Cadets Complete Testing On FalconSat-2 Model

MICROSAT BLITZ

US Air Force Academy cadets on the FalconSAT-2 Small Satellite team are preparing to build the flight model of a satellite that is scheduled to be launched aboard NASA's Space Shuttle STS-114 in January. Testing ended recently on the qualification model of the satellite at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. (Photo by Cadet 1st Class Casey Richardson)

by Luke Ball
Albuquerque - Apr 21, 2002
After two weeks of recent testing on the qualification model of the FalconSAT-2 satellite at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, N.M., cadets on the FalconSAT-2 Small Satellite team here are now preparing to build the actual flight model that is scheduled to be launched aboard NASA's Space Shuttle STS-114 in January 2003.

The mission of the FalconSAT-2 flight model on the shuttle will be to measure space plasma phenomena that are known to adversely affect space-based communication, such as the Global Positioning Satellite (GPS), and other civil and military communications.

Because of the testing the cadets conducted on the qualification model, only minor modifications must be made to the flight model design before launch. The cadets are now finalizing those modifications. The design and fabrication of the flight model is also under way. The cadets plan to complete construction of the flight model this semester for testing and delivery to NASA this summer.

The qualification model is nearly identical to the flight model in every respect, from the structural components to the electrical connections and wiring. The purpose of the qualification model was to validate the design by testing it to higher standards than what is required for the flight model. Testing on the qualification model is more rigorous and reduces risk by not damaging the flight model.

The testing conducted at Kirtland AFB included a vacuum bake-out, in which the satellite was placed in a heated chamber with the air evacuated to clean it. Then the satellite was put in a thermal vacuum chamber, which again evacuated the air, but allowed the temperature to increase or decrease to simulate a space orbit with the sun and eclipse.

The test provided thermal information as to how well the spacecraft reacts to changing temperature.

To find the center of gravity and moments of inertia, a mass properties test was done. This was critical to test correct deployment and attitude control of the satellite. That test was followed by a "shake" test in which a vibration table was configured and shook the satellite in all three axes, which simulates the vibration that the satellite will experience upon launch.

Finally, a test of the satellite deployment system, with help from personnel at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, was conducted to see if the satellite would release properly.

Throughout the testing period, tests were also made on the software, to know if the satellite was functioning properly, and solar lamp tests to ensure the solar panels worked correctly.

The FalconSAT program is managed by the Air Force Academy's Small Satellite Research Center, under the direction of Lt. Col. Jerry Sellers and Dr. Ron Humble. Twenty-six cadets participate in the program, along with faculty and contractor support.

The FalconSAT program is made possible through generous support from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Space & Missile Center Space Test Program and the U.S. Air Force Academy Association of Graduates.

OPINION SPACE

Microspace Vs. Terror

Herndon - Feb 26, 2002
Linoleum. 15 years of watching teachers etch chalk on blackboards, watching black minute hands on round white faces tick, sitting on plastic, writing on that amoeba-like blob of formica protruding out from the vicinity of my cramped right elbow, feet planted on Linoleum.

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