Small Satellite Program (United States Naval Academy)

Small Satellite Program (United States Naval Academy)

The United States Naval Academy (USNA) Small Satellite Program (SSP) [ [http://web.ew.usna.edu/~midstar2/ Web Documents ] ] was founded in 1999 to actively pursue flight opportunities for miniature satellites designed, constructed, tested, and commanded or controlled by Midshipmen. The Naval Academy's aerospace laboratory facilities are some of the most advanced and extensive in the country. [http://intranet.usna.edu/AeroDept/admin/facilities.html] These facilities include structures labs, propulsion and rotor labs, simulation labs, wind tunnels with flow velocities ranging from subsonic to supersonic, computer labs, and the Satellite Ground Station. [ [http://www.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/pcsat2.html PCSAT2 ] ] The SSP provides funds for component purchase and construction, travel in support of testing and integration, coordination with DoD or National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) laboratories or with universities for collaborative projects, and guides Midshipmen through the Department of Defense (DoD) Space Experiments Review Board (SERB) flight selection process.

The satellite development process is a multi-semester effort requiring the contributions of Midshipmen from several consecutive graduating classes. First Class Midshipmen (seniors) in EA470 Spacecraft Design initiate the process in the spring semester of their First Class year with identification of the mission and determination of requirements followed by development of the conceptual design. Students in subsequent classes take the satellite through feasibility study, final design, construction, testing, and launch platform integration. Each Spring, First Class Midshipmen in the design class reinitiate the process with a new satellite concept so that new projects are germinating to take the place of those that are coming to completion and awaiting launch.

The scope of the projects supported by SSP is limited by the resources of the USNA Department of Aerospace Engineering. The astronautics cadre of the Department consists of five individuals: one full professor (now serving as Department Chair), one permanent military professor, two full-time visiting professors and one half-time visiting professor. These five are assisted by two staff members assigned to the USNA Satellite Ground Station (SGS): one senior engineer and one senior technician. The Midshipmen participating in SSP-sponsored projects are predominantly drawn from First Class (senior) majors in aerospace engineering who have chosen to concentrate on astronautics. This number fluctuates from year to year, current enrollment is 14 for the class of 2006. Financial resources are also thin. Projects are initiated with seed money from a $50K/year grant to the USNA Foundation from The Boeing Co., or from internal USNA funds. Additional funds are occasionally available for specific projects from collaborating federal agencies or sponsors.

Cognizant of these constraints, the SSP has consciously and deliberately entered the spaceflight arena in an incrementalmanner. Sapphire (USNA-0) was obtained as a complete and tested spacecraft from an experienced university small satelliteproducer. PCSat-1 (USNA-1) was designed and built in-house, but with a build-it-simple-and-rugged philosophy. Onboardsystems were limited: communications and electrical power only. Missions were sharply defined: the communicationssystem itself was the primary mission, and the secondary mission (an onboard Global Positioning System receiver)needed only power and communications support that both meshed well with the PCSat design. Commercial off-the shelfparts were chosen for ruggedness, simplicity and low cost rather than spaceflight heritage. Pre-flight testing waslimited to verification of functionality after vibration and thermal/vacuum environment testing.USNA-2 and USNA-3 are repetitions of the proven PCSat communications system design. USNA-4 is a new satellitedesign, larger and more complicated than PCSat, but still limited in scope and dedicated to experiments of moderateinterest. The project proposed here offers a unique opportunity for SSP to participate fully in cutting-edge science,despite its limited financial and personnel resources.

Currently under-development are the second generation MidSTAR II (USNA) (USNA-8) satellite which stemmed from the USNA MidSTAR Program, and ParkinsonSat (USNA-7). [ [http://web.ew.usna.edu/~bruninga/buoy.html ParkinsonSat ] ] MidSTAR I (USNA) (USNA-5) was launched March 8, 2007. [http://web.ew.usna.edu/~midstar/ MIDSTAR] For a complete list of completed and future projects, see http://web.usna.navy.mil/~brsmith/SmallSat.html.

ources


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • United States Naval Academy — USNA redirects here. For the fictional nation of the United States of North America, see A Mind Forever Voyaging. United States Naval Academy Motto Ex Scientia Tridens Motto in English …   Wikipedia

  • Naval Academy Chapel — Basic information Location 101 Cooper Rd Annapolis, Maryland, United States Affiliation Christian …   Wikipedia

  • United States Marine Corps — USMC redirects here. For other uses, see United States Maritime Commission and University of St. Michael s College. United States Marine Corps United States M …   Wikipedia

  • United States Senate election in Virginia, 2006 — Infobox Election election name = United States Senate election in Virginia, 2006 country = Virginia type = presidential ongoing = no previous election = United States Senate election in Virginia, 2000 previous year = 2000 next election = United… …   Wikipedia

  • United States Navy EOD — Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) US Navy Master EOD Insignia Active June 1941–present Country …   Wikipedia

  • Naval Academy Jewish Chapel — This article is about the Uriah P. Levy Center and Jewish Chapel at the U.S. Naval Academy. For information about the chapel at Naval Station Norfolk, the Navy s oldest land based Jewish Chapel, see Commodore Levy Chapel. Commodore Uriah P. Levy… …   Wikipedia

  • Structure of the United States Armed Forces — The structure of the United States armed forces is a chain of command leading from the President (as commander in chief) to the newest recruits. The United States armed forces are organized through the United States Department of Defense, which… …   Wikipedia

  • UNITED STATES OF AMERICA — UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, country in N. America. This article is arranged according to the following outline: introduction Colonial Era, 1654–1776 Early National Period, 1776–1820 German Jewish Period, 1820–1880 East European Jewish Period,… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • United States — a republic in the N Western Hemisphere comprising 48 conterminous states, the District of Columbia, and Alaska in North America, and Hawaii in the N Pacific. 267,954,767; conterminous United States, 3,022,387 sq. mi. (7,827,982 sq. km); with… …   Universalium

  • United States Air Force — USAF redirects here. For other uses, see USAF (disambiguation). The U.S. Air Force redirects here. For the song, see The U.S. Air Force (song). United States Air Force …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”