Sam O’Keefe/Missouri S&T
Professor Hank Pernicka and his team at Missouri S&T have developed a microsatellite imager in an Air Force contest and are working to produce the final version for delivery in 2017.
A Missouri University of Science and Technology aerospace engineering professor is developing a microsatellite imager that could be used to check satellites, do small repairs or refuel spacecraft — and keep astronauts from making risky exploratory missions when something goes wrong.
Dr. Hank Pernicka, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Missouri S&T, and his students won the final round of an Air Force competition to develop the spacecraft. Dr. Kyle DeMars, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, Dr. Joshua Rovey, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, and Dr. Jonathan Kimball, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, also are working on the project at Missouri S&T.
Pernicka and his team are working off their winning model and will build the spacecraft next year. Delivery to the Air Force is in the spring of 2017. And if all goes well, from there it’s launched to rendezvous with the International Space Station.
The spacecraft is composed of two microsatellites, with MRS SAT docked to MR SAT during the launch to the space station. After a space station arm flicks the craft away from it, the first test begins. MR SAT will push away MRS SAT and use its 12 micro-thrusters to maintain a 10-meter distance between the two. If that’s successful, MR SAT then will begin to orbit MRS SAT, taking pictures of “her” with “his” two stereoscopic lenses.
Made of machined aluminum, it weighs less than 100 pounds when fully assembled. Both parts are covered in solar panels to help run the electrical systems, and MR SAT has a fuel tank filled with R-134a propellant — basically the same as the coolant found in car air conditioners or the HVAC system in a home. The tank is about the size of a 2-liter bottle of soda, only slimmer.
“It has applications for many things,” Pernicka says of the microsatellite. “It can check for damages, such as those that doomed the space shuttle Columbia.”
Heat shield tiles were damaged when Columbia lifted off, and upon re-entry those tiles failed, resulting in the space shuttle disintegrating and killing all seven astronauts on board. The microsatellite imager could have checked for damage, Pernicka says, before the shuttle began its trip home, giving NASA time to develop a repair plan.
Beyond the human factor, Pernicka’s spacecraft has other applications that are of interest to the Air Force.
“It could check on the status of spy satellites, fix components that have gone out of alignment on a spacecraft and check for debris,” he says.
Read more: Pernicka Develops Microsatellite for Air Force
The Latest on: Microsatellite
via Google News
The Latest on: Microsatellite
- AzaadiSAT: ISRO to launch a satellite built by 750 school girls on 7th August, Get Complete Details Hereon August 5, 2022 at 4:32 am
AzaadiSAT: ISRO will launch a special satellite which has been designed and built by over 750 girl students from across the India as part of Azadi Ka ...
- How 750 girls from rural India created an 8-kg microsatellite that ISRO rocket will carry to spaceon August 5, 2022 at 3:09 am
On 7 August, 750 girls from rural India will make history, as the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) newly developed Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) leaves for its maiden spaceflight ...
- Azaadisat Built By School Girlson August 5, 2022 at 2:52 am
Latest News on Azaadisat built by school girls. Read breaking stories and opinion articles on azaadisat-built-by-school-girls at Firstpost ...
- Groundbreaking CAP Guideline Clarifies Biomarker Testing, Impacts Multiple Cancer Typeson August 3, 2022 at 1:18 pm
A new College of American Pathologists (CAP) evidence-based guideline is among the first to address testing based less on the cancer type or tumor origin and more on the methodology and status of a ...
- FDA Lifts Hold on Novel CAR-T Cell Therapy for Colorectal Canceron August 2, 2022 at 6:00 am
The FDA will allow the study of CYAD-101, a novel CAR-T cell therapy, to continue in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer now that the eligibility criteria for the trial has been amended.
- ISRO invites people to watch rocket launch: How to registeron August 2, 2022 at 12:16 am
ISRO will launch the SSLV-D1/EOS-02 Mission from the SDSC on August 7 at 9:18 am. The agency has also shared a link via tweet so that people can register themselves to witness the launch. Those ...
- Systemic Chemotherapy Induces Microsatellite Instability in the Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells of Breast Cancer Patientson July 28, 2022 at 5:00 pm
We conducted the present study to evaluate whether systemic chemotherapy could produce microsatellite instability (MSI) in the peripheral blood mononuclear cell fraction of breast cancer patients.
- Systemic Chemotherapy Induces Microsatellite Instability in the Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells of Breast Cancer Patientson July 26, 2022 at 5:00 pm
We conclude that systemic chemotherapy may induce MSI and LOH in PBMCs from breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy regimens, especially chemotherapy regimens containing alkylating agents ...
- Nanosatellite and Microsatellite Market Size 2022: 15.76% CAGR | Current Trend, Share, Competitors and Forecaston July 21, 2022 at 7:31 pm
The MarketWatch News Department was not involved in the creation of this content. Jul 22, 2022 (The Expresswire) -- Global Nanosatellite and Microsatellite Market Analysis and Insights: Global ...
- Nanosatellite and Microsatellite Market Size 2022 with Top Countries industry chain structure, Covid-19 Impact Analysis, competitive landscapeon July 6, 2022 at 8:00 am
Global Nanosatellite and Microsatellite Market 2022 report offers comprehensive analysis on market size, share and growth rate data based on types, end users, applications and region along with ...
via Bing News