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TechEdSat

TechEdSat 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 TechEdSat rather than just read about it. In short: Technology Education Satellite (TechEdSat) is a successful nano-sat flight series conducted from the NASA Ames Research Center in collaboration with numerous universities (San Jose State University, University of Idaho, University of California, University of Minnesota, and Smith College). While one of the principal aims has been to introduce young professionals and university students to the practical realm of deve…

TechEdSat — main illustration
TechEdSat — illustration

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

Technology Education Satellite (TechEdSat) is a successful nano-sat flight series conducted from the NASA Ames Research Center in collaboration with numerous universities (San Jose State University, University of Idaho, University of California, University of Minnesota, and Smith College). While one of the principal aims has been to introduce young professionals and university students to the practical realm of developing space flight hardware, considerable innovations have been introduced. In addition, this evolving flight platform has tested concepts for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) sample return, as well as planetary nano-sat class mission concepts.

TechEdSat-1

The first TechEdSat (later renamed "TechEdSat-1" or "TES-1") was a 1U-Cubesat designed to evaluate Space Plug-and-play Avionics (SPA) designed in Sweden by ÅAC Microtec. It was also originally intended to perform a communications experiment utilizing the Iridium and Orbcomm satellite phone network, although this function was disabled before launch. TechEdSat was deployed into orbit from the International Space Station (ISS) on 4 October 2012. It reentered to atmosphere on 5 May 2013.

Hardware Quake Global Q1000 Modem (Orbcomm) (deactivated) Quake Global Q9602 Modem (Iridium) (deactivated) Stensat Radio Beacon 4 x nanoRTU (ÅAC Microtec) Main Power Distribution Board (ÅAC Microtec) RTU Lite (ÅAC Microtec) 2 meter band Monopole Antenna 70 cm band Monopole Antenna 1600 MHz Patch Antenna Pumpkin, Inc. 1U Skeletonized CubeSat Structure Canon BP-930 Lithium-ion battery

Specifications Dimensions: 11.35 cm x 10.0 cm x 10.0 cm Mass: 1.2 kg (2.6 lb) Power Consumption (Safe Mode): 0.350 W Power Consumption (Safe Mode, Stensat Transmitting): 3.400 W Power Consumption (Nominal Mode): 3.965 W Power Consumption (Q1000 Transmitting): 27.125 W Power Consumption (Q9602 Transmitting): 10.490 W Power Consumption (Nominal Mode, Stensat Transmitting): 7.015 W Solar Array (Average): 1.229 W Power Storage: 17 Wh

Launch TechEdSat was launched from pad 2 of the Tanegashima Space Center, Yoshinobu Launch Complex (LC-Y2) on 21 July 2012, at 02:06 UTC, aboard Kounotori 3 atop an H-IIB launch vehicle. Kounotori 3 carried the satellite, along with the RAIKO, WE WISH, Niwaka, and F-1 spacecraft, to the International Space Station (ISS), from where it was deployed via the JAXA J-SSOD deployer, from the Kibō module on 4 October 2012 at 15:44:15.297 UTC.

Beacon Packet Format TechEdSat-1 transmitted a heartbeat packet over amateur radio every 4 seconds. These packets are 122 ASCII character AX.25 packets. Amateur band radio frequency is 437.465 MHz. Two consecutive 12 bit raw Analog-to-digital converter (ADC) data values are parsed into one 3 byte chunk in order to save data space.

TechEdSat-2

An Iridium transceiver flew aboard the PhoneSat v2a CubeSat as the TechEdSat-2 mission, separate from the spacecraft originally planned as TechEdSat-2. Alexander, also known as PhoneSat 2.0 Beta or PhoneSat v2a is a technology demonstration satellite operated by NASA's Ames Research Center, which was launched on 21 April 2013. Part of the PhoneSat programme, it was one of the first three PhoneSat spacecraft, and the first Phonesat-2.0 satellite, to be launched. A PhoneSat-2.0 satellite, Alexander, was built to the single-unit (1U) CubeSat specification, and measures 10 cm (3.9 in) in each dimension. The satellite is based around an off-the-shelf Samsung Electronics Nexus S smartphone which serves in place of an onboard computer. The satellite is equipped with a two-way S-band transponder and solar cells for power generation. The spacecraft uses the phone's gyroscopes, along with a GPS receiver, to determine its position and orientation, and a system of reaction wheels and magnetorquer coils for attitude control.

TechEdSat-3p

TechEdSat-3p was the third spacecraft flown in the TechEdSat series. Its dimensions were approximately 30 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm, or three CubeSat units long, making it three times larger than TechEdSat-1. TechEdSat-3p was launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on 3 August 2013 from Tanegashima Space Center, Japan on the Kounotori 4 (HTV-4) International Space Station cargo resupply mission and subsequently deployed into orbit by the JEM-Small Satellite Orbital Deployer (J-SSOD). TechEdSat-3p was the first satellite of the TechEdSat series to include an exo-brake, a parachute-like drag device to demonstrate passive deorbit capability. The deployment of an exo-brake increases the surface area of a satellite, increasing its coefficient of drag in the thin upper atmosphere and causing the satellite to deorbit faster than it otherwise would. This technology could be used to more quickly dispose of satellites in Low Earth Orbit that have completed their missions, decreasing the amount of potentially hazardous debris in space. The exo-brake is currently being developed for use as part of the Small Payload Quick Return (SPQR) concept, which would enable science materials to be returned to Earth from the International Space Station whenever is most convenient for scientists rather than just a few times per year aboard a returning cargo resupply vehicle. According to smallsat logistics company ÅAC Microtech, a main power distribution board designed for TechEdSat-1 was reused on the TechEdSat-3p mission.

TechEdSat-4

TechEdSat-4 was a 3U CubeSat mission developed, integrated, and tested at NASA Ames Research Center in partnership with student interns from San Jose State University (SJSU) in California and the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho. The objective of the TechEdSat-4 mission was to demonstrate new technologies including satellite-to-satellite communications and an upgraded Exo-Brake device to demonstrate a passive deorbiting. TechEdSat-4 was launched as a secondary cargo payload on the Cygnus CRS Orb-2 ISS resupply mission. The launch vehicle was the Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares-120, launching from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island, Virginia on 13 July 2014. TechEdSat-4 was deployed from the International Space Station via the Nanoracks CubeSat Deployer on 4 March 2015. The satellite decayed from orbit on 3 April 2015.

TechEdSat-5

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

TechEdSat: TechEdSat Engineering Development Unit
TechEdSat Engineering Development Unit
TechEdSat: TechEdSat Solar Panel
TechEdSat Solar Panel
TechEdSat: CubeSats deployed to orbit from the International Space Station (ISS) on 4 October 2012 (from left: TechEdSat-1, F-1 and FITSAT-1).
CubeSats deployed to orbit from the International Space Station (ISS) on 4 October 2012 (from left: TechEdSat-1, F-1 and FITSAT-1).
TechEdSat: Deployment of the TechEdSat-3p satellite from the ISS
Deployment of the TechEdSat-3p satellite from the ISS
TechEdSat: On 27 February 2015, a series of CubeSats, small experimental satellites, were deployed via a special device mounted on the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) (Kibō module) Remote Manipulator System (JEMRMS). Deployed satellites included twenty Flock-1b satellites, TechEdSat-4, GEARRSAT, LambdaSat, and MicroMAS.
On 27 February 2015, a series of CubeSats, small experimental satellites, were deployed via a special device mounted on the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) (Kibō module) Remote Manipulator System (JEMRMS). Deployed satellites included twenty Flock-1b satellites, TechEdSat-4, GEARRSAT, LambdaSat, and MicroMAS.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with TechEdSat

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what TechEdSat 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 TechEdSat 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 TechEdSat 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 TechEdSat

In research
TechEdSat 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 TechEdSat 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
TechEdSat is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics CubeSats, San Jose State University, Satellites deployed from the International Space Station, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for TechEdSat 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 TechEdSat in 20 minutes

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

Frequently asked questions

What is TechEdSat in simple terms?

Technology Education Satellite (TechEdSat) is a successful nano-sat flight series conducted from the NASA Ames Research Center in collaboration with numerous universities (San Jose State University, University of Idaho, University of California, University of Minnesota, and Smith College). While on…

Why does TechEdSat 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 TechEdSat?

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 TechEdSat.

Tags

  • CubeSats
  • San Jose State University
  • Satellites deployed from the International Space Station
  • Secondary payloads
  • Spacecraft launched in 2012
  • Student satellites
  • University of Idaho

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