Recently, there has been a large push for university participation in space exploration from organizations such as NASA. But to participate, students and professors must be able to simulate an environment similar to space so they may test the design of their spacecraft. Most university CubeSat programs are targeted toward PhD matters, with some help from undergraduate students. In this paper, we explain a novel approach to design and develop a low-cost platform for testing a CubeSat attitude control system. This platform is developed while keeping a minimal physical footprint within the lab. In addition, all research and development for this testing platform will be performed solely at the undergraduate level. The testing platform was developed with a modest grant from local industries and university support and is being used to perform research on CubeSat attitude determination and controls systems (ADCS). Off the shelf CubeSat ADCS are expensive, but they are a major component of a successful CubeSat design and development. The goal of this paper is to show smaller organizations a way to enter CubeSat research, by offering a low cost, small footprint, frictionless test stand to aid in design and development of CubeSat ADCS [1-3]. The main principle in creating this frictionless test stand will be the physics of an air bearing. By creating a thin cushion of air between the air bearing and the base, a near frictionless environment is achieved [1]. The PI 150mm-diameter hemispherical air bearing was utilized for this, as it has an adequately-sized platform and a load capacity of 160 kg. The air bearing also need a pedestal to be mounted on which was manufactured out of aluminum and then anodized. This pedestal was then bolted to an industrial cart for portability and stability. Then, by utilizing a standard air compressor that can be found at many different hardware stores, the system can be brought online. It is important to note that standard air compressors that are typically used for household purposes are efficient for operation of this system, but can produce undesired noise and vibration. To reduce this, the portable stand was lined with a noise-reducing material. While this adds an extra cost to the test stand, it makes the system quiet and adds extra stability. The completed frictionless test stand offers 360° of freedom on the Z axis and ±45° of freedom on the X and Y axes and has been produced for $7,220. This test stand provides an excellent, low cost, low footprint solution for emulating the frictionless environment of outer space and is ideal for testing rotational motion capabilities of ADCS.
Design and development of a low-cost CubeSat attitude control system testing platform
2018-03-01
585806 byte
Conference paper
Electronic Resource
English
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