Jump to content

Multi-Application Survivable Tether

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is an old revision of this page, as edited by WDGraham (talk | contribs) at 22:13, 10 May 2010 (add {{Orbital launches in 2007}} & Category:2007 in spaceflight (if needed), apply general fixes using AWB). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The Multi-Application Survivable Tether (MAST) experiment is an investigation designed to use picosatellite spacecraft connected by tethers to better understand the survivability of tethers in outer space. It was launched as a secondary payload on a Dnepr rocket on 17 April 2007 as a part of the CubeSat program. It includes three picosatellites which were intended to separate and deploy a 1 km (0.6 mile) tether. The experiment hardware was designed under a NASA Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) collaboration between Tethers Unlimited, Inc. (TUI) and Stanford University, with TUI developing the tether, tether deployer, tether inspection subsystem, satellite avionics, and software, and Stanford students developing the satellite structures and assisting with the avionics design.[1]

The experiment is currently on-orbit. As of 25 April 2007, TUI had made contact with the "Gadget" picosatellite, but not with "Ted", the tether-deployer picosatellite.[2] Researchers believe Ted has separated from Gadget, and at least a portion of the tether has been deployed.

Satellites

The MAST experiment consists of three picosatellites launched together as a stack. The entire stack was about the size of a loaf of bread.

Gadget

The middle satellite in the stack, called "Gadget", is the tether inspector. Gadget was designed to slowly crawl up and down the tether after deployment, taking pictures as it goes. As of 9 May 2007, the MAST team has downloaded over 1 MB of data from Gadget. Gadget's GPS receiver has acquired an almanac from the GPS satellites, but apparently has not yet achieved a trajectory solution.

Ted

"Ted", the tether deployer satellite, is at one end of the stack. Researchers were unable to establish contact with Ted, and remain uncertain of its status.

Ralph

"Ralph" is at the other end of the stack, and is describes as simply a "tether endmass". Its design did include a radio, but the groundstation has not received any signals from Ralph. They believe Ralph's battery charge has dropped below the level needed to sustain radio operation.

See also

References

  1. ^ "The MAST Experiment". Tethers Unlimited.
  2. ^ "MAST Blog". Tethers Unlimited.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Multi-Application_Survivable_Tether&oldid=361359466"