Undergraduate Spacecraft Design Projects
Albert Helfrick
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
ABSTRACT
A problem associated with space
undergraduate and graduate curricula is the very nature of
space engineering. The history of space tells a story of
thousands of engineers from a broad
engineering disciplines along with pbysicists, chemists, and
so on involved from the beginning of space exploration. It is
extremely difficult to introduce design
undergraduate curriculum because of this broad reach of
disciplines. Universities and coUeges have resorted to
"paper designs" for design courses for space-related
curricula. This direction ignores the need for a pradical
approach and results in grandiose and superficial designs
that have little chance of success. Senior design projects
involving simple spacecraft where actual hardware may be
built and launched would be more beneficial to the
engineering student.
The broad spectrum of disciplines involved in spacecraft
or space mission design is adually an important lesson to
be learned by engineering undergraduates.
universities have addressed the multi-disciplinary nature
of the modem engineering and, much to the delight of
industry; have implemented student design
involving a number of academic departments, even outside
of engineering. Unfortunately, the undergraduate student
does not have the level of knowledge to design even a small
part of a spacecraft.
This paper considers various uniqne undergraduate
space design projects that will produce operating hardware
and can be completed within one or two academic years.
INTRODUCTION
Sp ac e is an attractive field for young students about to enter
college. Space-related programs would be an excellent
Auwor's Current Address:
Embre-Riddle Aeronautical University, Department of Engineering Services,
Morris Boulevard, Dayton Beacb, FL 32114-3900. USA.
Manuscripf m:eivro March 28, 2006.
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IEEE A&E SYSTEMS MAGAZINE, JULY 2006
attraction to entice more students to study engineering and
correct a serious deficiency in American education. The
education in studies required to become a member of the space community
are clear; basic science and mathematics followed by the usual
engineering courses to include orbital dynamics. electronics.
spectrum of and so on. The difficulty in this course of study is to keep the
student's interest. Most students, say, in the sophomore year
cannot see the connection between physics, calculus, statistics,
into the dynamics and other engineering-related courses to actual
hardware. Certainly these courses are the foundation for
spacecraft and space-based systems bu t the student cannot see
that.
One method of convinCing the undergraduate student that
these basic fundamentals are the foundation for much grander
designs is to provide homework, class examples, and class
projects that tackle a space-related design. Out of necessity,
these projects do not result in the construction of hardware, and
certainly does not result in any hardware that eventually orbits
the earth,
Hands-on projects for students are used in electrical,
mechanical, civil, and other engineering disciplines and have
Many been for years but space-related engineering projects present a
serious challenge.
Generally. a spacecraft design project would be a senior
projects design course but this does not achieve one of the goals of an
undergraduate project; completion of the project before the
student graduates_ An entire academic year is the minimum
time required for such an ambitious project which will result in
a l a un ch months after the senior has graduated. Two-year
"senior" design projects have been considered and will help the
student become a part of a complete design project.
INTRODUCING THE UNDERGRADUATE TO SPACE
Space is taken for granted by most entering freshmen.
Space-related devices are all around them, such as their
hand-held GPS receiver, the satellite radio in their car, or the
satellite dish on the roof, Unfortunately the technology of these
everyday space-based communications systems is very
sophisticated and way beyond the comprehension engineering
freshman.
600 S. Clyde
One technique to introduce space to students is to use design
projects that involve earth-based parts of space-based systems
such as a ground station for a satellite. A simple project for a
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laboratory experiment would be to aim a geostationary satellite
receiving antenna by doing the calculations by hand. This
would require students to determine the earth station latitude
and longitude, find the location of the desired satellite in the
GEO orbit and then using a compass, corrected for magnetic
declination and an inclinometer aim the antenna. This was an
exercise that was done in undergraduate courses at Embry
Riddle Aeronautical University, ERAU, for a number of years.
The satellite used was the weather facsimile, WEFAX,
transmission from the GOES satellites which had a simple
modulation scheme and allowed the students to hear the signal
and do the final adjustments by using a signal strength meter
and then verifying that the AZ and EL of the antenna met their
calculations. The weather maps and pictures sent by the GOES
satellites were a very slow fonnat such that the student could
clearly see the image develop and could hear the relationship
of the modulation to the image. In addition, this exercise
required the students to measure the received signal and verify
that the signal to noise ratio was what would be expected. The
characteristics of the GOES satellites were in the public
domain and easily obtained. Unfortunately the GOES satellites
have changed to a different modulation scheme and, at ERAU,
new equipment has not been built for this experiment. Also, the
new high speed digital transmission will not be audible and
computer processing will produce the images. This wonderful
connection between human senses and modulation is lost.
Other exceUent sources of generating interest in under�
graduate students are the amateur radio satellites. These, like
the original WEFAX modulation is something the student can
hear. Satellites are voice, Morse code, various types of data
modulation. and images. All of the formats are available in the
public domain. At the time of this writing all amateur satellites
are LEOs although some high altitude elliptical orbits have
been used. One notable amateur satellite, AO-40, was to be in a
Molniya orbit but because of a mishap became an odd but still
usable high altitude orbit. AO-40 was a huge satellite and,
unfortunately is no longer operational. A number of class
projects at ERAU involved uplink and downlink experiments
using AO-40's L- and S-band up- and down-links which
included antenna and receiver design and was a very effective
.
learning exercise.
DESIGNENGSPACECRAFT
The design of ground stations offers much for the under­
graduate but the real attraction is designing spacecraft. There is
no doubt that the design and construction of a spacecraft is an
enormous task. A spacecraft design project is more than a class
project for a single course and even too much for a senior
design project even when extended to two semesters.
Furthermore, the design of a spacecraft is a multi-disciplinary
project, which implies that the project should involve more
than one engineering department. Most modern engineering
designs are multi-disciplinary and a spacecraft undergraduate
senior project will be appropriate.
The usual stumbling block for a spacecraft design is
prOCuring a launch. Of course, a spacecraft could be designed
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but never made into hardware. This author is familiar with
"paper design" projects and is fully aware of the lack of interest
on the part of students. Students would rather build something
simple and create working hardware than tackle a larger
sophisticated design and build nothing.
Minus an actual launch, a small simple satellite can be
designed, built, and tested by undergraduates. This produces
working hardware and represents a step in the right direction
but the ex.citement comes when the satellite can be received on
Earth. Recent projects at ERAU have progressed to a point
where some hardware is operating so that it can be evaluated
even though the hardware is Earth bound. An example of this is
the communications package of a satellite can be installed on
the top floor of a building and be exercised even though the
satellite is Earth bound. In this case an attenuator is inserted
between the electronics and the satellite's antenna to provide a
path loss similar to when the satellite is in space,
Unfortunately, some important characteristics of the signal
are missing. The signal source is stationary, there is no Doppler
shift, no polarity rotation, and thus acts more like a GEO than a
LEO.
PICO SATELLITES
The recent Florida Universities Satellite, FUNSAT, [1],
competition among Florida universities is an attempt to
involve undergraduate and graduate students in the design and
construction of spacecraft. The competition design is based on
a CUBESAT, [2], a 10 cm cube which should encourage a
simple design and permit a timetable that will allow the
students to actually see their satellite launched. However, this
pace has been shown to be extremely aggressive and many of
the FUNSAT competitors chose a complex design which may
lead to failed launches and disappointed students. The addition
of help from professors and industry can increase the
likelihood of a successful student satellite but begs the
question: How much faculty help can be offered before the
student is involved only as a technician to a faculty project?
CUBESATs have a standardized fonn factor where frames
and other hardware can be purchased and do not need to be
designed. Unfortunately this convenience also removes a key
part of the project and that is the mechanical and electrical
design of the satellite. At ERAU it was decided by a student
group [3] that they could design a mechanical assembly
superior to the commerCially-available version which resulted
in an ex.cellent student�designed housing.
However, the standardized design will allow student
projects to make use of selected components from previous
student projects rather than "reinventing the wheeL" In the
case of the BRAU project, a standardized communications
system was also designed and will be used for subsequent
projects. Even with the advantages of the CUBESAT,
designing a satellite as an undergraduate project is difficult.
Creating hardware is followed by the inevitable
requirement of testing the hardware. For spacecraft this
involves the usual exhaustive electrical testing over a range of
temperatures and in a vacuum. A considerable amount of
IEEE A&E SYSTEMS MAGAZINE, JULY 2006
vi bration tes ting is required as well. Finally, a serious
outgassing at elevated temperatures is required. This testing
requires expensive equipment not always available
universit ies.
Even after a satellite is designed , constructed, and full y
tested there is no guarantee that it will launch on the scheduled
date. This becomes a problem because it is desired that the
student still be a student when the satellite is launched and can
become a part of the team that first acqu ires the signal of the
satellite and participates in the exuberant celebration when
space missions achieve some i mportan t goal. This is a moment
that the student has seen from past spac e missions and probably
was something that attracted hi m to the space field.
The probability of a satellite , even as small as a CUBESAT,
being desi gned , constructed, tested, and launched in the course
of one academic year is virtuall y nil. Even if an experienced
design team we re to perform the design in an academic year,
nine months, it would be a difficult t ask . A s tuden t group
represents a co mpletely inexperienced group that needs to
learn the necessary skills as they go along. If the process is
speeded up, the learning component is lost. One way to make a
satellite design program successful for undergraduate students
is to have an ongoing activity. The graduating student may be
involved in a design that will not fly u ntil after he graduat es but
w ill be a part of the te am that celebrates the launch of the
prev ious year' s satellite.
FUTURE STUDENT PROJECTS
Recently, an obsolete space suit from the International
Space Station, ISS, was to be disposed of by ejecting it from the
space station and allowing it to orbit for a few weeks until it
e nters the atmosphere and bums up [4]. A plan was hatched to
install a simpl e satellite in the space suit and allow the suit to
become an amateur satelli te for the few weeks it wou l d be in
orbit.
The time frame from when the idea was proposed un t il the
"Suit S at " was launched was less than one year.
Commercially-available equipment comprised the majority of
the satellite and the payload was a beacon transmi tting voice,
data, and images to earth using readily-accessible VHF
frequencies. Because of the low orbit, the si gnal would be
IEEE A&E SYSTEMS MAGAZINE, JULY 2006
strong and low cost receiving equipment could be used to
receive the be acon . B eing only a beacon and having a short life
to simplifies the design of the spacecraft and the frequency
coordination requirements. The S uit Sat beacon used primary
cells for power eliminating the need f or solar cells and the
compl exity it bri ngs to the power supply. Unfortunately, the
Suit Sat suffered failures and the experiment only lasted a few
orbits but it was, like all pioneeri ng spacecraft, a lesson
learned.
A Suit Sat-style satellite would be perfect for student
projects. The spacecraft would be launched by hand and thus
critical operations such as deployi ng an antenna, activating
circuits, or making any last minute adjustments could be done
by the ISS astro na uts . The spacecraft can be delivered to the
ISS with supplies in a p r essurized cargo module and would not
jeopardize sensiti ve payloads sharing a satellite di sp en ser . This
would eliminate the need for the stringent vacuum/temperature
bakeout.
Also, these low orbit satellites inherently enter the
atmosphere in a short period of time and are consumed. The
FCC has recently introduced regulations requmng
communications satellites to submit an "orbital debris
mitigation plan" (5], which has stirred debate as to how thi s
applies to amat eur satellites.
Once in orbit , students could receive the satellite with a
smaIl antenna and an ine xpens ive "scanner" receiver. This
personal involvement would insure Suit Sat-type s tud ent
satellite projects would be a success.
REFERENCES
[1) http://fsgc.engr.ucf/funsatf.
[2) http://lirtonlab.atl.calpoly.edu!.
[3) http://www.erausatdev.org.
[4J http://science.nasa.govlheadlinesty2006126jan_suitsat.htm.
[5J United States Code of Federal RegUlations.
Federal Communications Conunission,
CPR Title 47, Section 25.114.
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