ESA hands-on space education project activities for university students: Attracting and training the next generation of space engineers

Walker, Roger; Galeone, Piero; Page, H.; Castro, A C Meira; Emma, F.; Callens, Natacha; Ventura-Traveset, Javier

doi:10.1109/educon.2010.5492406

Cited by 8 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…Basically the full program includes design, analyses, tests and in orbit operations of a satellite, normally CubeSat standard based. Similar handson activities are conducted overall the world and in Europe are strongly supported by European Space Agency [8].…”

Section: • First Orbital Test -Phasementioning

confidence: 79%

Hands On Space Educational Activities at University of Nottingham

Cappelletti¹,

Hussain²,

Johnson³

2020

Proceedings of the 3rd Symposium on Space Educational Activities

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The University of Nottingham launched the aerospace engineering programme in 2016. Four different courses are offered at both BEng and MEng levels with the BEng consisting of three taught years and MEng consisting of four.Space educational activities at University of Nottingham are mainly concentrated in offering hands-on experiences to students. Students at different levels, starting from the 2nd year, are involved in the design of space systems, mainly CubeSat standard compatible, that will be implemented and boarded in a small satellite.The main educational project is dedicated to the design and analysis of the first space mission from University of Nottingham. The idea is to use a CubeSat platform and implement a payload of interests for students and researchers at University of Nottingham. At this phase several payloads are under evaluation. The students are supported by a board of staff members involved in different space activities from biomedical research in space to earth observation to the use and application of GNSS. Once identified the mission that will be carried out the student will be involved in all the mission phases, from the design to the launch and in orbit operation. A dedicated ground station will be installed at University of Nottingham in order to be able to track and receive satellites in UHF, VHF and S band.In addition, to implement student experiences and have soon the opportunity to see the first system designed at University of Nottingham in space, several international cooperation have been made with European partners, such as University of Beira Interior and CEIIA in Portugal, and non-European partners such as, for example, University of Brasilia in Brazil. The goal of these cooperation is not only share knowledge and experiences between teams but also launch opportunities and future opportunities.As part of the educational project the students are also involved in balloon projects, where the systems will be tested using High Altitude Balloon. Next balloon mission is planned to be launched in November 2019.The paper gives an overview of all the most interesting space educational activities involving students at University of Nottingham giving particular attention also to the improvement that will be done in the existing facilities in order to have a more effective Space Systems Educational Laboratory.

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Section: • First Orbital Test -Phasementioning

confidence: 79%

Hands On Space Educational Activities at University of Nottingham

Cappelletti¹,

Hussain²,

Johnson³

2020

Proceedings of the 3rd Symposium on Space Educational Activities

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In 2007, the European Space Agency (ESA) organized the first pilot program for a national CanSat competition. Additional expansions of this program took place in the following years as a means to engage "upper secondary school students" [9]. The ESA CanSat competition continues to be very popular in Europe through 2023 [10].…”

Section: Historymentioning

confidence: 99%

The CanSat Compendium: A Review of Scientific CanSats

2023

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In recent years, CubeSats have gained popularity as secondary payloads in space missions due to their uniquely small size and minimal weight. This allows for the quick and inexpensive development of high-risk, high-reward investigations. The success of cube-shaped CubeSats has led to the development of a new class of small-scale and low-cost scientific platforms known as CanSats, which maintain a unique cylindrical shape. CanSats offer an even more economical alternative for conducting high-risk investigations, although they are typically constrained by having to operate within Earth’s atmosphere, which contributes to their reduced costs. However, the ability to test and improve space-bound hardware makes the CanSat a potential intermediary technology for continued space exploration. This survey paper seeks to provide a technical definition of CanSats and summarize the current state of the art in CanSat-based research. This paper covers the history of CanSats, their current mainstream applications, and their potential impact on the technology pipeline for space exploration. CanSats have proven to be versatile in various applications, including Earth science, aeronautics, and educational purposes. The lower cost of CanSats provides a wider range of researchers and educational institutions access to near-space science. Therefore, this paper also aims to explore the potential future applications of CanSats, particularly as an intermediary technology for testing and improving space-bound hardware, with potential benefits for future space missions. The findings from this survey could help to guide the further research and development of CanSats, as well as help to shape future space exploration efforts.

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“…The CanSat missions are interesting because they involve system integration, the definition of the protocols and the steps required for validating the integration of the mission subsystems, and the definitions of the integration tests required. For instance, the Education Office of ESA (European Space Agency) offers numerous research opportunities for universities and students from the member states, ranging from instruments and small platforms for satellites in terrestrial and lunar orbit, payloads in microgravity platforms, small satellite projects, and atmospheric balloons, which enables the validation of learning methods applied to engineering and knowledge/skill transfer models to students [3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental Approach for the Evaluation of the Performance of a Satellite Module in the CanSat Form Factor for In Situ Monitoring and Remote Sensing Applications

Rodríguez

Botero

Valle

et al. 2021

International Journal of Aerospace Engineering

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This article includes the phases of conceptualization and validation of a picosatellite prototype named Simple-2 for remote sensing activities using COTS (Commercial-Off-The-Shelf) components and the modular design methodology. To evaluate its performance and ensure the precision and accuracy of the measurements made by the satellite prototype, a methodology was designed and implemented for the characterization and qualification of CanSats (soda can satellites) through statistical tests and techniques of DoE (Design of Experiments) based on CubeSat aerospace standards and regulations, in the absence of official test procedures for these kinds of satellite form factor. For the above, two experimental units were used, and all the performance variables of the different satellite subsystems were discriminated. For the above, two experimental units were used, and all the performance variables of the different satellite subsystems were discriminated against. These were grouped according to the dependence of the treatments formulated in thermal and dynamic variables. For the tests of the first variables, a one-factor design was established using dependent samples on each of the treatments. Then, hypothesis tests were performed for equality of medians, using nonparametric analysis of the Kruskal-Wallis variance. Additionally, multivariate analysis of variance was carried out for nonparametric samples (nonparametric multivariate tests), and the application of post hoc multiple-range tests to identify the treatments that presented significant differences within a margin of acceptability. To know the dynamic response and ensure the structural integrity of the satellite module, shock, oscillation, and sinusoidal tests were applied through a shaker. Having applied the experimental methodology to the different units, the results of a real experiment are illustrated in which a high-altitude balloon was used through the application of nonparametric regression methods. This experiment’s interest measured thermodynamic variables and the concentration of pollutants in the stratosphere to corroborate the operating ranges planned in the above experiments using on-flight conditions and estimate the TLR (technology readiness level) of future prototypes.

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ESA hands-on space education project activities for university students: Attracting and training the next generation of space engineers

Cited by 8 publications

References 1 publication

Hands On Space Educational Activities at University of Nottingham

Hands On Space Educational Activities at University of Nottingham

The CanSat Compendium: A Review of Scientific CanSats

Experimental Approach for the Evaluation of the Performance of a Satellite Module in the CanSat Form Factor for In Situ Monitoring and Remote Sensing Applications

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