Cube-Sat for Disclosure

[Fore]

MUFON just put out a story on us at there web site... Big thanks to MUFON.. http://www.mufon.com/ufo-news/cubesa...gical-research

God speed on your latest project. I hope it is a very successful event.

[earthman]

Thanks Fore. Looks like we have support coming from all over. After the fight years back for a satellite I get to do this now with a cubesat... Can't wait..

[calikid]

With all this attention, could be a good time to review the Cube-Sat project logistics.
In a format that won't tax your vocal cords. Ha!

I assume this topic was covered extensively at the Conference, please share some of the answers you gave at the IUFOC.

Let's see if I have this right.
A company, for the sum of $20,000 is willing to place a payload the size of a shoe-box on one of their launch vehicles.
Then lift that payload into Earth orbit.

Due to size/weight restrictions, I'm going to guess you will have to restrict the contents to basics:
1) Digital Camera with great optics, to look for UFOs.
2) Communications system, to phone home with the captured information (ie pictures).
3) A vector thrust system for attitude adjustments (Compressed air? Limiting resource).
4) Gyroscope to stabilize attitude.
5) On Board Computer system (OBC) to tie navigation, thrust control, communications, etc., together.
6) Power source to run the equipment. (Guessing no nuclear option. Battery with solar charger?).
7) Durable Housing, to contain all elements.
8) On board temperature control; maintain appropriate component parts temperature parameters.
9) Optional parts wish list.... RADAR, LIDAR, I.R., etc.

Nothing a grad student at JPL couldn't cobble to together, but not exactly something you'd find on eBay.
Who/where will this device be manufactured?
How many "show boxes" will it take?
Where will mission control be located, and who will man Satellite communications?

You had mentioned earlier something about altitude.
Are there different options for payload placement associated with the fee?
What is the target for this project (Isn't Low Earth Orbit (LEO) something like 62 miles?)?
High enough to avoid space junk? I'd think one collision could spoil your whole day.

Maybe your new friend, retired nuclear physicist Stanton Friedman, could be a valuable resource in selection of payload content?
Anyway, appreciate it if you could find the time to share specifics on logistics.

Thanks!

[earthman]

Great questions Calikid. Since we upgrade to a 2U, which is two cubesats together. We will have more room for batteries and more science gear. It is solar powered and while in the sun, batteries will be charged and should have no problem maintaining power for the mission. Low orbit even includes the ISS. It is considered low earth orbit. We are looking at different company's for launch. We want as high as orbit as possible. We may get a year out of it if we get up high enough. ISS is around the 250 mile range. One company is Interorbital Systems. They sell cubesat's and launch them. If you buy one from them, it includes launch. But it is not to high a orbit. We were looking at only 2 to 3 months until burn up. So we are looking elsewhere. We are raising more money on our Kickstarter for a better launch. If we raise enough, we may acquire, if possible Radar. They have postage stamp sized radar now. It may be possible, but we need to raise a good chunk for that one. The guy building our cubesat is a cubesat optimizer and knows his stuff. He is building it now. We raised enough on the indiegog drive Dave Cote did in December. It will have two camera's on board. With a 360 view around the satellite. It will NOT have any thrust at all on the Satellite. It's on its own. But it does have a gyro of a sort. It's done by emitting a magnetic field. It reacts to the earths magnetic field and orients the satellite and can point it of a sort. Here is the details. LT Magnetorquer Board

•3-axis magnetic torque rod system


•3-axis magnetometer


•Coarse Control Pointing


•Three actuators; two torque rods and one air core torquer


•Current Sensors for each torquers


•Telemetry over I2C


•Detumble up to 3U


•Direct analog control of actuators with direct PWM signal


•Compatible with PC-104 mechanical interface

I'll do more later. I'm kinda busy now. Got an old friend visiting from Ohio shortly.

[calikid]

Thanks for sharing details. Sound very well planned out.
Look forward to reading more about specifications, as your schedule permits.
Especially interested in communications, guessing it's more complicated than 2 Radio-Shack Walkie-Talkies. Ha!
And the camera's optics/lenses should be interesting, since capturing images is the ultimate goal.
Not to mention data storage (CCD or CMOS digital imaging?) of those images, and their transmission to base stations.

BTW, RADAR the size of a postage stamp? Wow! That would be a nice addition. Let's hope the budget makes it possible.

[earthman]

Hi again... Here is a quote from Dave Cote on the picture taking.

Yeah, we'll be taking a pic every 10 seconds or so, transmitting the thumbnail. This isn't HD, but gives a decent image just to have. No reason having HD of nothing. If there's an anomaly, then the full HD image is transmitted. Now, HD images are always taken and stored to the SD card on the sat, but the thumbnails are extracted and sent. We'll have a buildup of the past, say 10 HD images, so we'll be able to get those before their deleted if there's a reason to. Anomaly will be defined by the software as spikes in EM, Ions, or image changes such as motion or brightness changes.

Here is an update I received from Dave Cote..

Mission Objectives

•Build a 2U CubeSat to search for anomalies in Low Earth Orbit


•Must be capable of receiving command and transmitting telemetry and mission data down.


•Experiments include:

•Real-time magnetometer observations


•Real-time geiger counter observations


•On-orbit HD image capture of surrounding Low Earth Orbit

•Capable of taking images in 5 second increments


•Transmitting images down and release images to public raw(untampered/unedited)

•Capable of coarse pointing accuracy
•Global Shutter for capturing moving objects



LT Command and Data Handler/Electrical Power System Board

•32-bit AVR flash microcontroller featuring 512KB Flash, 68KB SRAM

•Running OpenSAT FreeRTOS, lightweight multitasking architecture



•Redundant µSD storage (2x 8GB)


•Real Time Clock


•On-board Temperature Sensor


•4x External Temperature Sensor(user mountable)


•External(from µController) On-board Watchdog


•USB Bootloader


•Virtual USB for easy Debugging


•On-board Inertial Measurement Unit - Magnetometer, Gyroscope, Accelerometer


•Compatible with CMOS(UART) camera(TBD)


•Compatibility with Lippert Technologies, LLC Flight Radio/Educational Radio


•Compatibility with NSL: NearSpace Launch Inc. Eyestar Duplex Modem


•Compatibility with Lippert Technologies, LLC OpenSat Educational Payload Board


•Compatibility with Lippert Technologies, LLC Magnetorquer Board

•Compatible with PC-104 mechanical Interface


LT Battery Pack

•Li-Ion Battery Pack


•Utilizes four 18650 series battery cells


•10000 mAh Capacity


•~7.4 V voltage Range


•Temperature Sensors


•Compatible with Lippert Technologies, LLC Command and Data Handler/Electrical Power System


•Compatible with PC-104 mechanical interface




LT Magnetorquer Board

•3-axis magnetic torque rod system


•3-axis magnetometer


•Coarse Control Pointing


•Three actuators; two torque rods and one air core torquer


•Current Sensors for each torquers


•Telemetry over I2C


•Detumble up to 3U


•Direct analog control of actuators with direct PWM signal


•Compatible with PC-104 mechanical interface

•Compatible with Lippert Technologies, LLC Command and Data Handler/Electrical Power System


LT 1U Flight Solar Panel

•22% cell efficiency


•Coarse Sun Sensor -ADC


•Temperature Sensor


•Protection Diodes


•Voltage: ~12v


•Current: 104mA


•Power: ~ 1250 mW peak

•Compatible with Lippert Technologies, LLC 1U, 2U,3U Chassis


LT Flight Imager Payload Board

•BeagleBone Black header connector


•BeagleBone Black with 8GB SD card included


•Geiger Counter


•3MP CMOS Sensor Color Camera

•35mm lens/F1.9


•Camera Mount included


•25.8 fps


•Global Shutter for capturing moving objects


•Rolling Shutter for low-noise, high-contrast images


•Near InfraRed version with twice the infrared sensitivity



•OpenSat Payload Software Package

•JPEG Compression


•Compatible with PC-104 mechanical interface



LT 2U Flight Chassis

•AL 6061


•Tight Tolerances TBD


•Detachable Side Panels


•Kill-switch mechanism


•PC-104 compatible


•94mm x 94mm PCBs

•Compatible with NSL’s Eyestar Duplex Modem

[Dragonfire]

That is ine heck of a list. Hope all goes well. Exciting stuff

[earthman]

Here is how Dave Cote explained our photo taking.

Yeah, we'll be taking a pic every 10 seconds or so, transmitting the thumbnail. This isn't HD, but gives a decent image just to have. No reason having HD of nothing. If there's an anomaly, then the full HD image is transmitted. Now, HD images are always taken and stored to the SD card on the sat, but the thumbnails are extracted and sent. We'll have a buildup of the past, say 10 HD images, so we'll be able to get those before their deleted if there's a reason to. Anomaly will be defined by the software as spikes in EM, Ions, or image changes such as motion or brightness changes.

So we will be monitoring the photo's all the time. After all these years of me trying to get a satellite in orbit for this cause, it will be hell to pry me away from the screen so it will be monitored all the time. lol. What will be fun is for some who donated at a certain level, get to take there own photo's from space, say over there house. Or for me, next year at the International UFO Congress, we can take a photo of it as we are all there. Can't wait till launch.

[Edward]

Wow, earthman, does that come with fries. Might as well, I'm getting more pumped with each post.

Here is one thing and I'm sure this is at least been thought of if not mentioned with your core group Earthman. That is, when/if you get some anomalous data how can you prove against the naysayers that the data true and not corrupted?

Edward

[Wansen]

What an awesome undertaking earthman. No doubt it will be successful; your efforts are remarkable!