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→Attitude Determination and Control (ADCS): Updated subsystem description with info about thrusters, simplified the rest of it, made small changes elsewhere
=== Attitude Determination and Control (ADCS) ===
=== Attitude Determination and Control (ADCS) ===
[[File:Magnetorquer.jpg|thumb|A magnetorquer board from Sapling-2; those tiny lines are the coils of wire that generate a magnetic field!]]
[[File:Magnetorquer.jpg|thumb|A magnetorquer board from Sapling-2; those lines are the coils of wire that generate a magnetic field!]]
Slack Channel: [https://ssi-teams.slack.com/messages/satellites-adcs satellites-adcs]
Slack Channel: [https://ssi-teams.slack.com/messages/satellites-adcs satellites-adcs]
Subteam Lead: Grant Regen
Subteam Lead: Grant Regen
Welcome! As it says in the name, the ADCS subteam is focused on two major parts of our on-orbit operations: figuring out the orientation of the satellite, and controlling this orientation. This is a super important part of any satellite, especially ones that takes pictures like ours. For our past missions we've used sun sensors for our attitude determination and magnetorquer boards for control. The sun sensors measure how much light is hitting each of the six sides of the satellite; by combining information from all six sides, we can roughly determine where the sun is in relation to the satellite, and thus which direction we're pointing. Magnetorquer boards spin the satellite by creating a magnetic field that interacts with the Earth's magnetic field. This interaction creates a force on the satellite, spinning it around an axis.
Welcome! As it says in the name, the ADCS subteam is focused on two major parts of our on-orbit operations: figuring out the orientation of the satellite, and controlling this orientation. This is a super important part of any satellite, especially ones that takes pictures like ours. For our past missions we've used sun sensors for our attitude determination and magnetorquer boards for control. The sun sensors measure how much light is hitting each of the six sides of the satellite and combine this information to roughly determine where the sun is in relation to the satellite. Magnetorquer boards spin the satellite by creating a magnetic field that interacts with the Earth's magnetic field. This interaction creates a torque on the satellite, spinning it around an axis.
We have a BUNCH of projects for this subteam for the upcoming SAMWISE mission! In addition to creating new magnetorquer boards for a 2U, we're also developing reaction wheels for more precise pointing ability. Reaction wheels are small spinning disks attached to electric motors that rotate the satellite due to the conservation of angular momentum. Since the angular momentum of the satellite stays the same, when you spin the disk in one direction the satellite spins in the opposite direction! This allows us to control which way the satellite points with a lot more precision than just with magnetorquers. We're also developing a star tracker for our attitude determination, which takes pictures of the stars and figures out where the satellite is pointing. There's tons of super cool stuff happening with this subteam, so definitely join the slack to get started!
We have a BUNCH of projects for this subteam for the upcoming SAMWISE mission! In addition to creating new magnetorquer boards, '''we're developing reaction wheels and thrusters (!!!)''' for more precise pointing ability. Reaction wheels are small spinning disks attached to electric motors that rotate the satellite very precisely. The thrusters we're working on are vacuum arc thrusters, which work by ionizing a solid metal propellant and then accelerating those ions with a magnetic field. We're also developing a star tracker for our attitude determination, which takes pictures of the stars and figures out where the satellite is pointing. There's tons of super cool stuff happening with this subteam, so definitely join the slack to get started!
=== Avionics ===
=== Avionics ===
= Missions =
= Missions =
== Current Mission: SAMWISE ==
== Current Mission: SAMWISE ==
Our current mission is SAMWISE, a 2U CubeSat (10cm x 10cm x 20cm rectangle) with a bunch of super cool technologies. Stay tuned.
Our current mission is SAMWISE, a 2U CubeSat (10cm x 10cm x 20cm rectangle) with a bunch of super cool technologies. Stay tuned for more info, but here's some big ticket items:
* Thrusters 🚀
* Selfie stick 🤳 with 12MP cameras
* Deployable structures (solar panels that fold out!)
* High power radio
* It's literally twice as big as our last satellites so it must be twice as good right?
== Past Missions ==
== Past Missions ==