Astronautics Projects

Unusual mill tramming setup

Machining a large reaction wheel for StickCube

Milling an icosahedron for practice

Plasma plume potential measurement

Automatic Mass Balancing System for a Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics Simulator

For spacecraft attitude simulators, it is essential to accurately align the center of mass with the center of rotation. Any alignment error will cause a gravitational disturbance torque that quickly saturates actuators.

Study of Nonlinear Control Systems for Automatic Mass Balancing

Analysis of adaptive control, indirect model reference adaptive control, nonlinear direct model reference adaptive control, and full-state feedback controllers for mass balancing.

PCB Design for Compact Instrumentation Systems

PCBs for ground and flight systems.

Air Data System for Cirrus SR22T OPA Conversion

Flexible Autonomous Cleanroom Vacuum Drying Systems

Heat Pump Augmented Radiators for use on the Lunar Surface

Heat-pump augmented radiators were proposed for use in high-temperature vacuum environments, such as the Lunar surface. A literature review of active thermal control techniques was performed, and a parameter estimation model was created to predict the performance of heat-pump augmented radiators. A nondimensional condenser and evaporator effectiveness method was used to generate an estimation for steady-state parameters without detailed knowledge of the heat pump and radiator. This method has been shown to be effective for fluid-to-fluid heat pumps, but this model, with radiators in vacuum, has not been verified with testing.

Faculty advisor: Dr. Pauline Faure

LEO Spacecraft Torque Disturbance Simulation

A simulation of a spacecraft in low Earth orbit (LEO) was performed. Solar radiation, gravity gradient, atmospheric drag, and magnetic torque disturbances were modeled, and a control law for reaction wheels was designed for a 2% settling time of less than 50 seconds.

Project Group Members: Abigail Outcalt, Callan Whitney

Galilean Moon Tour Dynamics and Control

In Cal Poly AERO Senior Design, we are working on a mission to map the surfaces of the four Galilean moons. I created a simulation of the Earth-Jupiter coast phase, transfers between the moons, and orbits around the moons. The simulation includes the Jovian magnetic field and gravity gradient torque. The goal of this simulation is to determine total momentum requirements for ACS actuators for the mission, and lead to the selection of thrusters, magnetorquers, and reaction wheels for the mission. The VIP4 magnetic model was used, and the gravitational effects of Jupiter and all four Galilean moons are considered at each time step.

PowerSat Thermal Design and Analysis

As Thermal Lead for PowerSat, I worked on thermal design, analysis, and thermal vacuum chamber test procedures.

PowerSat was a 3U technology demonstration CubeSat with the primary goal of handling 100 Watts of peak electrical power. Cal Poly's ETOILES lab was tasked with designing and building the spacecraft bus. The satellite included a propulsion payload, a deployable 100 W solar array, and a high-powered LED as a test load. Due to space constraints, we were not able to use a dedicated radiator, so careful thermal design was essential to meet the mission success criteria. While PowerSat could not survive a continuous 100W load, numerous simulations and considerations of the orbital trajectory showed that we could carry out our mission and successfully demonstrate the payloads onboard. PowerSat was originally scheduled to launch with NASA CSLI in 2023, but is no longer expected to launch since the dissolution of ETOILES in August 2022.

Atomic Oxygen Erosion Testing

Samples of 'Kapton' polyimide material were eroded in an atomic oxygen chamber to characterize their performance when exposed to the LEO environment long-term.

Low Speed Wind Tunnel Testing and Instrumentation

Characterization of lift, drag, and vortex shedding for blunt bodies and airfoils in subsonic flows. Use of pressure gauges and load cells. Flow visualization with smoke. Instrumentation and air data system integration.

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