KSP Community CubeSat

[Nicholander]

Also, K^2, could you post a link to the forums we made on the first post?

[deljr15]

That link is http://forums.mossat.org

[Treldon]

Hello people.

Just checking in, letting everyone know I am not dead yet.

However free time has been very scarce lately, and internet connection in the office is blocked.

It's great to see how far the plans have progressed lately. Keep up the good work

[Newt]

It was suggested that we would do this, and there was an apparent preference to Saturday as the date for the publication of weekly updates, I am taking it upon myself to summarize the events of the week, in regard to this project.

Most notably there was the shift to the new forum. This was put up by members deljr15 and LordQ, on deljr15's server. So far things there seem to be going a bit slowly, to me at least, but we have started some discussions and have twenty two members, only some of whom appear to be advertisements.

We have been starting work on 3D modeling the craft, especially focusing on the moss apparatus and habitat. This experiment is the focus of the mission, and has also been the subject of some debate, especially around the ideas of how long the moss will need to survive for, and how it will survive to begin with. These questions are complicated by the fact that at present we are not precisely sure of how long we will wait on the pad before launch, how long we will wait in space before being able to properly activate, and how long it will remain before deorbit. We are looking into information about whether the moss can be dessicated and rehydrated, or whether it can be otherwise stored and activated at the time most convenient, as well as information about metabolic qualities to expect. We would like to arrange a test run of the experiment on Earth to better understand these qualities.

We also have begun discussion of radio on the new forum, but I have little progress to report in that area beyond ongoing research. Cameras also were mentioned, but discussion of those has been limited at this time.

That is mostly what I can think to note at present. If there is anything you would like to mention, do so, and I can add it to this post if you like. If we think this update should be done in another way, to be more helpful clear et cetera that would also be fine.

If anyone, especially people from outside the KSP Cubesat Team, has any questions about what we are doing, please feel free to ask. I, or another person here should be able to provide an answer.

Edited December 21, 2014 by Newt

[vetrox]

Theres a lot of pages here to read but has anyone put a business plan together for this? Project leader who the designers are, what design you plan on using how much the sat itself will cost. Where will it be assembled. I think you guys need specific "staff" members and a definitive objective that you can build up to. If you are going to be looking for investment then you are going to need a detailed plan of costs, timeframe, geographical location etc

I was thinking at work it would be a better idea to build a rocket instead of a cubesat. It does seem like this project is soon to start but i think a rocket is more ksp than a cubesat. You wont have to fight for or buy space on a commercial rocket. If we can make a powerfull enough rocket to get mast the magic 100km mark we can even put a small sattelite on it. Doesnt have to get to orbit but something that gets right up into the atmosphere would be a great achievement. I will still keep an eye on this to see what happens though

[Mr_Brain]

Theres a lot of pages here to read but has anyone put a business plan together for this? Project leader who the designers are, what design you plan on using how much the sat itself will cost. Where will it be assembled. I think you guys need specific "staff" members and a definitive objective that you can build up to. If you are going to be looking for investment then you are going to need a detailed plan of costs, timeframe, geographical location etc

It's too early in planning to know any details about the costs.

I was thinking at work it would be a better idea to build a rocket instead of a cubesat. It does seem like this project is soon to start but i think a rocket is more ksp than a cubesat. You wont have to fight for or buy space on a commercial rocket. If we can make a powerfull enough rocket to get mast the magic 100km mark we can even put a small sattelite on it. Doesnt have to get to orbit but something that gets right up into the atmosphere would be a great achievement. I will still keep an eye on this to see what happens though

The goal of this project isn't only to put something kerbal into space, but also to do something useful with it. A rocket that does nothing but put a little KSP flag into space for a minute or two is more of a waste of resources than a scientific experiment that hasn't been done before.

[NERVAfan]

Also, a rocket that could reach 100km would probably be more expensive and certainly much more difficult than a cubesat.

[dharak1]

I assume this has died?

[Bioman222]

You realize the last post was only a week ago? That does not make it dead. A month, however, yes.

[deljr15]

In an effort to get more organized it was decided to move discussion over to our own forums the link is here.

[deljr15]

Mission Update.

Moss: We are lining up moss experiments. The goal of these experiments is to gather the required data to design the test chamber that will be used in flight.

Optics: Lens design coming along nicely.

Other systems: On hold pending test chamber.

Thanks to everyone for your continued support.

[Northstar1989]

Greetings fellow Kerbonauts! I hope your rockets are flying straight and your spaceplanes are gliding smoothly today. It's a pleasure to be a part of your team (I went and announced I'm joining on over in the Cubesat-specific forum as well). I come to you all with a VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!

For the past few days, I have been working a short-term job to help clean up and restore a precision-engineering factory in Illinois that has been out of commission for the past 9 months. The restoration work is proceeding smoothly, the machinery is in good condition, and the factory will be fully operational within a week.

Today I was speaking to my boss (the new owner of the precision-engineering factory), and I mentioned the Cubesat project to him. He got interested in engineering in the first place because of the Apollo Program, and he was very interested in what I had to say. The factory is also looking for a few early projects to cut their teeth and get back in the game of making scientific and engineering apparatus...

The good news is this- he thinks the project sounds interesting, and some or all of the satellite components may be within his factory's capabilities. He even remained interested when I told him that the KSP Community Cubesat team may not be able to afford to pay market price for the manufacture of most/all of the components...

This is GREAT news! The KSP Community Cubesat project may be able to realize its dream of placing a tiny satellite in LEO after all! I may be able to help us secure precision-engineering of the necessary components at a discount price, as my boss understands that the KSP Community Cubesat Project isn't exactly rich...

Here is where you guys come in! We need to design the components and raise the funds for the project in the next couple months. It's achievable- after all, I'm sure you guys know what a small group of dedicated individuals can accomplish if they put their mind to it...

Money is needed most of all, of course, or nothing will happen... In this regard, the discount-price manufacturing/engineering may be *EXTREMELY* helpful. But we also need to get the designs for the Cubesat drawn up, so I can get them to my boss and he can decide what is within the factory's capabilities, what's the lowest price he can charge, and what design improvements can easily be made, if any (the factory specializes in scientific and high-tech precision devices, so things like space-grade gyroscopes and reaction wheels should be *right* up its alley...)

I should repeat that there *IS* a timeline to this. My boss thinks the best time for the factory to do something like this would be in 1-2 months from now, when everything will be set up and settled in smoothly, but business hasn't really picked up for the factory yet... Thus, there is a HUGE imperative for you guys to pitch in and get the project running quickly, before this amazing opportunity passes!

Let's get this thing going!

Regards,

Northstar

P.S. While I would be more than happy to act as a liaison with my current boss, who I also know through my church and is helping me find a more permanent job in the area in the long run (my specialty is NOT precision-engineering, I'm just helping clean the place up and organize it), I would also like to put you guys directly in touch with him eventually. First, we need to select some kind of project leaders, though, so he has somebody concrete to talk to. I would be more than willing to volunteer to be ONE of these individuals, provided you all understand I have no actual background in engineering (I'm a biologist by trade) beyond KSP, and we should probably have at least one or two additional team/project leaders with more experience in engineering fields involved.

P.P.S. Feel free to PM me about my volunteering to take on a role as a Project/Team Leader of some sort... I have a STRONG science background (B.S. at Cornell University, M.S. University of Illinois), leadership experience (former Army ROTC and Eagle Scout), a personal connection to the owner of the factory who would be doing some or all of our manufacturing if you guys follow up on this awesome opportunity, and PLENTY of time on my hands- as I am currently only employed with a series of short-term jobs never lasting more than a couple weeks at a time...

- - - Updated - - -

Oh, and ONE LAST THING. My boss said he would need the preliminary designs in something called "Solidworks" when we're ready. It sounds like you guys already know what that is, as I've seen some discussion of it here on this thread... Just an FYI...

Regards,

Northstar

Edited January 14, 2015 by Northstar1989

[SmartS=true]

From what I got in a quick Google search, Soildworks is a 3D CAD program.

[PlonioFludrasco]

From what I got in a quick Google search, Soildworks is a 3D CAD program.

Can confirm, is one of the 3D CAD they have at my university.

[Newt]

Update:

Looking into how to track the satellite, GPS units are apparently really expensive for cubestas, and tracking systems using radar and optics are not always straightforward and simple. Happily, NORAD my give for free all the information we need.

Moss design seems a bit to be on hiatus, pending further updates on the experiments we will do on the ground, which should start later this month.

We have attempted further looking into the proposal by Northstar, as well as another KSP Cubesat project, which none of us knew existed. We may collaborate on some aspects, and are in contact with their team now.

We have access to Solidworks, and are working on modelling probably the entire satellite in that software, though currently mostly just the moss area.

Visit us here. Thanks for reading.

[kanelives]

Trying to grow moss in space huh... I am a biologist, but I really only dealt with human cancer cells and mice and other things that aren't plants. I did recently start on a project involving algae though so I'll see if I can find anything useful.

Looks like they're having issues deciding how to grow it in a closed environment. Are they going to use normal petri dishes? Normal dishes (or at least the ones I used) Aren't air tight.

Edited January 26, 2015 by kanelives

[deljr15]

Looks like they're having issues deciding how to grow it in a closed environment. Are they going to use normal petri dishes? Normal dishes (or at least the ones I used) Aren't air tight.

Mostly we are waiting on the consumption rates of the moss. So we can back figure the required initial atmosphere mass. As to the dishes. We will be designing a custom sample container that is air tight.

[FishInferno]

I really have no involvement in this, but I was just wondering: Any plans for a KSP flag on the cubesat, or a small Kerbal figure onboard? Keep up the good work and good luck to you all

[Newt]

I really have no involvement in this, but I was just wondering: Any plans for a KSP flag on the cubesat, or a small Kerbal figure onboard? Keep up the good work and good luck to you all

Not at the moment, but we hardly have all of the space and mass broken down at the moment. There is a strong chance that something of that nature could be included.

[astropapi1]

I've been closely following the development of the moss rack+camera combo (there's not much I can add with technical stuff, I'm just a high school guy. ), and I saw that you were still working out how to make the ring rotate around for the camera to shoot all samples, and I came up with two possible ways:

1) Place the ring "floating" between four wheels, one of which has a little motor that lets it spin or stop, the other three ones just let it rotate. Here's a 5 minute Paint drawing for you to get a better idea:

This way, you can accurately control the rotation of the ring and the center of it is still left open for other equipment.

2) Place the (main) PiCam on a rotating rod in the middle of the Sat. This way you don't have so many moving parts, the ring can be safely attached to the walls of the satellite, and you've got all four corners to stuff equipment.

Edited January 27, 2015 by astropapi1

[briansun1]

Interesting project, not much I could help with though.

[Rjtaml]

Sort of new to this, but whats the idea? Is this going to be a satellite (CubeSat) made by the Kerbal Scientific Team, and launched into LEO? In real life? I don't get it, but someone please explain.

[astropapi1]

Sort of new to this, but whats the idea? Is this going to be a satellite (CubeSat) made by the Kerbal Scientific Team, and launched into LEO? In real life? I don't get it, but someone please explain.

It's a (real) cubesat (that'll launch to LEO) with Moss inside. Basically, the moss will be in a ring inside the satellite and it'll spin, creating a small centrifuge. This is to simulate a >0G <1G environment for the plant, something that (to my understanding) has never done before.

Here's a drawing of the container (by MBobrik):

The experiment will last about one month, after which the Sat will end up burning up in the upper atmosphere.

There's people from all around the world working on this project, including engineers and a college biology professor who's aiding with the experiment. Here's the official forum: http://forums.mossat.org/index.php

[LvL]

Hey guys! I'm back from holidays! and now in high school! I'm getting a computer/tablet on thursday and I might be able to help with designing and engineering stuff because it's going to have stuff like photoshop, 3D editors, and all that cool stuff!

[Robotengineer]

Will that ring be in the center the sat? On which axis will it spin?