Spacecraft Systems Engineering The Initiation Of A Multidisciplinary Design Project At The University Of North Dakota

During this past year, several departments at the University of North Dakota have been focusing on the design of inexpensive spacecraft for atmospheric studies and remote sensing. This multidisciplinary design project emphasizes the systems engineering approach, in which extensive documentation is created prior to any construction or testing. Fourteen undergraduate and three graduate students designed and tested the second build of a spacecraft, known as Scorpio II, to be launched using a zero-pressure balloon. This project will send a 10-kg spacecraft to an elevation of approximately 25-km to collect and transmit real-time sensor and digital image data from the stratosphere. The telecommunications subsystem is responsible for collecting sensor readings, acquiring images from a digital camera, and packetizing this data so that it can be transmitted to a ground station via a radio-frequency (RF) link. The RF link will be implemented using a commercial, off-the-shelf (COTS) transceiver. Furthermore, the telecommunications subsystem will be able to receive uplink telecommands for controlling image acquisition, varying the sampling frequency of individual sensors, and releasing the payload from the balloon. The spacecraft – attached to a parachute – will be tracked with global positioning system (GPS) data so that it may be safely recovered after its descent. The large-scale scope of this project, coupled with the group size, has led to many new experiences for the students, including an appreciation for true teamwork and the positive and negative aspects of group dynamics. The efficacy of applying this systems engineering approach to a variety of large-scale student projects, such as spacecraft or solar-powered vehicle design, will be discussed.