Developing the Minature Tether Elecrodynamics Experiment: Completion of Key Milestones and Future Work
Year: 2015
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Miniature Tether Electrodynamics Experiment (MiTEE)MiTEE Spacecraft: CubeSat with picosat scale end-body on 10 meter miniature electrodynamic tether (EDT) designed to characterize and demonstrate miniature EDT technology. Mission Goals:• Provide a hands-on multidisciplinary educational experience rooted in faculty driven research • Understand the impact of hands-on multidisciplinary participation in faculty research on STEM education for undergraduate and graduate students • Understand the functionality of miniature electrodynamic tethered systems Miniature Tether Electrodynamics Experiment (MiTEE) Science and Engineering Objectives Characterize voltage-current transfer functions for EDT system under a variety of ionospheric plasma conditions • Measure tether current as a function of anode/CubeSat voltage for a range of cathode emission levels Characterize miniature tethered system dynamics • Cubesat and End-body attitude and position as a function of time and tether operational modes (thrusting/nonthrusting) Demonstrate use of the tether as a high gain groundpointing traveling wave antenna • Compare primary antenna and tether-based signal strength as a function of overpass attitude and distance Lorentz Force (Deboost) Motional EMF Ion Electron Tether Current Plasma Plasma Forward Motion
Authors: Bret Bronner, Duc Pham Trung
Language: English
Subfield: Aerospace Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1153421117