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Schedule for this lecture.
Goddard Space Flight Center Engineering Colloquium
Date: Monday, October 26, 1998
It is essential to fly tens to hundreds of nano-satellites in a constellation to make multi-point scientific measurements of key physical processes between the Sun and Earth. To remain consistent with present day Space Science mission cost caps, it is necessary to miniaturize the satellites to deliver them to space with one launch vehicle. To accomplish this, advanced technology development is required to make these satellites and their onboard instruments compact, lightweight, low power, low cost, and survivable in a space radiation environment. Nano-satellite technologies will enable a class of constellation missions for the NASA Space Science Sun-Earth Connections theme. These technologies will also be of great benefit to other NASA science enterprises.
Each nano-satellite will weigh a maximum of 10 kg, which includes all onboard propellant mass. Provisions for orbital maneuvers as well as attitude control, multiple sensors and instruments, and full autonomy will yield a highly capable miniaturized satellite. All onboard electronics will survive a total radiation dose rate of 100K rads over a two-year mission lifetime. Nano-satellites developed for in-situ measurements will be spin-stabilized, and carry a complement of particles and fields instruments. Nano-satellites developed for remote measurements will be three-axis-stabilized, and carry a complement of imaging and radio wave instruments. Autonomy both onboard the nano-satellites and at the ground stations will minimize the mission operational costs for tracking and managing a constellation. Partnerships with private industry and academic institutions will be utilized for the development and manufacture of the nano-satellites.
Key technologies under development will be described. These include advanced, miniaturized chemical propulsion; miniaturized sensors; highly integrated, compact electronics; autonomous onboard and ground operations; miniaturized low power tracking techniques for orbit determination; onboard RF communications capable of transmitting data to the ground from far distances; lightweight, efficient solar array panels; lightweight, high output battery cells; lightweight yet strong composite materials for the nano-spacecraft and deployer-ship structures; and simple, reusable ground systems.
Mr. Peter V. Panetta is presently the GSFC Project Formulation Manager for the Geospace Constellations Missions, a class of Solar Terrestrial Probe line missions of the NASA Space Science Sun-Earth Connections theme. He is also the GSFC Nano-satellite Technology Development Team Leader. Before assuming his present roles, Mr. Panetta was a senior electronics engineer for the Laboratory for Extraterrestrial Physics at GSFC, where he was responsible for the design, development, and testing of digital electronics and flight software for spacecraft science instruments. These science instruments have flown on the NASA Mars Observer, GGS WIND, Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP), STS-46 Tethered Satellite System (TSS-1), STS-75 Tethered Satellite System Re-flight (TSS-1R), SAC-B, CLARK, Mars Global Surveyor (MGS), Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE), and Lunar Prospector Missions. Mr. Panetta received his Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Rutgers University in 1984 and a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland in 1986. He is presently completing a Master's degree in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering from George Washington University.
Colloquium Committee Sponsor: Jim Lobell
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