| Michigan
Tech Aerospace Engineers Selected for NASA Reduced Gravity Flight
Student Program |
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Michigan
Tech's Aerospace Enterprise student team was selected to test
their nanosatellite in zero gravity on KC-135 airplane at
an altitude of 36,000 ft. over Texas. Shown at left, MEEM
Chair Bill Predebon with the Michigan Tech student team.
The
Aerospace Enterprise Team is competing with nine other universities
to build the best probe for the NASA space shuttle launch
scheduled for 2006- 2007 |
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The MTU KC-135 Team is an undergraduate research team participating
in the NASA Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities Program
(RGSFOP) at Johnson Space Center. The KC-135 Team operates as
a design team as part of the MTU Aerospace Enterprise. Recently,
The Reduced Gravity Office selected the MTU KC-135 Team to fly
in an experiment on dynamic behavior of an inflatable boom (with
end masses). The boom and end masses are part of the MTU Aerospace
Enterprise's University Nansosat 3 Program. |
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The
goal of the proposed experiment is to understand the fundamental
dynamic behavior of an inflated space structure and how this
behavior will impact attitude control of the MTU HuskySat.
The four primary objectives are as follows:
Investigate
effects of gravity-dependent boundary conditions on the modal
response of the boom in each state. Determine stiffness of
the boom in each state for small deflections. Determine perturbation
amplitude at which the boom's dynamic response deviates from
solid mechanics' theory. Document dynamic behavior of the
boom for large oscillations. |
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Experiment
Objectives
• Understand the fundamental dynamic behavior of an
inflated space
structure and effects of gravity induced boundary conditions.
• Responses will be induced using a multiple reference
roving impact hammer test
Purpose
• Data will be used to predict stiffness of the boom
and settling time of
spacecraft when disturbed
• Generate control laws for MTU HuskySat |
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Flight
1
Flight 1 flyers: Adam Moore and Matt Blanck, Photos at left
and lower left. |
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•Flights
for 2005:
•Re-flight of boom experiment to modify techniques and
verify data
•“Free-float” experiment examining tip-offs
due to antenna deployment
Aerospace
Enterprise Team website |
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Flight 2
Flight 2 flyers: Jeff Carpenter, Jason Makela,
Tom Haas, in photos, above, left and below. |
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