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Mechanical and Aerospace
Engineering, Arizona State University,
Tempe, Arizona USA
In the fall of 1993 a small team of highly motivated students, professors, and industry partners embarked on a mission to create a student-run project at Arizona State University (ASU) to foster hands-on education in the field of space science and technology. This project came to be what is today known as the ASU Student Satellite Project, ASUSat1. Follow-on satellite projects will be based upon the ASUSat1 experience.
The students at ASU were challenged by Orbital Sciences Corporation to develop a 4.5-kg nano-satellite (ASUSat1) to be launched as a piggyback payload on a Pegasus rocket. The challenge included the requirements for the satellite to perform meaningful science, to fit inside the Pegasus avionics section, and be completely student designed and managed. Currently, the satellite is in the integration phase and the team is expecting launch in September 1999 on the first Air Force Orbital/Suborbital Program Space Launch Vehicle (OSP SLV).
The goal of the ASUSat1 program is to show capability in a 10-pound package and provide technology demonstration in flight to enable other University and future military missions. The strict mass, volume, and power constraints associated with nanosatellites eliminate the use of many common off-the-shelf components and require innovative rethinking of many commonly used techniques such as active control, radiation shielding, large battery packs, structures, and many complex mechanisms. Also with the minimal power that can be generated from the small surface areas, only the lowest power consuming devices can be used. Missions flown on ASUSat1 include: low-cost coarse-resolution spectral imaging, global positioning system (GPS), innovative passive stabilization and damping, ± 10 degree attitude determination at low cost ($1000 per satellite), autonomous operations, and provision of an audio transponder for amateur radio (AMSAT) operators. Our constellation will be launched in mid 2001 by the Air Force.
One of the most recent additions to our group of industry supporters is Microchip, one of the world’s leaders in 8-bit PICmicro® Microcontroller (MCU) devices. Several months ago, the team identified the Microchip family of controllers as an excellent choice for several ground support projects. However, due to the high cost of a complete development system, the team was unable to purchase one. More recently, the team encountered a major design problem with the satellite’s Peak-Power-Tracker system. One of the ideas brought up was to use a PICmicro® as the heart of a new design. Again, with the high cost of a development system, this was a problem for the team. The possibility of using Microchip’s components on-board was very appealing to the team. After contacting Microchip with a request for support, the team was very pleased to receive a donation of a complete development system for PICmicro® chips.
Further details on the program are available on the World Wide Web at http://www.eas.asu.edu/~nasasg/asusat/asusat.html
or by contacting Mr. Assi Friedman (assib@imap1.asu.edu)
or Dr. Helen Reed (helen.reed@asu.edu).
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ASU Student Satellite Project
