The PRESET Mission Timeline!

Mission Concept Review (MCR) - October 2023

The MCR was the first major milestone in the PRESET mission. During this review, the team outlined the scientific objectives, the technical requirements to achieve them, a description of the engineering system to meet these specifications, and a detailed plan for designing, building, and testing the system. The MCR also identified the necessary resources and potential risks. Before finalizing the MCR, the team explored a range of design solutions, assessing their feasibility, cost, schedule, resource needs, and risks. While a definitive design was not expected at this stage, key system requirements and the general approach were well-defined.

Preliminary Design Review (PDR) - May 2024

The PDR was the second major milestone of the mission, focusing on refining designs for the subsystems selected during the MCR. It finalized decisions for systems that were unresolved in the previous phase and included testing plans, cost estimates, and representative models to validate the chosen satellite systems. The team concentrated on narrowing design options and solidifying the overall approach leading up to the PDR.

Critical Design Review (CDR) - February 2025

The goal of the CDR is to present a comprehensive design for each subsystem, ensuring that the design fulfills all requirements and is ready for production. It serves to provide increased reassurance that the proposed design and the planned manufacturing test methods and procedures will result in an acceptable product with minimal project risk. 

The CDR is scheduled for February 2025, and the MIST team will be working diligently with the Canadian Space Agency in the upcoming months to prepare!

Watch the Eclipse!

Get your eclipse glasses out and get ready for the total solar eclipse coming up this April 8th! For this week’s blog post we’re going to take a deep dive into solar eclipses, what they are, their importance in scientific discovery and what you can expect on eclipse day.

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, temporarily blocking the face of the Sun and casting a shadow on the Earth (NASA, 2024c). There are three main categories of solar eclipses: total, annular (where the moon is oriented closer to the Sun and appears smaller in size) and partial (where the Moon only blocks part of the Sun) (Canadian Space Agency, 2023). Of the three, total solar eclipses are especially unique since they involve the perfect alignment of both celestial bodies such that the Moon entirely blocks the Sun. The path of totality is a narrow strip only 100 to 115 km wide, so we are extremely lucky to get this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in Hamilton. 

A total solar eclipse offers unique opportunities for scientists to study the corona (part of the Sun’s atmosphere) which is not visible under normal conditions (NASA, 2024b). By studying the corona, observations about how heat and energy are transferred into solar winds can be made. Total solar eclipses can also offer insight into the Sun’s impact on Earth’s atmosphere since it causes localized blocking of solar energy. This is especially important when it comes to learning more about the ionosphere, since this is the region housing many low-orbit satellites. 

In order to safely view the eclipse ensure that you are using ISO 12312-2:2015 certified eclipse glasses during all phases before and after totality (NASA, 2024a). Failure to properly protect your eyes may result in severe eye injury including permanent retina damage (i.e. solar retinopathy) and even blindness (McMaster University, 2024). On McMaster campus, free eclipse glasses provided through the Office of the Provost and the Faculty of Science may be picked-up at locations including Thode, Mills and Health Sciences service desks (McMaster University, 2024). It is also important to note that you cannot use camera lens, binoculars or telescopes unless the front of the optics have been secured with a specially designed solar filter (NASA, 2024a). Additionally, take precautions to protect your skin (e.g. apply sunscreen, wear a hat and protective clothing), especially if you are planning to watch the entire eclipse since you may be exposed to hours of direct sunshine.  

In Hamilton, the eclipse will start at 2:03 PM and end by 4:30 PM on Monday April 8th (McMaster University, 2024). Totality will occur for 96 seconds starting at 3:18 PM. During this time don’t forget to look out for the diamond-ring effect which appears as a bright ring of light around the outline of the moon and Baily’s beads which resemble concentrated ‘dots’ of light on the ring (Gemignani, 2024; Thomas, 2024). 

Wishing you a safe and happy eclipse day!

References

Canadian Space Agency, 2023. Solar eclipses guide: when is the next solar eclipse? [online] Canadian Space Agency. Available at: <https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/astronomy/eclipses/solar-eclipses.asp> [Accessed 30 March 2024].

Gemignani, A., 2024. Baily’s Beads. [online] Available at: <https://science.nasa.gov/resource/baileys-beads/> [Accessed 31 March 2024].

McMaster University, 2024. How to watch a total solar eclipse safely. [online] Available at: <https://dailynews.mcmaster.ca/articles/total-solar-eclipse-safety-hamilton/> [Accessed 30 March 2024].

NASA, 2024a. Eclipse Safety. [online] Available at: <https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/safety/> [Accessed 30 March 2024].

NASA, 2024b. NASA Eclipse Science. [online] Available at: <https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/nasa-research/> [Accessed 30 March 2024].

NASA, 2024c. Types of Solar Eclipses. [online] Available at: <https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/types/> [Accessed 30 March 2024].

Thomas, C., 2024. Putting a Ring on it: 2017 Total Solar Eclipse. [online] Available at: <https://science.nasa.gov/resource/putting-a-ring-on-it-2017-total-solar-eclipse/> [Accessed 31 March 2024].

The Van Allen Belts

For this week’s blog post we’re going to take a more detailed look at the Van Allen Belts and what this means for the future of space travel!

As previously introduced, the Van Allen Belts are composed of ionizing radiation which originate from sources such as galactic cosmic rays and solar storms (NASA, 2024). This radiation becomes trapped in Earth's magnetosphere, which protects us from harmful radiation exposure by forcing the trapped particles to travel along Earth’s magnetic field lines instead of onto the planet's surface (Li and Hudson, 2019). Two belts of radiation are consequently formed and are collectively named the Van Allen Belts after astrophysicist James Van Allen who first discovered their existence in 1958 (NASA, 2024). The outer belt, known as the electron belt, contains particles which originate from the sun, while the inner belt or proton belt is created from interactions between cosmic rays and Earth’s atmosphere.

Van Allen Belts Visualization

In order to travel beyond low-orbit, astronauts need to fly through the Van Allen Belts which puts them at risk of radiation exposure. Ionizing radiation, such as that found in the Van Allen Belts, can increase the risk of the development of a large array of health issues including cancer and central nervous system decrements (Chancellor, Scott and Sutton, 2014). When we look at the future of space travel there is likely to be more missions traveling beyond low-orbit, so attempting to minimize ionizing radiation exposure is necessary. One example is the upcoming Artemis II mission set to launch by the end of 2025 which will send astronauts to the moon, passing through the Van Allen Belts in the process (NASA, 2024). As we travel further from our planet, refining our understanding of ionizing radiation and its effect on human health becomes more and more important.

International Day of Women and Girls in STEM

Today is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, celebrating the contributions of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), who unfortunately remain underrepresented and undervalued in these fields (United Nations, 2024). Women are involved throughout MIST in a variety of different scientific, engineering and technological initiatives. In honor of the day, this blogpost will explore some of the major achievements in astrophysics of women throughout history.

Annie Jump Cannon was an American astronomer who developed the Harvard spectral system, which allows for the grouping of stars based on spectral characteristics (Alexander, 2020). She additionally manually classified 350,000 stars and was the first female recipient of the Henry Draper Medal of honor from the National Academy of Sciences due to her groundbreaking work. Similar to Annie, Henrietta Leavitt was a pioneer in her field. Her work allowed her to determine the chemical composition of stars, by relating spectra lines to physical conditions, and she was the first person to be awarded a PhD in astronomy (Fabbiano, 2020). Her discovery that stars are majorly composed of hydrogen and helium contradicted views at the time by prominent male astronomers, and her findings were unfortunately downplayed. We can now better appreciate her contributions to astrophysics and the wider scientific community. 

Other notable female astrophysicists include Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Beth A. Brown and Barbara A. Williams. Jocelyn Bell Burnell discovered pulsar stars while studying for her graduate degree at the University of Cambridge (Rumberg, 2022). She was one of the only female students involved on the project, with other women typically taking on administrative roles. Beth A. Brown became the first African-American woman to earn her doctorate in Astronomy from the University of Michigan, and helped inspire women and minorities to pursue careers in astrophysics (Kea, 2009). Before her untimely death, she held a position as the Assistant Director for Science Communications and Higher Education at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and she is mourned as a rising star in the field of Astrophysics. Barbara A. Williams also inspired women of racial minority in astrophysics when she became the first African American woman to earn her PhD in astronomy (Hislop, 2020). After completing her PhD she started working at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and does work on radio observations of compact galaxy groups. 

All of these women made major contributions to astrophysics discovery and have helped shaped the wider STEM community as we know it today. The International Day of Women and Girls in Science was established to help celebrate these contributions, as we work toward a more equitable future.

References

Alexander, Kerri Lee, 2020. Annie Jump Cannon Biography. [online] Annie Jump Cannon Biography. Available at: <https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/annie-jump-cannon> [Accessed 4 February 2024].

Fabbiano, G., 2020. The woman who explained the stars. Nature, 578(7796), pp.509–510. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-00509-3.

Hislop, Jessica May, 2020. 1981: Barbara Williams becomes the first Black woman to get a PhD… | astrobites. [online] Available at: <https://astrobites.org/2020/06/20/1981-barbara-williams-becomes-the-first-black-woman-to-get-a-phd/> [Accessed 4 February 2024].

Kea, Howard E., 2009. Women in Astronomy 2009 - A Tribute to Dr. Beth Brown. [online] Available at: <https://attic.gsfc.nasa.gov/wia2009/Dr_Beth_Brown_tribute.html> [Accessed 4 February 2024].

United Nations, 2024. International Day of Women and Girls in Science. [online] United Nations. Available at: <https://www.un.org/en/observances/women-and-girls-in-science-day> [Accessed 4 February 2024].

Rumberg, Anet, 2022. Jocelyn Bell Burnell – Discovered Pulsars. [online] Available at: <https://www.frontiersin.org/news/2022/09/22/children-in-science-jocelyn-bell-burnell-discovered-pulsars/>. [Accessed 4 February 2024].

PRESET CubeSat Mission: Unveiling Earth's Electron Dance in Space!

Prepare for an exhilarating journey beyond the confines of our planet as we unveil the innovative PRESET CubeSat mission! PRESET, short for 'Pitch REsolving Spectroscopy for Electron Transport,' is embarking on a mission to unravel the enigmatic secrets of the Van Allen Belts. We invite you to join us on this captivating voyage of discovery.

Exploring the Van Allen Belts

The Van Allen Belts are two intriguing regions encircling Earth, filled with charged particles. These regions comprise an inner belt, dominated by protons, and an outer belt, bustling with electrons. Earth's magnetic field sculpts these belts, shaping their dynamic presence in space.

Venturing into the Van Allen Belts can be perilous for spacecraft and astronauts, as they contain energetic particles that pose risks to both technology and human beings. Scientists study the mysteries of these belts to gain a comprehensive understanding and effectively manage the challenges they present to space exploration.

Why PRESET Matters

The significance of the PRESET mission lies in its potential to directly impact our understanding of Earth and its surroundings. We're especially intrigued by how electrons within the Van Allen Belts influence the protective atmosphere surrounding our planet. In particular, we’d like to understand how ozone absorbing molecules such as nitrogen and oxygen gas are formed as a result of electrons in the Van Allen Belts.

These molecules play a pivotal role in atmospheric dynamics, and an excessive presence in the upper atmosphere can lead to the thinning of the protective ozone layer. The consequences of a depleted ozone layer are far-reaching, affecting climate patterns and the health of all living organisms. However, our understanding of this intricate interplay is hindered by a lack of comprehensive data.

Here, the PRESET mission steps in as a beacon of knowledge. PRESET is committed to providing comprehensive insights into the behavior of electrons and their effects on our atmosphere, enabling us to make informed decisions that safeguard the delicate balance of our planet and ensure its safety for all living beings.

Instruments at Work

PRESET is equipped with two cutting-edge instruments: the Electron Spectrometer Telescope (EST) and our 3-axis Magnetometer (MAG). The EST measures the energy and angle of electrons incident upon the satellite, while the MAG keeps a watchful eye on the local magnetic field. Together, these instruments create a comprehensive picture of electron spectrums, crucial for our understanding of their influence on Earth.

The Countdown Begins

We've set our sights on launching the PRESET mission in the third quarter of 2025, strategically timed to coincide with a solar maximum. During this period, solar activity and electron flux are at their peak, making it the perfect opportunity to capture the electrifying show at its apex. Be sure to stay tuned for thrilling updates on the PRESET mission as we prepare to embark on this remarkable journey.

Thank you to our sponsor Altium!

We are extremely thankful to our major sponsor Altium for their continued generosity, in once again providing us with their ECAD software. Electronic Computer-Aided Design or ‘ECAD‘ is a software which allows for the creation of printed circuit boards (PCB) from a circuit design schematic. Altium offers an intuitive environment, with features such as a 3D virtual representation of PCBs, that supports the generation of high quality products. More information regarding Altium’s ECAD software can be found at: https://www.altium.com/altium-designer

PCBs have been used by the team for a variety of different projects. This includes the solar panels in the NEUDOSE CubeSat satellite, which consisted of a PCB adhered to solar cells as well as in the HASP (High Altitude Student Platform) 2018 mission, where it was used in combination with other devices to determine the attitude of the satellite. Shown below are some PCBs designed by out team using Altium software.

Thank you again to Altium for their continued support and for providing industry leading software that we use to educate students in electrical circuit design and product development.

Solar panels

For this week's hardware blog post, we're introducing you to the solar panels which can be found all over our satellite! This component has been worked on by NEUDOSE's electrical power systems team. This team manages power generation using solar panels, power storage using batteries and the overall power distribution to sub-systems. 

Check out our Q&A with our electrical power system team:

Q: How much of each Solar Panel was designed/assembled by the team, as opposed to bought commercially?

A: Each Solar Panel consists of a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) with 2-6 Solar Cells adhered to its surface, depending on which face of the satellite the panel is for. The Solar Panel PCBs were designed from scratch by our team, and sent to an external company for fabrication. The Solar Cells themselves were bought to our custom specifications from a commercial manufacturer. Our team then had to adhere the cells to the panels without breaking them, or getting them dirty, and make sure the assembled panel was functional.

Q: How do you know the Solar Panels will receive enough light to power the satellite for the entire mission?

A: Our Orbital sub-team has done extensive work in quantifying the trajectory of the satellite in orbit, and quantifying how much light each face of the satellite will be exposed to throughout. We made use of this information to customize our solar cells place them in as optimal of a location as possible.

Q: How do you test the Solar Panels before placing them on the satellite?

A: The first thing we check is that the tabs of the solar panel PCBs are electrically connected in series, as the cells should be. We then adhere the cells to the panel and characterize their performance electrically by measuring its open-circuit voltage and current, as well as environmentally by applying a calibrated light source against it and measuring the power it produces, generating what is known as a characteristic IV curve.

We hope you learned something new about  mechanical structure hardware! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about this hardware or NEUDOSE.

Ground station antennae

For this week's hardware blog post, we're introducing you to our ground station antennae! This component has been worked on by NEUDOSE's communications sub-team.

Check out our Q&A with Daniel Tajik, our Communications Team Lead.

Q: How long did the project take to build?

A: The ground station project was conceived in 2017, but its engineering began in earnest in late 2020 with the support of Telstorm Corporation, an expert in the field of antenna mounting for cellular projects. Over the course of the past year, the team completed design work, acquired city permits, and began construction. The final installation of the radio hardware is still underway with hopes of being completed in early March of 2022.

Q: What progress have we made during quarantine?

A: This ground station was designed and built during the quarantine with the help of our engineering partners at Telstorm and the contracting services of JW Contracting. Before this, we had several students design an outline of what we envisioned for the ground station, and what you see in the photos matches quite closely to our original designs!

Q: There look to be two types of antennas here, why are they different?

A: These specific antennas are called Yagi-Uda antennas, which have been heavily used over the past century for both wireless radio and television reception. The two antennas operate at two different wireless frequencies, referred to as Very High Frequency (or VHF) and Ultra High Frequency (or UHF). The specific electromagnetic frequencies for which the satellite will use exists within what is known as the amateur radio spectrum, which any member of the public can freely listen to! More details on the specific frequencies and how to access them will be published on our webpage in the following months

Q: Why do the antennas rotate?

A: These antennas are what is known as "directive" antennas, meaning that they focus the wireless energy (both transmitting and receiving) in a specific direction. Since our satellite is travelling in a non-geostationary orbit, meaning that they travel across our skyline instead of remaining fixed, we need to point the antennas at the satellite and follow it as it passes by in order to capture the signal.

Q: How long can you use the ground station for?

A: While the lifespan of the satellite is expected to be a year, the ground station has been designed to survive for 10 years of operation, which would enable its use for missions beyond NEUDOSE, and possibly assist in other satellite missions communication requirements.

We hope you learned something new about mechanical structure hardware! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about this hardware or NEUDOSE.

Mechanical Structural

For this week's hardware blog post, we're introducing you to our mechanical structure!

Q: What is the the mechanical structure hardware?

A: This is the first prototype for the mechanical structure of the NEUDOSE CubeSat! It was built right here in Hamilton ON at MERQ Inc. The machining of these precision components is accurate 50 micrometers (about the width of a human hair). For more information about MERC, you can check out there LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/company/merqinc/

Q: What is the mechanical structure used for?

A: The mechanical structure is the skeleton of the NEUDOSE CubeSat. These parts provide the strength to stand up to the tough environment of the launch. The structure is what holds all of the other parts of the satellite together despite the powerful forces and vibrations experienced on the rocket.

Q: What are the improvements since the last version?

A: The black colour on these parts comes from a hardcoat aluminum oxide coating, provided by Aluminum Surface Technologies in Burlington ON. The coating process is called anodization which results in a tough and durable protective layer on the important surfaces of the structure. These are the places where our satellite will contact the CubSat deployer aboard the ISS and we need to take special care to make sure these surfaces are perfect! For more information about Aluminum Surface Technologies, here is there LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aluminum-surface-technologies/

Q: What progress have you made during quarantine?

A: During the quarantine we have been working hard to transform our many hours of design and simulation work into real physical parts. We hope you are as excited as we are to see some hard work paying off!

We hope you learned something new about the mechanical structure hardware! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about this hardware or NEUDOSE. 

CDH Onboard Computer

Welcome to the third installment of our hardware blog post series! This week’s post highlights the onboard computer, which is a part of the command and data handling team’s work. Keep reading for more information on this essential piece of hardware and what it does for the satellite!

Q: What is the OBC (onboard computer)?

A: The on-board computer is a commercial board that will act as the "brain" of the satellite. Our on-board computer is the NanoMind A3200 (as observed to the right on image 2) manufactured by GOMSpace and will be mounted to the CDH Motherboard (as observed to the left on image 2), a custom printed circuit board, in order to interface with the rest of the satellite.

Q: What is the OBC used for?

A: The OBC gets information about the health and state of the satellite and takes any appropriate action to make sure everything is working nominally. It performs tasks like getting housekeeping data, executing any commands the satellite receives from the ground station, and ensuring all the other parts of the satellite are working as expected.

Q: What are the software improvements since the last version?

A: We recently changed our software design to use the software provided by the manufacturer to write the software on the OBC. It makes our system simpler and easier to implement!

Q: What progress have we made during quarantine?

A: Quarantine has seen some major design changes like the redesign of our software, lots of planning tests to do once we can get back in the lab, and trying to find ways to write code on different platforms! 

For more information, head to our NEUDOSE team website through the link in our bio! Feel free to reach out if you have any additional questions regarding the onboard computer or general hardware here at NEUDOSE.