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          T H E  S P A R T N I K  Countdown...

     Your official newsletter from the San Jose State 

       University Microsatellite Design Laboratory



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                    August, 1997

                 Volume #1, Issue #5



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                 Announcements In Brief

            -------------------------------



        *  Shell ready for solar array application

        *  Ron Fischler named Mentor of the Month

        *  Spartnik web site moved and being updated

        *  Team Spartnik briefs project status at

           Lockheed Martin and Space Systems/Loral

        *  ADAC preparing to present at two conferences

        *  Solar Power Corporation named Sponsor of the Month



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PROJECT MISSION STATEMENT:



-> To educate undergraduate students in the process of managing

   and developing a microsatellite.

-> To prepare the students for successful careers in the

   Aerospace Community, by creating an industry-like project

   environment.

-> To bring the direct involvement of industry into the education

   process through mentorship and project alliances.



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_____________________________________________



How to contact us -



Prof. Hank Pernicka - (408) 924-4054

hank@voyager.engr.sjsu.edu

_____________________________________________



      +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

               Web Site moving and shaking!

      +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The Spartnik web site has moved and can now be 

accessed at the URL:



  www-engr.sjsu.edu/~pernicka/spartnik.html



We are also updating this site, so please be patient during

our "construction".  We will be posting past newsletters,

new photos, and other surprises!  We also hope to post the

Spartnik Final Design Review document.  Any and all suggestions

about the web site are very welcome!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++





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             Briefings and more Briefings!

      ********************************************

The Aerospace Engineering faculty have always stressed the

importance of oral and written communications skills.  This

year was no exception, as Team Spartnik presented the project

status to both Lockheed Martin and Space Systems/Loral in May.

Both briefings were well attended with much good discussion.

Many complements were given to the team.  



The ADAC group, after winning the local AIAA student conference

competition, now looks forward to at least two more briefings!

In September, Brian Menges and Carlos Guadiamos travel to Logan,

Utah, to compete in the student paper session of the 11th Annual

Conference on Small Satellites.  (They have already survived one

level of elimination in the competition!)  Then they stop by Reno,

Nevada in January and participate in the national student AIAA paper 

competition.



Good luck to Brian and Carlos!

****************************************************************





>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> PROJECT STATUS <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<



@ ATTITUDE DETERMINATION AND CONTROL (ADAC)



The ADAC team has finished all of the dynamic simulations 

for microsatellite Spartnik.  The results of these simulations 

have led to a final attitude control system design.  The old 

control system, which includes two permanent magnets and a 

spin rate of 0.5 rev/min, was upgraded to include eight magnets

and a spin rate of 0.4 rev/min.  Simulations were run on this 

new control system design.  The results of these simulations 

show that Spartnik will tumble two times per orbit, as desired.



All ADAC components have been purchased and assembled and are 

waiting to be incorporated into the flight vehicle.  Next year's

team will face the task of installing the ADAC components into 

the flight vehicle and to help the Structures team in monitoring

the moments of inertia as the computer is constructed and 

installed. 



The continued development of the ADAC code (adding additional 

disturbances, such as solar pressure and atmospheric drag) is

another option for the next team. 



This year's ADAC team welcomes those new members of next year's

class to the rewarding experience of satellite design!





@ STRUCTURES



The Structures Subsystem has completed all milestones detailed 

for the 1996-97 academic year. These milestones include the final

drafts and necessary design modifications of all components except 

those which are under the immediate influence of the Computer/Software

Subsystem.  Design modifications to the Computer Board Assembly 

and Circuit Discharge Box are still ongoing. The mentioned milestones 

also include the production/fabrication of the Satellite Shell, 

Launch Vehicle Adapter (LVA), Internal Spacers, Brackets, Battery 

Boxes, Wiring Harnesses and Mounts, Nutation Damper, and other 

sub-components. All Materials are available for the remaining satellite

fabrication, and there is further support with on-hand certified 

AutoCAD drawings for enhanced production ability. The remaining

production of the satellite should be of little challenge, but should

also offer an enjoyable exploration into the fabrication of "real-world" 

satellites.





@ PAYLOAD



The Payload team has finished the Final Design Report for 1996-97.

The CAD drawings of the camera box and periscope lens have been

completed.  These components will likely be manufactured in the

beginning of the fall semester.  The Rohacell Polymethacrylimide 

foam is being generously donated by Richmond Aircraft Products and 

will be received shortly.  The camera circuit boards and plastic 

parts will be conformally coated during the fall semester by Specialty 

Coating Systems.  What remains for next year's team is: the assembly

of the camera box and periscope lens, integration and testing of the

camera and MMID software, and testing of the camera and MMID 

operation in thermal and vacuum chambers.  The payload subsystem 

has had an exciting and rewarding year on Project Spartnik.  We 

wish the best for the 1997-98 team!





@ POWER



The Proto-flight batteries continue testing by Jim Waller at
 
LMMS to determine the best voltage-temperature curve to 

integrate into the charge controller.  The solar arrays have 

been returned to us by Satellite Power Corporation and are in

the process of being adhered to the shell of the satellite by

workers in the Solar Array Product Center at LMMS.  A testing 

plan is being developed to verify that the first selection in

the microswitch race will be sufficient to satisfy our needs.

The integration of "dead-cycle" switching has been investigated 

and plans are underway to incorporate this life extension option 

into the power system.



Some of the remaining issues to be dealt with are the integration

of microswitches, the finalization of the internal wiring layout,

obtaining the flight batteries, and finalization of the circuit 

board designs.





@ THERMAL



TCS has painted the inside of the shell with black paint. 

This will allow excess heat to be transmitted through the 

shell and be dissipated into space.  TCS is also continuing 

with its analysis of the Spartnik satellite using SINDA/G.

This should be completed within the next few weeks.  The 

thermocouples that are to be placed in Spartnik need to be

calibrated.  The calibration is waiting on the construction

of the circuit board needed for the testing.  A location for 

the testing has already been selected.  Other TCS projects 

remaining are the painting of the spacecraft top and bottom 

when they are constructed, and the application of FOSR if needed.





@ LAUNCH VEHICLE AND ORBIT



This past semester has been a wonderful one for the LV & Orbit subsystem.
   
We have completed all of our projected orbital simulations and the   

results have been generally good.  We have also made some strong strides   

in the area of finding a launch vehicle by making points of contacts   

within some launch vehicle companies.  Some of the bottom line facts:



1)  Minimum altitude required for Spartnik is 500 km above the surface 

    of the Earth to avoid rapid orbit decay due to atmospheric drag.



2)  Minimum inclination required is 40 degrees to ensure sufficiently long

    contact opportunities with the San Jose State ground station.



3)  Spartnik's approximate mass of 40 kg is under 90% of launch system's maximum   

    mass for secondary payloads.



These three facts basically state that Spartnik will fit on 90% of   

launch vehicles and that these same launch vehicles can place Spartnik   

into a LEO with the minimum altitude and inclination.  The only major   

task left is to find a launch vehicle for Spartnik.





@ COMPUTER SOFTWARE



Tim Kimmet:  Continues to work on the PACSAT layer.  He is   

mostly finished with the downlink portion and will continue to work on   

the uplink.  His code still requires testing.



John Bargamian:  Currently working on the memory drivers, and   

will soon be getting into the SDLC chip drivers and tightening up the   

power subsystem software.  Also, John has been and still is a key player   

in acquiring hardware, test equipment, and other electronics used for   

prototyping Spartnik's circuits.



Keiko Endo:  Currently finishing her code on AX.25.  As she is   

wrapping things up, she is working with John Robinson on a method to test   

her code using UNIX sockets.



John Robinson:  Is making much headway in the kernel design and   

specification.  He is responsible for writing our OS for Spartnik.  His   

knowledge and expertise has been a large benefit to the Spartnik team.   

He is also currently looking into testing his code in conjunction with   

Keiko's, on UNIX sockets.



Jeff Nokes:  Jeff continues to work with Dr. Stephen Petersen on finalizing 
   
the computer wire-wrapped board, and acquiring hardware for the on-board

computer (OBC).  He is continuing on the operational specifications of Spartnik, 

and is also continuing work on the ground station software/setup.  He will be   

researching the command shell options with Ron Fischler in the near   

future.



Ron Fischler:  Ron is still one of the greatest assets to the Spartnik   

team.  Without his guidance, we would not be as far along as we have   

come.  Not only has Ron been a tremendous help with all of the software   

production in general, he has recently been a significant player in   

helping to search for a graduate student to finish doing RF modeling of   

Spartnik's antenna design.





@ COMPUTER HARDWARE



Dr. Stephen Petersen:  Is currently finalizing the board layout in   

preparation for the wire-wrapping of the OBC.  Also, he is currently   

looking into acquiring some specialized hardware for the OBC and is soon   

to be beginning the circuit design for the Rx/Tx boards.  Again, the help   

and assistance that Dr. Petersen has dedicated to the Spartnik project   

has enabled us to successfully move along with the design and   

implementation of the satellite much quicker than anticipated.







}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{



         }}}}}  Mentor of the Month  {{{{{{

         

                   RON FISCHLER



               }}}}}}}}}}}}{{{{{{{{{{{{



Team Spartnik has named Ron Fischler mentor of the month!  Ron 

has been a mentor for the computer software development of 

this project since its birth.  He attends regular subsystem 

meetings and has played an integral part in advising students
 
with their programming successes and woes.  Team Spartnik

appreciates his dedication and diligence.  Thanks Ron!





}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{







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           *****Sponsor of the Month****



            Satellite Power Corporation

                  and Mark Bower     

            Rancho Cucamonga, California



           ******************************



Mark Bower and Satellite Power Corporation have successfully

finished the assembly and testing of all Spartnik's solar strings.

The quality of their work was very apparent.  They were also 

extremely helpful and patient with our questions and requests.
  
We are happy to name them as our Sponsor of the Month, and

we appreciate all their help very much!



       Thanks Satellite Power Corporation and Mark!

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About Our Newsletter...



The purpose of this newsletter is to inform industry and 

universities about what is happening with San Jose State's 

Spartnik project.  This bi-monthly newsletter is distributed,

via email, to those who contributed, sponsored or expressed 

interest in this project.  Feel free to forward this newsletter

to any colleagues.  If you want to be added to (or removed from)

the distribution list or have questions or comments about the 

project or newsletter, send the information to:

            hank@voyager.engr.sjsu.edu



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SPECIAL THANKS TO.......



Over the past few years, many companies and individuals have

contributed in some way to project Spartnik thus making it a

reality for many students. The team members and the Mechanical

and Aerospace Engineering Department faculty would like to thank

the following:



Lockheed Martin Corp.

Space Systems/Loral

Applied Solar Energy Corp.

United Technologies Corp. - Chemical Systems Division

Optical Coating Laboratory Inc.

Shur-Lok Corporation

Satellite Power Corp.

Teledyne Corp.

Kodak

Logitech

Eagle Picher

Phillips Semiconductor

Teklam

Kajon Inc.

Advanced Industrial Coatings

Stanford University - SSDL



    ........for their contributions... Thank you.

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR:

As I have been the project director for a year now,

I wish to say what a pleasure it has been working

with the '96-'97 group of students.  These students

were hard-working and very easy to manage.  I wish

them all continued success in their careers.



I have also been very fortunate to have the help 

of many of the students from the first two years of 

Project Spartnik.  Their dedication is very impressive 

and helpful!



Our industry mentors have also been critical to our

progress this past year.  Their timely, unselfish help

has always been available, simply for the asking!  And

the generous financial assistance from Lockheed Martin 

has also been a great help in facilitating our work.



Finally, the support of the Mechanical and Aerospace

Engineering Department, the College of Engineering, and

San Jose State University has been present in many areas.

Without this support, this project would not be possible.

Many thanks to these groups as well.



I now look forward to another new class of students, our

'97-'98 group, whom I know will continue our tradition

of hard work and success on this project.  And hopefully,

we will have a spacecraft in orbit soon!



Hank Pernicka,

Associate Professor and Director of Project Spartnik



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End Transmission -  Volume #1, Issue #5, August 1997

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