Specific to this new approach has been a major effort to bound the problem faced by the students. To do this, the program has leveraged the research carried out at the Surrey Space Centre, by "buying into" the SNAP architecture. Through this, the Academy program has achieved an "out of the box" solution for several critical subsystems; including power, communications and, most important, data handling. Using one set of SNAP hardware, the FalconSAT Avionics Simulation Testbed (FAST) was established in Fall 2000. FAST provides both a long-term facility for cadets to gain hands-on experience with spacecraft hardware and software, as well as overall program risk reduction by providing a facility for subsystem, software, and operational procedures development and testing. In addition, over the last two years, USAF cadets have been seconded to Surrey to help develop a MATLAB-based spacecraft simulator for SNAP, which itself is becoming a useful educational tool. While the use of the SNAP hardware has eased spacecraft design problem in many respects, considerable effort still remains in the areas of payload design and development, structures, attitude control, thermal control, solar panels, testing and operations -- more than enough to challenge even the most ambitious undergraduate students. This paper reviews our experience, both in the UK and in the US, in using a flight-proven nanosatellite in an educational context.
Sellers Jerry Col. Lt.
Sweeting Martin Sir
Underwood Craig I.
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