astronomy

Shin'en (spacecraft)

Shin'en (spacecraft) 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 Shin'en (spacecraft) rather than just read about it. In short: Shin'en, known before launch as UNITEC-1 or UNISEC Technology Experiment Carrier 1, is a Japanese student spacecraft which was intended to make a flyby of Venus in order to study the effects of interplanetary spaceflight on spacecraft computers. In doing so, it was intended to become the first student-built spacecraft to operate beyond geocentric orbit.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Shin'en, known before launch as UNITEC-1 or UNISEC Technology Experiment Carrier 1, is a Japanese student spacecraft which was intended to make a flyby of Venus in order to study the effects of interplanetary spaceflight on spacecraft computers. In doing so, it was intended to become the first student-built spacecraft to operate beyond geocentric orbit. It was operated by University Space Engineering Consortium (UNISEC), a collaboration between several Japanese universities. It was launched on 20 May 2010 and contact was lost shortly after.

Spacecraft

Shin'en measures 30 by 35 centimetres (12 by 14 in), and has a mass of 20 kilograms (44 lb). It has no attitude control or stabilisation system. Power was to be provided by solar cells attached to the outside of the spacecraft, which were to produce around 25 Watts of electricity. The primary payload of Shin'en consists of six university-built computers, which were to be tested in interplanetary space for robustness against the radiation and extremes of temperature. The spacecraft also carries a camera, and a radiation counter. In order to simplify the system and reduce cost, a low power communications system was used. It was to broadcast a continuous wave with a data transfer rate of one bit per second. UNISEC has invited amateur radio operators to assist in collecting data from the spacecraft.

Launch Shin'en was successfully launched from Pad 1 of the Yoshinobu Launch Complex at the Tanegashima Space Centre, at 21:58:22 UTC on 20 May 2010. It was being launched as a secondary payload aboard an H-IIA 202 rocket, with the primary payload being the Akatsuki spacecraft bound for Venus. The IKAROS solar sail experiment was also deployed from the same rocket on a trajectory towards Venus. Three other student spacecraft; Waseda-SAT2, K-Sat and Negai ☆ were also launched, however they separated from the rocket whilst it was still orbiting the Earth. Shin'en was the last spacecraft to separate from the rocket. The launch was conducted by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries on behalf of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. The H-IIA rocket was rolled out to the launch pad on 16 May 2010, departing the assembly building at 21:01 UTC and arriving at the launch pad 24 minutes later at 21:25 UTC, in preparation for a launch scheduled at 21:44:14 UTC on 17 May. The terminal countdown began at 11:30 UTC on 17 May and by 15:28, the loading of cryogenic propellant into the rocket's first and second stages had been completed. This launch attempt was scrubbed a few minutes before the scheduled launch time due to bad weather. Following launch, Shin'en separated from the carrier rocket into a heliocentric orbit. It was planned to fly past Venus six or seven months into its mission. Signals from the craft were briefly detected after launch, but contact was then lost. The last signals were received at 15:43 UTC on 21 May 2010, when the spacecraft was 320,000 kilometres (200,000 mi) from Earth. UNISEC explains that Shin'en is the first student spacecraft to pass over the Van Allen radiation belt. Shin'en was expected to be near Venus as of December 2010.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Shin'en (spacecraft)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Shin'en (spacecraft) 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 Shin'en (spacecraft) 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 Shin'en (spacecraft) 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 Shin'en (spacecraft)

In research: Shin'en (spacecraft) 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 Shin'en (spacecraft) 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: Shin'en (spacecraft) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Derelict satellites in heliocentric orbit, Japanese missions to Venus, May 2010 in Japan, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Shin'en (spacecraft) 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 Shin'en (spacecraft) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Shin'en (spacecraft) 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 Shin'en (spacecraft) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Shin'en (spacecraft) in simple terms?

Why does Shin'en (spacecraft) 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 Shin'en (spacecraft)?

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 Shin'en (spacecraft).