Welcome to the Utah State University Get Away Special team homepage (USU GAS Team for short)! We meet on Wednesday evenings at 5:30 in SER 244.
Currently, our objective is to validate a passive attitude control system (named the aeroboom) for CubeSats. In aerospace engineering, a cube satellite is a small satellite for space research. CubeSats are composed of 10×10×10 cm units. We use high altitude balloons to test the CubeSat software and mechanical systems.
The aeroboom is an inflatable boom which provides passive stabilization for a CubeSat. A calculated amount of air is left inside the boom during construction and inflates the boom in the vacuum of space. A UV-curing resin hardens the boom in its extended form. The drag plate attached to the end of the boom catches a small amount of atmosphere in a low earth orbit. This provides the stabilization to the CubeSat.
While the mechanical engineers work on the design of the CubeSat and the aeroboom, our software team is busy writing the flight software that will make this and future missions successful. Cubium is a minimalist software system for CubeSats and high-altitude balloon systems. It allows for complex software systems to be constructed simply and reliably. Cubium allows sensors and software components to send messages back and forth. If any of that sounds interesting, checkout Cubium on github.
The electrical team has the most critical job in the development of the CubeSat. They have manufactured many prototype circuit boards in house and are currently working to integrate the CubeSat’s many sensors into one single board.
The team is comprised of undergraduate students studying mechanical and aerospace engineering, computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, and physics.
Want to join? Send coordinator@mrt.usu.edu an email, or show up to our weekly meetings!