David Whalen

The open prototype for educational NanoSats: Fixing the other side of the small satellite cost equation

Government supported nano-satellite launch programs and emerging commercial small satellite launch services are reducing the cost of access to space for educational and other CubeSat projects. The cost and complexity of designing and building these satellites remains a vexing complication for many would be CubeSat aspirants. The Open Prototype for Educational NanoSats (OPEN), a proposed nano-satellite development platform, is described in this paper. OPEN endeavors to reduce the costs and risks associated with educational, government and commercial nano-satellite development. OPEN provides free and publicly available plans for building, testing and operating a versatile, low-cost satellite, based on the standardized CubeSat form-factor. OPEN consists of public-domain educational reference plans, complete with engineering schematics, CAD files, construction and test instructions as well as ancillary reference materials relevant to satellite building and operation. By making the plan, to produce a small but capable spacecraft freely available, OPEN seeks to lower the barriers to access on the other side (non-launch costs) of the satellite cost equation.

Assessing the Value of the OpenOrbiter Program's Research Experience for Undergraduates

This article presents an assessment of the benefits gained by undergraduate students who participated in the OpenOrbiter Small Spacecraft Development Initiative. It provides an overview of the program and its learning objectives, as they apply to undergraduate students. It compares the learning impact between students who participated and those who assumed leadership roles. Qualitative assessment with regard to benefits is also discussed. The article extrapolates from these results to identify program elements that were particularly instrumental in delivering the positive benefits discussed. Finally, future work is discussed.

Spaceflight: The Development of Science, Surveillance, and Commerce in Space

To commemorate the centennial of the Proceedings of the IEEE, several authors from diverse areas of expertise examine space exploration from its beginnings in the middle of the last century and look onward to half a century in the future. Beginning by examining the reasons why the two 20th century superpowers believed that space exploration was an important investment, the chronological review of early developments includes discussions on science, commerce, and national security; the evolution of space-related technologies; progress and advancements in launch vehicles, spacecraft, and spacecraft payloads; and improvements in space communications and tracking. With the subjects of robotic solar system exploration and crewed missions to space discussed in some detail, the great advances of the last 60 years establish a foundation for addressing the challenges of future human flight beyond Earths vicinity-challenges that are technical, political, social, and economic in nature. The authors take a pragmatic view in making forecasts for the future of spaceflight: they limit their conjecture, for the most part, to the next 50 years. While it is very difficult to make realistic predictions for longer periods, the authors are confident that space exploration continues to grasp the publics imagination and desire to know more about the universe, and that it continues to build on many of the same questions that inspired the space program in the mid-20th century.

The OpenOrbiter CubeSat as a system-of-systems (SoS) and how SoS engineering (SoSE) Aids CubeSat design

This paper discusses the use of the system-of-systems (SoS) methodology and SoS engineering (SoSE) to the challenge of the design and operation of a CubeSat-class spacecraft. It considers this in the context of one critical component system, the electrical power system (EPS) which interacts with virtually all other systems onboard the spacecraft. The spacecraft is also considered in the context of being a system-component of a larger mission system-of-systems. The efficacy of SoSE use for this endeavor is considered and recommendations are made for the use of SoS and SoSE by other small spacecraft and, more broadly, spacecraft developers.

A Novel Deployable Array Architecture for Micro to Full Sized Satellites

This paper provides an overview of several techniques that can be used on spacecraft of various sizes to increase the longevity of onboard solar power generation capability and – in some cases – via this, overall mission life. Three designs that shield solar panels until they are needed for use and which can, prospectively, provide other benefits are presented. A conventional design is also discussed, for purposes of comparison. Mass and volume analysis is used to demonstrate the cost (in terms of mass and volume) for the proposed solutions and compare this to the benefit provided by the extension in mission lifespan (and the value produced by this). A qualitative analysis is also performed, discussing other prospective benefits of the three proposed designs. A discussion of appropriate times to use the designs is also included.

Small satellites with micro-propulsion for communications with the Lunar South Pole Aitkens Basin

A lunar sample return mission to the Lunar South-Pole Aitkens Basin (LSPAB) has been highlighted as a high priority objective of the most recent (2011) Decadal Survey for Planetary Science, by the National Research Council. This class of mission, however, faces a dramatic communications limitation, due to the lack of a frequent, or continuous, line-of-sight communications path to Earth-based ground stations. Brunner and others have proposed a communications system utilizing Low Lunar Polar Orbits (LLPO) and Lunar Halo orbits for this purpose. Ely and others have outlined proposals for using several communication satellites to form a relay network using LLPO, taking into account the Lunar masscons that would perturb such orbits. However, any relay network of communication satellites would still have to connect back to a suitable Earth-based ground station (Near Earth Network, or otherwise), or a tracking and data relaying satellite (e.g., TDRS).

Teaching software project management using project based learning (PBL) and group projects

While not included at some institutions and relegated to 3 (minimum) hours of core coverage by the ACM / IEEE Computer Society model curriculum, project management is becoming an integral component of computer science education. The prevalence of failed software projects dictates a focus on this discipline which provides the tools and processes relevant to effective performance of software creation, research and numerous other activities. Computer science students, however, are typically users of these skills and thus benefit from a practical, hands-on-approach that emphasizes learning usable skills over management theory (which they, generally, lack the foundational knowledge for). This paper compares and contrasts three different approaches taken to given students experience with a software project and its management with three different levels of project management emphasis at the University of North Dakota. Their learning relative to pre-defined outcomes was assessed and other sources of benefit were identified.

Why Start a Small Spacecraft Program

This chapter focuses on the reasons behind starting a small spacecraft program. In this context, both programs started for educational benefit and those launched for research or other purposes are considered. An overview of reasons for program initiation is provided. Then, research and educational benefits are discussed. Broader benefits that could be provided by a small spacecraft program to society-at-large are then considered. Finally, the chapter discusses the potential of using a small spacecraft program to develop, demonstrate, or advance national space competency, before concluding.

Forming a Program: Funding and Organizational Issues

This chapter deals with some of the logistical aspects of starting a small spacecraft development program. It begins with a discussion of human resource needs, with particular attention being paid to student workers, as they are typically a key component of a university small spacecraft development program. Then, financial and other resource needs are discussed. Next, focus turns to strategies for organizing a small spacecraft program, before concluding.

To Build, Buy, or in Between?

This chapter covers the process of defining a small spacecraft program. It is not intended to replace or replicate robust models, such as those discussed by Wertz et al. [6] and Fortescue and Swinerd [7]. Nor is it meant to provide a light-weight approximation (such as was presented in [8]). Instead, this chapter seeks to help the reader evaluate and answer key questions regarding spacecraft program formulation.