The Art of Space Engineering

In space, a spacecraft can experience extreme hot and cold temperatures based on its distance from the sun and orbit around a planet. As a result, spacecraft incorporate a control system to maintain hardware within an allowable temperature range so they don’t become damaged. While thermal control systems are essential for spacecraft, modeling and designing these is not an easy or straightforward task.   In today’s episode I got to chat with JPL thermal engineer Belinda Shreckengost on several topics that go into thermal engineering, including: how thermal models and thermal control systems are developed, as well as how engineers prepare for thermal vacuum testing.  Episode recorded on 7/24/2020 For References for Belinda’s JPL missions, check out the following websites: https://mars.nasa.gov/   https://www.nasa.gov/missions

Our round table discussion on flight software development and testing continues! In the second half of the discussion, Craig Knoblauch, Vivek Chacko, and I detail our experiences with conducting systems level testing for Phoenix, handling student turnover and recruitment, and how we structured our time with development and testing in the lab while also managing our classes as full time students.  Phoenix was Arizona State University’s first student-led CubeSat to be launched into space in Feb. 2020. It’s objectives aimed to educate undergraduate students on the concepts of space mission engineering and to collect thermal images of U.S. cities to study the Urban Heat Island Effect.  Learn more about Phoenix at the project website: phxcubesat.asu.edu

In Part 2 of our discussion on systems integration for the Phoenix CubeSat, Jaime, Vivek, and I recount stories from flight integration, vibe testing, and delivery to the Nanoracks in Houston. This episode also features our infamous story on how Phoenix’s launch date was saved by Kapton tape. So if you’re curious to know what things to look out for in the final phase of the system integration and test process for CubeSats, and how we get these spacecraft through the TSA, tune into this episode to learn more about Phoenix!  Phoenix was Arizona State University’s first student-led CubeSat to be launched into space in Feb. 2020. It’s objectives aimed to educate undergraduate students on the concepts of space mission engineering and to collect thermal images of U.S. cities to study the Urban Heat Island Effect.  Learn more about Phoenix at the project website: phxcubesat.asu.edu

The flight software is the heart of a spacecraft. It dictates every action that the spacecraft takes. Because of this, it’s critical to ensure that the software is robust, and that it can support the mission in every possible way. Not only is the code itself important, but the way the software is managed and comes together is significant as well.  Today’s episode features a round table discussion between myself, Craig Knoblauch, and Vivek Chacko as we discuss the lessons we learned over the years in developing the flight software for the Phoenix CubeSat.  Due to the length of the discussion, I split this episode up into two different parts. This episode (Part 1) covers the architecture of our flight software, how we organized development, and the technical challenges we faced during software development and testing.  Phoenix was Arizona State University’s first student-led CubeSat to be launched into space in Feb. 2020. It’s objectives aimed to educate undergraduate students on the concepts of space mission engineering and to collect thermal images of U.S. cities to study the Urban Heat Island Effect.  Learn more about Phoenix at the project website: phxcubesat.asu.edu

Studying stars and planetary objects in the ultraviolet can reveal a tremendous amount about the way our universe works. However, developing the instruments to study them is not a trivial thing to do. In this episode, I chat with Dr. Paul Scowen about the design of UV optical systems and how these are also driven by spacecraft interfaces, how these instruments are tested and calibrated, and challenges that are faced in collecting data in the UV.  Dr. Scowen is a research professor at Arizona State University’s School of Earth and Space Exploration, where his work is centered around star and planet formation in massive stellar environments as well as optical engineering for instruments operating in the UV spectrum.  Additional resources:  HabEx concept paper: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/habex/pdf/HabEx-Final-Report-Public-Release-LINKED-0924.pdf SPARCS: https://sese.asu.edu/research/sparcs

How do you stand out when it comes to looking for a job? How do you get your foot in the door? Further, when you get an offer, how do you evaluate whether it’s really the right job for you, not only in terms of what you do, but also where you go and whom you work with? If you’re interested in hearing career advice when it comes to finding a job, learning how to become successful and more involved in your company when you get one, and knowing what things to look out for along the way, then check out today’s episode! In it, I chat with Prof. Chuck Boehmer on his advice for finding a job and entering the workforce.  Prof. Boehmer is a faculty associate  at Arizona State University in the Fulton Schools of Engineering, where he teaches space systems design. In his past experience, he’s served as a test pilot, worked as a Systems Engineer in the navy, and spent several years at Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics as a program manager.

Integrating a CubeSat is not as easy as it sounds. In addition to housing all necessary  hardware, the design has to meet requirements from the launch provider, account for cabling, and ensure everything is designed such that it can be easily put together and taken apart. The structure for the Phoenix CubeSat was developed and fabricated entirely by the student team with these ideas in mind, but we learned several lessons as we worked toward finalizing the structure design and assembly procedure. This episode features another round table discussion between Jaime Sanchez de la Vega, Vivek Chacko, and myself, as we recount our experiences and lessons learned on developing the 3U chassis for Phoenix and on putting everything together during flight assembly, integration, and test.  This discussion ended up covering several different topics, so to capture everything, I split this episode up into two parts. Part 1 covers how Phoenix’s 3U structure was designed and how we verified the design along the way. It also covers lessons learned in fabrication as well as the importance of tolerances, and where we learned to look out for potential issues. Phoenix was Arizona State University’s first student-led CubeSat to be launched into space in Feb. 2020. It’s objectives aimed to educate undergraduate students on the concepts of space mission engineering and to collect thermal images of U.S. cities to study the Urban Heat Island Effect.  Learn more about Phoenix at the project website: phxcubesat.asu.edu