Electric Sail and Plasma Brake Deployment System Prototype
Haslam, Sean (2018)
Metropolia Ammattikorkeakoulu
2018
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2018111417165
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2018111417165
Tiivistelmä
This thesis will detail the prototyping and results of the main and peripheral functions of a deployment system for electric sail and plasma brake technologies. The aim of this project is to provide a fully functioning prototype that may be developed further into engineering qualification models, and finally culminating in a flight model.
First the thesis will clarify cubesat technology, the science of these technologies, followed by covering the schematic and subsystems for the deployment system. The study utilises some FORESAIL-1 mission specifications as a basis for development.
The prototype was implemented using standard retail components and a STM32 microcontroller embedded on an evaluation board. Programming of the STM32 was accomplished with Keil integrated development environment using C language. Command communication, for simulation of the commands an On-Board Computer would send to payloads, is achieved with YAT Terminal and a universal asynchronous receiver-transmitter interface. Measurements were executed with a digital multimeter, oscilloscope and the STM32s built-in analog-to-digital converters.
For the results, the functionality of the prototype is analysed and assessed. The results are compared with the calculations. Finally this report will discuss the improvements that can be applied for future iterations.
First the thesis will clarify cubesat technology, the science of these technologies, followed by covering the schematic and subsystems for the deployment system. The study utilises some FORESAIL-1 mission specifications as a basis for development.
The prototype was implemented using standard retail components and a STM32 microcontroller embedded on an evaluation board. Programming of the STM32 was accomplished with Keil integrated development environment using C language. Command communication, for simulation of the commands an On-Board Computer would send to payloads, is achieved with YAT Terminal and a universal asynchronous receiver-transmitter interface. Measurements were executed with a digital multimeter, oscilloscope and the STM32s built-in analog-to-digital converters.
For the results, the functionality of the prototype is analysed and assessed. The results are compared with the calculations. Finally this report will discuss the improvements that can be applied for future iterations.