In this mission, we’ll begin to understand how small satellites give us insight about the mysteries of both deep space and our own changing planet. In addition, we’ll collaborate to rapidly prototype cubesats to be launched on a tethered balloon for collecting infrared images and making art inspired by data!
Introduction to Cube Satellites and Outer Space
What is a CubeSat? A CubeSat—short for “cube satellite”—is a miniaturized satellite used for scientific research. They were originally developed by researchers from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo and Stanford University in the late 1990s in order to provide students a hands-on medium for education in space exploration and characterization. In general, they are assembled using cost-effective, commercially available off-the-shelf components, thus they may be constructed by dedicated space enthusiasts without comprehensive expertise or funding.
Launched by NASA in March 2014, this Cubesat uses commercially available smartphone technology in order to collect data on the long-term performance of consumer technologies used in spacecrafts.
While created for academic purposes, the use and development of cubesats has recently proliferated in governmental and industrial settings. For example, for many nations—like Switzerland—cubesats have become the first national satellite of their country. In the United States, NASA has begun to sponsor endeavors utilizing CubeSats: a recent mission - the Lunar Water Assessment, Transport, Evolution, and Resource (Lunar WATER) mission - employed the technology to study the formation, loss, and sequestration of water on the surface of the Moon.
Cubesats, at their smallest, can be a mere 10 cm cube weighing no more than 1.0 kg, made possible by similar electronics miniaturization concepts to those that produced smartphones. However, if a larger spacecraft is required, the CubeSats can be stacked together. They were initially only used in low Earth orbit for applications such as remote sensing or communications. However, recently, a pair of CubeSats has been deployed on a mission flying to Mars, and other CubeSats are being considered for the moon and Jupiter.
North Coast of Western Australia. This image of Earth was taken by a CubeSat developed students at Vermont Technical College. Theirs was the first satellite built by a college or university in New England to enter space . Image - Vermont Tech CubeSat Lab.
What are the benefits of using a CubeSat? Cubesats largely reduce the cost barrier of traditional satellites—since they’re so small and light, a rocket doesn’t require much fuel to carry them up. Moreover, in most cases they can just share a rocket with a larger satellite, effectively “piggy-backing” on them. This has encouraged governments, industries, and academic institutions in an increasing number of nations to participate in space exploration, and has promoted science education and technology in developing countries.
What are the design challenges of a CubeSat? The small size means that the electronics are smaller and are therefore more sensitive to radiation. Moreover, they cannot carry large payloads with them. Their low cost also means that they’re not built to last long - maybe a few weeks, months, at most a few years. Another major challenge when operating a cubesat is obtaining useful data on Earth in a reasonable time period (days-months).
For more information on cubesats, Earth exploration, climate science, and remote sensing, you can review the following slide decks:
Why Space?- by Aubrey Hedrick (Charlotte Mecklenberg Library) and Emily St. Germain (Cambridge Public Library)
When building, there are very few constraints to keep in mind. For a “1U” cube satellite, the size limit is 10cm x 10cm x 10cm. However, you can build “2U” or “3U” satellites, which can hold bigger payloads:
A “2U” cube satellite is twice as large, and a “3U” cube satellite is three times as large.
Example materials we like to use for rapid prototyping include:
cardboard and strong paper
various tape (we like to use silver and gold colored tape)
paper cups
zip ties
velcro
other materials available
Rapid prototyping at a local public library
Depending on what payloads patrons will use (see Mission 2), the designs of the cube satellites can be different. Have example payloads available during rapid prototyping, so patrons can figure out how to put the payload in their cube satellites.
Using Maker Tools
Depending on what the patrons are interested in, you could also use maker tools such as 3D printers or laser cutters to design and make the cube satellites. We encourage starting with rapid prototyping first, so patrons can immediately get building. The maker tool step could be another session of building and designing.
Example Schedule + Materials:
For a 90 minute session:
10 minutes - Settling in
25 minutes - An introduction to the program and session
45 minutes - Rapid Prototyping
we suggest groups of no more than 4
15 minutes - Coming back together, share out, and talking about next session
Materials:
rapid prototype build materials
scissors, box cutters
example cube satellites and payloads for reference
computers for payload programming (Chromebooks OK for pi-cam, but not for micro:bit + Scratch)
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