STUDENT SPACE PROGRAM
RECEIVES NSF FUNDING TO
DESIGN, BUILD, AND
LAUNCH SATELLITES
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For the first time, the National Science
Foundation awarded a grant for the construction,
launch, and operation of two, three-unit,
CubeSats. Cubesats are small satellites that come
in multiples of 4-inch cubes.
“To receive this kind of funding from NSF is
a real feather in our cap,” said Wersinger. “The
Auburn University Student Space Program is now
recognized as offering one of the most prestigious
CubeSat programs in the nation.”
The funding was secured by a team of scientists
and undergraduate students who were led
by Auburn University faculty members J-M
Wersinger, professor emeritus in the Department
of Physics and Auburn University Student
Space Program director, Mike Fogle, associate
professor in the Department of Physics, Daniel
Harris, associate professor in the Department
of Mechanical Engineering, and Professor Saad
Biaz of the Department of Computer Science and
Software Engineering. The grant is in the amount
of $893,873 for a project titled, “Collaborative
Research: CubeSat: Observing Terrestrial
Gamma-ray Flash (TGF) Beams With A Pair Of
CubeSats.”
Fogle and Wersinger will submit a proposal to
NASA to obtain a rocket launch that will carry the
CubeSats into low Earth orbit for an approximately
18-month mission. The two satellites will undergo
many tests and reviews before launch, which will
take place in about three years.
Journey/Fall:
Journey/Fall: 2015
2015
The project is a collaboration with The University
of Alabama in Huntsville, and researchers will
ultimately study the structure of powerful gammaray flashes associated with thunderstorms in the
tropical regions of Earth using three-unit CubeSats.
Auburn launched its first, single-unit CubeSat,
AubieSat-1, in October 2011. The two, three-unit
CubeSats for the NSF-funded mission are named
TRYAD 1 and TRYAD 2. “TRYAD” stands for
Terrestrial RaYs Analysis and Detection.
“CubeSats are great for research because they are
inexpensive to build, you can fly a lot of them at the
same time and receive more information, and you
can look at data in almost real time,” said Fogle.
The two CubeSats are currently being designed,
built, and tested solely by undergraduate student
members of the Auburn University Student
Space Program under the guidance of faculty
in the Department of Physics and the College
of Engineering. More than 30 students during
fall semester alone are balancing their classroom
obligations with 15 to 20 hours per week working
in the lab on TRYAD 1 and TRYAD 2.
“The work pays off because
people in industry recognize
the program creates future
leaders. The students are
given a unique, work-force
development experience
where they work in teams to
complete a space experiment,
understand the importance
of deadlines, and gain a basic
understanding of management
and systems engineering,”
said Wersinger. “And we
have worked and continue
to work with several NASA
partners like Goddard Space
Flight Center, Ames Research
Center, and Marshall Space
Flight Center.”