Drag and Atmospheric Neutral Density Explorer
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2013) |
 The DANDE satellite in its launch configuration. | |
| Mission type | Technology |
|---|---|
| Operator | University of Colorado Boulder Colorado Space Grant Consortium CU Dept of Aerospace Engineering Sciences AFRL STP |
| COSPAR ID | 2013-055C |
| SATCAT no. | 39267 |
| Website | spacegrant |
| Mission duration | 1.5 years |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Launch mass | 50 kilograms (110 lb) |
| Dry mass | 38 kilograms (84 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 29 September 2013, 16:00:13 UTC[1] |
| Rocket | Falcon 9 v1.1[2] |
| Launch site | Vandenberg SLC-4E |
| Contractor | SpaceX |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 332 kilometres (206 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 1,455 kilometres (904 mi) |
| Inclination | 80.99 degrees |
| Period | 102.71 minutes |
| Epoch | 25 May 2014, 04:17:40 UTC[3] |
| Instruments | |
| Neutral Mass Spectrometer and Accelerometer | |
| |
DANDE (or Drag and Atmospheric Neutral Density Explorer) is a 50 kg class spacecraft developed by the University of Colorado Boulder was the winner of the 5th iteration of the Air Force Research Laboratory's University Nanosat Program.[4]
Status
DANDE launched on September 29, 2013 and correctly separated from the launch vehicle. After a month of assessing spacecraft health, successful separation of the Lightband Adaptor Bracket (LAB) was conducted on October 30 over the Starfire Optical Range in Maui.[citation needed]
The next step[when?] is spin-up and alignment.[needs update]
Origin
DANDE was elected as an entry to the University Nanosat Program competition,[when?] a two year program that is now in its seventh iteration. In 2009, DANDE won additional money and a future flight to orbit, propelling the project into an independent and master’s research project. DANDE is the first CU student-built satellite launch opportunity in five years. To date,[when?] about 100 students have been involved in DANDE through construction, testing, and operations.[citation needed]
The density of the atmosphere varies greatly due to space weather and other unknown processes. The International Space Station once[when?] dropped in height by tens of kilometers in a span of a few days and by understanding drag forces and composition of the atmosphere we can provide better data about this phenomenon.[citation needed]
Here is a picture of an internal view of the DANDE satellite. The wind sensor in the picture is NMS described above.
Science
Drag induced by the neutral-atmosphere density is the major perturbation on satellites in low earth orbit. True density deviates as much as 21% from model predictions, introducing error into crucial government and private space operations with applications to situational awareness, space surveillance, laser communications, re-entry prediction, rendezvous and proximity ops. A need exists to measure physical or 'true' density, quantify density variations, and to provide in-situ model calibration data.
The operating principle is to solve the full drag equation:
Each variable is isolated either by an a priori knowledge or via in-situ measurement. The mass (m) and area (A) are based on the physical parameters that can be measured prior to launch. The Coefficient of Drag is simulated using the external geometry of the spacecraft in its science collection state. Density (ρ), Acceleration (a), and a Wind Vector are sensed by two onboard instruments, the first is a high precision Accelerometer suite (ACC) that amplifies the μg drag signal in the along track axis of the spacecraft. Secondary to that is a Neutral Mass Spectrometer (NMS) that can provide data products relating the wind vector with respect to the spacecraft ram-vector as well as the numerical density of the constituents in the atmosphere. The idea is that at orbital velocities the spacecraft traveling through even a stagnant atmosphere will have collisions with the species present at energies of several Electron-Volts (eV) of which there are still billions per cubic meter.[5]
DANDE is spherical in nature so the projected cross-sectional area is held nearly constant. This leverages a simplified attitude subsystem design as opposed to a full three-axis stabilized system. Further spinning about orbit normal allows the accelerometer instrument, located so the spin-axis is perpendicular to the acceleration sense axis, to accept in a modulated acceleration profile.[clarification needed]
There were issues that make having GPS on board the spacecraft prohibitive. As a student program the cost of an unlock GPS receiver that could provide data products in orbital scenarios was a chief concern,[by whom?] but the spacecraft attitude state[clarification needed] would not be conducive to consistently providing a lock at all times when geolocating data. High Task Tracking is a possibility through Air Force Space Command Research and Analysis group, but that agreement does not solve all the needs at the beginning of the mission when the desire is to make contact and begin commissioning.[citation needed]
External links
- http://spacegrant.colorado.edu/boulderstudents/boulderprojects/dande - DANDE home page
- http://projectdande.blogspot.com/ - blog about DANDE
- https://twitter.com/COSGC_DANDE - Twitter page
- https://www.facebook.com/spacegrantdande - Facebook page
References
- ^ McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
- ^ http://www.lompocrecord.com/news/local/falcon-rocket-debut-delayed/article_0aad63f2-1cb4-11e3-b4d4-0019bb2963f4.html
- ^ "DANDE Satellite details 2013-055C NORAD 39267". N2YO. 25 May 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2014.
- ^ "CU-Boulder Students Win First Place in National Nanosatellite Competition". University of Colorado Boulder. 2009-01-22.
- ^ https://sites.google.com/site/asen5050kemble/