August 22, 2003 Feature
Utah
State Students Build a Nanosat — Will it be Launched?
 For
centuries astronomers have been fascinated by the heavenly bodies
in the Earth's solar system. In the late 1950s, scientists were
able to get a closer view of the vast expanse above the Earth
by using satellites — Explorer 1, the first American satellite
in orbit, lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., Jan. 31, 1958.
It's been 40 years and satellites have come a long way. Using
new technologies, satellites orbiting the Earth are becoming
more sophisticated, and a group of mechanical and electrical
engineering students at Utah State University are lending their
brain power to build a satellite of their own.
The Utah State students are putting their engineering capabilities
to the test by competing against 13 other schools in the University
Nanosatellite Program, a competition giving students two years
to design, build and test a nanosatellite. A nanosatellite is
a small satellite that is about the size of a 19-inch color
television. Each team competing receives $100,000 over two years
to complete the project.
The nanosatellite team includes graduate and undergraduate
students from many nations, including Switzerland and India,
who are studying in both electrical and mechanical engineering.
The students began the preliminary design of the satellite in
the spring.
 The
team's mission is to design and build a nanosatellite that will
study and measure the ionosphere, a region of the Earth's atmosphere
located approximately 60 miles above the Earth. The Utah State
students say they want their nanosatellite to study the ionosphere
because not much is known about it, yet it plays an important
role in protecting the Earth from the Sun's harmful radiation.
"We have a simple design," said Joël Quincieu,
a master's student in mechanical engineering and project manager
for the nanosatellite team.
Jeff Ward, the principal investigator for the team and a doctorate
candidate in electrical and computer engineering, concurred.
"Many satellites are so complex that things can go wrong,"
he said. "You can't send a mechanic into space to fix a
problem, so we have chosen a safe and reliable design that will
get the job done. We want to win this competition, and we believe
we have a better chance by keeping it simple."
The students, who work closely with professors and researchers
at the Utah State Space Dynamics Laboratory at Innovation Campus,
believe they have an advantage over the competition. SDL scientists
work closely with NASA to further space research and have sent
several experiments into space, and this is the second time
a group of Utah State students has entered the competition in
the last four years.
Beginning the design phase of the competition has been exciting
for the students. They have weekly meetings to discuss their
progress and teach each other about their particular expertise.
They also work closely to make sure every aspect of the design
is considered.
"The electricians must consult with the mechanics or we
might have a problem," said Quincieu. "It's a lot
like marriage. We have to go to each other with every little
design change we implement. We can’t go off and do our
own thing."
The team said that working on the satellite program has allowed
them to intermingle with one another and cross departmental
lines.
"It's the way industry works," said Quincieu. "We
are receiving a unique and challenging education at Utah State."
Utah State is a great environment for someone who wants to
study space sciences, and SDL brings experience and knowledge
that may not be found at other universities, he continued.
 One-third
of Utah State's Space Dynamics Laboratory 400 employees are
undergraduate and graduate students. SDL, a not-for-profit research
corporation, generated $55 million in revenues for the fiscal
year 2003 and has developed and operated nearly 500 payloads,
including shuttle experiments, real-time reconnaissance systems
and satellite-based sensor suites.
Pranay Gupta, a master's student studying electrical and computer
engineering, is part of the team and said that working on this
project while in school gives him special privileges.
"There is no discrimination when you are a student,"
he said. "I can be a part of this team and may get to send
my satellite into space. That might be more challenging if I
weren’t a student."
The students faced their first design review of the competition
last week when Utah State hosted the Conference on Small Satellites.
The judges, consisting of representatives from NASA, the U.S.
Air Force and others, told the students their strengths and
weaknesses and where they needed to improve their design before
the next review in six months.
The Utah State students working on the project are all volunteers,
said Charles Swenson, electrical and computer engineering professor
and the team's principal investigator. The team is mentored
by Swenson as well as by Todd Mosher, professor of mechanical
and aerospace engineering, professor of mechanical and aerospace
engineering Rees Fullmer and Randy Jost, advisor in electrical
and computer engineering.
"The professors are our advocates," said Ward. "We
wouldn't get far without them."
The competition is sponsored by the Air Force Office of Scientific
Research, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, the American Institute
of Aeoronautics and Astronautics and the Air Force Research
Laboratory Space Vehicle Directorate. The Utah State team members
include Jeff Ward, Joel Quincieu, Jeff Kwong, Greg Kirkham,
Pranay Gupta, Matt Warner, Scott Cornelsen, Quinn Young, Anthony
Jensen, Balachander Srinivasan and Matt Carney.
The Utah State students are competing against other universities
including Arizona State and the University of Colorado-Boulder.
The winning team will be announced in early 2005 and will have
its satellite launched into space on the space shuttle.
"It costs millions of dollars to have a satellite launched
into space," said Quincieu. "Winning this competition
would be a great opportunity for Utah State."
Contact: Charles Swenson, charles.swenson@usu.edu,
(435) 797-2958
Writer: Maren Cartwright, maren.cartwright@usu.edu,
(435) 797-1355
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