astronomy

Nigeria EduSat-1

Nigeria EduSat-1 is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Nigeria EduSat-1 rather than just read about it. In short: Nigeria EduSat-1 was a Nigerian nanosatellite built by the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), created in conjunction with the Japanese Birds-1 program. It was Nigeria's first satellite built by a university.

Key takeaways

Nigeria EduSat-1 belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Nigeria EduSat-1 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Nigeria EduSat-1 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Nigeria EduSat-1 was a Nigerian nanosatellite built by the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), created in conjunction with the Japanese Birds-1 program. It was Nigeria's first satellite built by a university. It was launched from the Japanese Kibō module of the International Space Station, being brought to the station as part of SpaceX CRS-11. The satellite deorbited on 13 May 2019, nearly two years after launch.

Background Japan supports non-spacefaring countries in their efforts to build their first satellites through a program called the Joint Global Multi-Nation Birds Satellite project (Birds). Five countries constructed satellites in the Birds-1 program: Bangladesh, Ghana, Japan, Mongolia, and Nigeria. Together, the five satellites make up the Birds-1 fleet. Nigeria EduSat-1 is the first satellite built by a Nigerian university. The project was supported by Kyushu Institute of Technology (KIT) as part of the Joint Global Multi-Nation Birds Satellite project, which is a cross-border interdisciplinary satellite project for non-spacefaring countries supported by Japan. The university also partnered with the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Abuja, Nigeria. The five satellites built by the five countries were all identical in their design. Nigeria has a history with satellites in space. NigeriaSat-1, NigeriaSat-2, NigeriaSat-X, NigComSat-1, and NigComSat-1R were ordered by the Nigerian government, but were not built by Nigeria.

Development The satellite was designed, built, and owned by the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), in conjunction with Nigeria's National Space Research and Development Agency and Japan's Kyushu Institute of Technology. It was equipped with 0.3−megapixel and 5−megapixel cameras, and with the rest of the satellite fleet, took images of Nigeria. The satellite transmitted songs and poems as an outreach project to generate Nigerian interest in science. The signal could be received by amateur radio operators. The satellite constellation also conducted measurements of the atmospheric density 400 kilometres (250 mi) above the Earth. The satellite cost about US$500,000 to manufacture and launch.

Mission

Launch

The launch was planned for 1 June 2017, but was postponed due to poor weather conditions. SpaceX launched the satellite on its CRS-11 mission to the International Space Station on 3 June 2017. The satellite was carried in a Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket, launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, LC-39A. This was the 100th launch from LC-39A and the first time SpaceX reused one of its Dragon capsules. The satellite orbited the Earth at an altitude of 400 kilometres (250 mi) and at an inclination of 51.64°. The satellite traveled around the Earth every 92.57 minutes at a velocity of 7.67 kilometres per second (4.77 mi/s).

Operations The satellite communicated with seven ground stations: one in each of the countries participating in the Birds-1 program, and one each in Thailand and Taiwan. The primary objective was for the satellite to be a technology demonstrator and to familiarize Nigerian students and scientists with satellite technology and manufacturing techniques. The Birds-1 satellites decayed in May 2019. Nigeria EduSat-1 was the second-to-last to decay, ending its mission on 13 May 2019.

References

External links Official Birds website

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Nigeria EduSat-1

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Nigeria EduSat-1 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Nigeria EduSat-1 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Nigeria EduSat-1 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Nigeria EduSat-1

In research: Nigeria EduSat-1 appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Nigeria EduSat-1 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Nigeria EduSat-1 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2017 in Nigeria, CubeSats, Federal University of Technology Akure, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Nigeria EduSat-1 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Nigeria EduSat-1 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Nigeria EduSat-1 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Nigeria EduSat-1 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nigeria EduSat-1 in simple terms?

Why does Nigeria EduSat-1 matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Nigeria EduSat-1?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Nigeria EduSat-1.