Scarab/Bandit-D Multi-Vehicle Proximity Operations Using a University Nanosatellite

摘要

Undergraduate and graduate students at Washington University in St. Louis participated in the AFRL University Nanosat Program, designing, analyzing, integrating and testing protoflight hardware, ultimately earning 2nd place in the Nanosat-5 competition. The two years' effort focused on mission assurance activities (functional and environmental tests), improved documentation/process control, and progress in structural and thermal modeling. Students also revised the Bandit flight electronics to reflect improvements in the capabilities of electronic components and (more importantly) our students' skill set since our previous versions in 2005. The period of performance spanned three academic years, involving more than four dozen undergraduates at Washington University. Although anecdotal, several aerospace recruiters cited the students' experience in UNP as a deciding factor in their hiring.