TECHNOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF MICROSATELLITEBASED EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS S.I.Klimov, V.N.Angarov, M.B.Dobriyan, M.N.Nozdrachev, V.G.Rodin, G.M.Tamkovich Space Research Institute of Russian Academy of Science, and IRPO, 84/32, Profsoyuznaya str., Moscow, 117810, Russia A.A.Beliaev, Ye.A.Grachov, O.R.Grigoryan, V.V.Radchenko Scobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics of Moscow State University, and IRPO, Vorobyevy gory, Moscow, 119899, Russia ABSTRACT Space is the area of vital interests of mankind. Education and its first stage, school, is the natural approach to make people realize it. Exploration of space relies upon rocket and space technology, and the earlier the public will "touch" it, the faster and better results of space exploration will be obtained. A wide Program of the School Scientific-Research Micro-satellite (SSRMS) would be a main aspect of such an approach. The SSRMS have full weight no more than 25 kg, including weight of the scientific equipment that is 4-6 kg.
1.ORGANIZED ASPECT The micro-satellite is a kind of teaching aid, rather expensive and sophisticated mainly because it employs high technologies, not available for school education. Hence, technical aspects of the Program should directly involve participation of advanced branches of science and engineering. The non-profit Inter-Region Public Organization “Union of specialists and youth for scientifictechnological creation in space technology - Micro-Satellite” (IRPO –
[email protected]) designs and creates SSRMS for the Education Program. It involves the youth of Russia and other countries (learning schools and other educational institutions) in learning and assimilation of modern technologies in the field of research and use of Near Earth Space. The IRPO activity is based on the realisation of concrete projects on building, launching into orbit and then control of the micro-satellites equipped with various research devices that allow the youth to carry out scientific-research work and to introduce them to the procedures of fundamental scientific work. In essence, such micro-satellites are built using modern technologies and are capable of carrying-out a few of the scientific missions normally performed by larger and much more expensive space vehicles. The development and manufacturing of the SSRMS is organized in IRPO with participation of scientists and highly skilled experts from the Russian scientific, design and industrial organizations that are connected to space research and industry. These are, in particular, the Space Research Institute with Special Design Bureau for Space Instruments, and the Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism and Radiowave Propagation of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Rocket Space Corporation "Energia", Moscow State University, etc. The youth participating in IRPO projects, has an opportunity to get acquainted with the complete cycle of processes connected to a formulation of the micro-satellite scientific program concept, its design, manufacture and launch into orbit. The youth take part themselves in receiving, processing and interpreting the scientific and service information from the microsatellite in orbit. For these purposes the equipment of the school ground stations for receiving and processing of the information operates in the radio-amateur frequency band. The ground stations are rather simple in design. They are based on standard components. The radioamateurs can easily work with them. Being a non-profit organization, IRPO aims at reducing the cost of projects, which are in fact several times less than similar projects. The IRPO funds are
provided by sponsors, educational institutions (through fees for participation in the projects) and by membership fees. These funds cover micro-satellite design, manufacturing and the organization of its launch into an orbit.
2.EDUCATIONAL ASPECT The task of the Program is not only to bring students to the level of practical realization of SSRMS but also to bring scientists themselves to the educational process. It may proceed on the following directions: • Design and development of service satellite systems, on board computer systems, orientation sensors, “store-and-forward” informational systems, ballistics calculations of small satellite, its orbit, technological modes. • Technological experiments, materials studies, micro-gravitation effects etc. • Earth’s remote sensing, meteorological studies, high resolution topographic studies • Physics studies of Earth’s radiation belts, atmosphere and ionosphere studies, Earth’s magnetic field studies, space weather studies, ecological tasks, including search for possible anthropogenic symptoms[1, 2]. The concept of using of micro-satellite was generated to the end of the 80-th and now the general tendency to increase of their share in total of satellites working in an orbit is observed. Now it is clear, that the modern level of development of engineering allows the majority of research experiments (behind exception, perhaps, astrophysical) to carry out with the equipment in weight no more than 5-10 kg. Taking into account extremely high information loading of modern experiments, the basic problem consists in an opportunity of transfer of the received in experiments data to the Earth. It is the basic restriction. The decision of a problem can be creation of the appropriate infrastructure receptions of the information both in regions of Russia, and in other countries. The first SSRMS to be executed by IRPO is a joint Russian-Australian project "Kolibri-2000" http://www.iki.rssi.ru/kollibri/mission1_e . The participants of this project are: a group of Russian schools (Basic - School of Computer Technologies at University of Atomic Energy in Obninsk, near Moscow www.gelios.obninsk.org ) and two Australian schools: Knox Grammar School www.knox.nsw.au and Ravenswood School for Girls www.ravenswood.nsw.edu.au. The launch of "Kolibri 2000" is planned at the beginning 2001. August 2000 the group of the Russian schoolboys and schoolgirls, teachers and specialists visited Australia, where the ground stations were installed on the premises of the Australian schools.
3.MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF “KOLIBRI-2000” The basic characteristics: 1. weight - no more than 25 kg, including weight: • scientific equipment - 4.5 kg; • service system with: - 12.5 kg - transmitter / receiver - 1.34 kg - controller - 0.73 kg - power supply system (12 +2/-3 Volt, 3.5 A.h - 5.8 kg - magnetic-gravitational stabilization system - 3.1 kg - cables, connectors - 1.23 kg • construction and thermoregulation system - 5.6 kg 2. power capacity from 0.6 m2 solar panel - 25 W; 3. an orbit - an orbit of ISS; the system of orientation with accuracy of orientation - not worse 10_; 4. maintenance of a thermal mode - passive through elements of a design of the satellite;
5. maintenance of maximal time of active existence in an orbit (4-6 months) is reached due to increase of the area of solar cells (a covering by them not only bodies of the satellite, but also installation of additional panels); 6. for transfer of the scientific and service information the radio-channel on frequency 145/435 MHz (for maintenance of reception of the information on radio-amateur places of acceptance) is used; 7. information ability is determined, mainly, the limited number of ground points of communication and makes 1.5 Mbytes/day; the buffer store in capacity of 2 Mbytes onboard is used; onboard communication line - RS232 Start of the “Kolibri-2000” is planned to carry out from ISS.
Kolibri-2000 Russian-Australian School Scientific- Reasearch Micro-satelite
educational tasks
development of skills of work with modern high technology Improvement elements of distant education the profound studying of natural sciences (physics, applied mathematics, computer facilities, etc.) partisipating in scientific tasks formation partisipation in processing of scientific data and in interpretation of obteined information Laboratory practical work prototyping of elements and units of eguipment development of skills of work with modern equipment prototyping of program elements forscientific and service equipment development of skills of work with big data massiveI improvement of methods of menagment of special space apparatus
scientific investigations
dynamic of Earth's radiation belts mesurenment of Earth's magnetic field and its fluctuations search of symptoms of earthquakes research of "abnormal" formations in the inner radiation belt
technical and design tasks
design of apparatus in view of rigid requirements to a design small size, low mass and power allocation of scientific equipment system, especialy of detectors
ecological tasks
design of stabilisation system
measurenments of neutral radiation (neutrons, gamma)
providing of termal mode of apparatus
research of connections betwin ionosphere and atmosphere
Figure 1. Main goals of “Kolibri-2000”.
providing of maximal time of active life of apparatus on orbit
4.SCIENTIFIC EQUIPMENT The decision of the listed tasks is carried out by a system of scientific equipment: • three-component flux-gate magnetometer (+/-64000 nT with a margin error of measurements on each channel it is not worse than 10 nT); AC 50-60 Hz bandwidth; • electrometer - two components v x B induced electric field; AC 50-60 Hz bandwidth; • 4 gas-discharge counters for registration of flux of electrons with energy > 200 keV and located in such a manner that two counters are directed accordingly to zenith and nadir, and others two make with them the orthogonal three; • the gas-discharge counter for registration of flux of protons with energy > 50 MeV (electrons with Ee > 5 MeV); • the semi-conductor detector with magnetic filter for registration of flux of protons with energy 0.1-8.0___; • gas-discharge neutron counters with graphite absorber for registration of flux of neutrons with energy 0.1-10.0 MeV and gamma-rays with energy > 15 MeV;
5.CONCLUSION Thus, the Russian - Australian experiment “Kolibri–2000” now is prepared. Feature of the SSRMS is that, besides tasks of educational character, on it at active participation of schoolboys and students a lot of scientific problems are solved [3].
REFERENCES 1.
2. 3.
S.I.Klimov, N.A.Eismont, Yu.V.Lisakov, V.G.Lyakishev, A.A.Skalsky, S.P.Savin, A.A.Petrukovich, A.V.Prudkoglad, V.G.Rodin, S.A.Romanov, L.S.Turin, V.E.Korepanov, U.Auster, J.Rustenbach. The electromagnetic clean microsatellite of orbital station for the monitoring of the low-frequency electromagnetic emissions, Second International Aerospace Congress IAC'97, Abstracts, p.305, 1997. O.R.Grigoryan, A.V.Sinyakov, S.I.Klimov. Energetic electrons on L
