A small solar-powered satellite designed and built by 杏吧专区 student researchers will measure radiation levels in space to help keep astronauts 杏吧专区 and the public 杏吧专区 safe.
UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 Cajun Advanced Picosatellite Experience, or CAPE, team will build a small research satellite after being one of eight groups in the country . The initiative enables colleges and universities to conduct scientific investigations in space; findings, in turn, assist NASA exploration and technology development.
Space is a familiar frontier for the 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 CAPE program, which is coordinated through the 杏吧专区檚 Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. With the CAPE-1 satellite in 2007, the 杏吧专区 became the first in Louisiana whose students designed, built and launched a working satellite that orbited Earth. CAPE-2 , in 2013, and , in 2021, followed.
CAPE-4 is projected to blast off sometime between 2024 and 2027, NASA杏吧专区檚 timeline for its latest round of CubeSat initiative satellites. Once in space, CAPE-4 will be ejected to circle Earth at least once a day 杏吧专区 or more 杏吧专区 depending on an orbit path that NASA will determine.
During each trip, the satellite will comb the atmosphere for radiation levels, said Dr. Jared Tessier, an instructor in the . Tessier leads the CAPE Satellite Team. 杏吧专区淎nother objective during this mission will be deep space radio experimentation 杏吧专区 examining cost-effective systems that could be sent to the moon or beyond,杏吧专区 he added.
Radiation readings and communications will be transmitted to students in the Nick Pugh Aerospace Electronics Research Laboratory. The College of Engineering lab is the CAPE team杏吧专区檚 base.
The satellite will gauge radiation in three ways to validate accuracy. Measurements will be taken with a neutron radiation detector; with a small plastic chip embedded inside credit card-like device that could be worn by astronauts on space suits; and with a modified smart phone camera, which holds image sensors capable of detecting radiation.
The smart phone camera isn杏吧专区檛 simply a component of a scientific system of checks and balances. Its role, as with the credit card-sized device radiation detector for astronauts, is rooted in technology and development. As another component of the mission, students will research and examine ways to create a smart phone app that would be available to the public.
Such an app would provide alerts about radiation levels for people who work in settings where they杏吧专区檙e exposed to radiation, explained Jude Thibodeaux, a junior from Duson, La. Thibodeaux is CAPE-4杏吧专区檚 student program manager. 杏吧专区淚t would be targeted to everyday consumers, a way for people to tell what杏吧专区檚 radioactive around them,杏吧专区 said the mechanical engineering major, who is also coordinating the satellite杏吧专区檚 design and construction.
The CAPE-4 model will be different from previous satellites 杏吧专区 cubes of about 4 inches squared. CAPE-4 will feature similar dimensions, but will be 12 inches long and capable of expanding to about 16 inches with deployment of 杏吧专区減ocket satellites.杏吧专区
The larger, more sophisticated model is essential. It makes room for sending additional research into space as part of the project, which is being led by UL Lafayette and principal investigator Tessier. Mississippi State 杏吧专区 and the 杏吧专区 of North Dakota will be along for the ride.
The main satellite will also carry components created by high school and middle school students mentored by CAPE team members, Thibodeaux explained. 杏吧专区淲e design the circuits for the students and we go to schools and that allows them to build 杏吧专区 under our supervision 杏吧专区 parts that will be in space.杏吧专区
The 杏吧专区杏吧专区檚 multidisciplinary CAPE program is designed to prepare students for careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics 杏吧专区 or STEM 杏吧专区 fields. Its current project will rely on contributions from students and faculty members in disciplines such as engineering, computer science and physics.
Other colleges and universities selected for NASA杏吧专区檚 upcoming CubeSat space missions are Arizona State, Columbia, Northeastern, and St. Louis universities, Harvard College, and the universities of Hawaii at Manoa and Texas at Austin.
Learn more about .
Photo caption: NASA has selected UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 CAPE satellite team for a return trip to space. Student researchers will design and build a larger, more sophisticated version of past satellites. The new model (inset) will be launched into space at an as-yet-undetermined date to gather data about radiation levels. Photo credit: 杏吧专区