Discussion Groups for the 2nd UNISEC-Global Meeting
- Opportunities and challenges associated with interplanetary nanosatellite missions
- Remote Sensing Data User Group
- Space mining using nano-micro satellites
- Prospective of CanSat Hands-on Education Projects
- Safety Standards of University Rocket
- How to design an EML to be capable of launching pico satellites (mass < 1kg) into LEO
- Water Level Monitoring Experiment
- Ground Station Network (GSN)
- How to manage UNISON (UNISEC Student Organization)
- Successfully Launching University Satellites: From Design to Orbit
Group 1
Opportunities and challenges associated with interplanetary nanosatellite missions
Moderator: Jordan Vannitsen, National Cheng Kung University
Assistant: Takehiro Ohira, Tokyo Metropolitan University
The last decade has seen the increase of nanosatellite missions thanks to the CubeSat standard developed in the early 2000 years by the California Polytechnic State University and Stanford University.
The CubeSat standard is now a cutting-edge technology for space science and education. It consists in a set of interface rules and tests to fit satellites into a 10cmx10cmx30cm container. This container is the mechanical and jettisoning interface with the launcher. Nowadays, many world-famous technical universities include in their lectures the involvement of the students in CubeSat projects with a strong support by some national space agencies to finance the cost of the launch as piggy-back of a commercial or scientific space mission and more and more interplanetary CubeSat projects appear in the specialized conferences.
After a short presentation about the technical challenges, opportunities and practicalities of interplanetary space exploration with nanosatellites, the discussion will focus on three themes: technology, science and open collaboration.
1 MB
1 MB
Group 2
Remote Sensing Data User Group
Moderator: Prof Sultan Alsultan, Alqassim University, (Prof Akira Iwasaki, University of Tokyo)
Assistant: Takeshi Sakuma, Tokyo Metropolitan University
Earth remote sensing is a promising space mission that contributes to monitor disasters, environment and so on. Since most of nano-satellites carry cameras that observe earth images. Increase in nano-satellites during the last decade will enable more frequent earth observation, which has been required many remote sensing data users. However, the characteristics of cameras are quite different among nano-satellites. Furthermore, geometric and radiometric calibrations are needed for data utilization.
The Remote Sensing Data User Group intends to develop the methodology to use cameras on board nano-satellites for remote sensing research. Discussion of software toolboxes will be also carried out, which makes a way to expand data utilization of remote sensing data obtained by nano-satellites. To extend our corporation in UNISEC-Global, individual research areas and research themes are discussed.
1.6 MB
1 MB
Group 3
Space mining using nano-micro satellites
Moderator: Mehmet Sevket Uludağ and Prof. Alim Rüstem Aslan, Istanbul Technical University
Assistant: Takuya Motohata, Kyushu Institute of Technology
To live in space, to send colonies to explore the space, and to maintain space vehicle with its subsystems’, the main requirement is energy. For economic purposes the efficient way is to produce the energy/equipment needed at space instead of sending those equipment from Earth. Compared to the cost of having the resources in space rather than transporting from earth is much more feasible and cost efficient. “What's scarce on Earth is plentiful in space, and if you can get your hands on what's out there, you could add trillions of dollars to the global economy.” (Cameron, 2012)
Current attempts:
* Deep Space Industries plans to launch three small crafts armed with cameras, called Fireflies, on an asteroid discovery mission as early as 2015. Three more spacecrafts, called Dragonflies, are expected to launch in 2016 to collect samples to be evaluated for mining potential.
* Planetary Resources, a Seattle company that launched its asteroid-mining operation last year, is developing a space telescope for spaceflight soon (Los Angeles Times, 2013)
* The Near Earth Space Surveillance (NESS) mission will use NEOSSat to search for and track near-Earth asteroids interior to Earth's orbit around the Sun, including asteroids in the Aten and Atira classes. (Wikipedia)
We propose to discuss what can be achieved using economical space systems to get ready for space mining.
0.5 MB
0.5 MB
Group 4
Prospective of CanSat Hands-on Education Projects
Moderator: Dr. Mohammed Khalil Ibrahim, Cairo University and Dr. Hiraku Sakamoto, Tokyo Institute of Technology
Assistant: Masaki Watanabe and Koki Sakuyama, Tokyo Metropolitan University
CanSat proved to be an effective tool that provides hands-on training for practical space engineering projects because of its short development time and its low cost. Now, there are various CanSat competitions around the world. It gains so much interest, which lead several institutes and commercial companies start to produce CanSat kits. However many questions still need to be answered the most important question is “What is better approach to teach CanSat for capacity building in space engineering?” With the advances in electronics and software engineering, the classical CanSat hardware may start to looks like an obsolete hardware. How can people working in the field of space engineering education develop the CanSat in a way that keep it simple and cope with these changes? Concrete and rigorous project management and system engineering tools need to be adapted in both quantitative and qualitative manner in future CanSat curriculum. Risk analysis needs to be addressed and quantified as well. How can communities with restrictions on hardware imports overcome such difficulties? And how can they launch their CanSat? The ultimate object is to design a CanSat curriculum that address all the above-mentioned topics and difficulties.
In this session, participants from each country are asked to make a lightning presentation to share CanSat activities in their country. Then the participants will discuss together the future of CanSat education.
1.1 MB
1 MB
Group 5
Safety Standards of University Rocket
Moderator: Prof. Koichi Yonemoto, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Dr. Yutaka Wada, Akita University
Assistant: Kiho Fukaura, Tsukuba University and Yosuke Fujisawa, Kyushu University
To date, many universities worldwide actively conduct their small rocket launches based on the individual safety standards or regulations established by the own clubs or the organizations they belong to. The main purpose of the safety standards is to secure the safety of launch members and personnel of the third party, but shall not ties down the students by the strict rules to spoil their motivation for innovative ideas. The safety standard has a purpose to help the students to investigate how the conformity to the safety can be achieved by their own ways, such as calculations or actual ground tests prior to the actual launch.
The agenda of discussion is as follows:
1. Introduction of safety standards in each country
2. Discussion on the safety standards for further enhancement
3. Draft of Iinternational safety standard Stan
4. Wrap up conclusion
3.4 MB
4 MB
Group 6
How to design an EML to be capable of launching pico satellites (mass < 1kg) into LEO
Moderator: Dr. Nevsan Sengil
Assistant: Shingo Fuchikami, Kyushu Institute of Technology
Currently, satellites are transported to the Earth orbit with rockets. In rockets, chemical energy is consumed to increase the kinetic energy of the exhaust gases. But this technology has some shortcomings. First of all, transportation with rockets is quite expensive. It is estimated that the current cost of payload launching into orbit with Space Shuttle is around $20000/kg. Secondly, building rockets capable to reach space requires high technology and complicated industrial facilities. Next, exhaust plumes from the rocket engines are generally harmful to the launch site environment and ozone layer. Finally, the exhaust speeds of the gases are limited by the speed of the sound of the propellant medium. To overcome these difficulties, new solutions are unveiled. Space elevator, laser and electromagnetic based launchers are proposed as the next generation satellite launchers. Currently it can be said that, studies are mostly intensified on the electromagnetic launchers (EMLs) to transport satellites into the orbits. Using EML, launching cost can be decreased dramatically as low as $600/kg. We want to propose a discussion topic about how to design an EML to be capable of launching pico satellites (m<1 kg) into LEO. Maybe a small scale EML can be built just to send Cansats to an altitude of a couple of 100 meters.
0.5 MB
0.5 MB
Group 7
Water Level Monitoring Experiment
Using Hodoyoshi #3 and #4 satellites, “Store and Forward” (S&F) communication experiments are now possible. In this group, after short presentation on basic ideas of “Store and Forward” (S&F) communication and application for water level monitoring with less expensive ground device, discuss how to proceed the experiments. Anybody interested in water level monitoring, especially those who wish to join the experiments, will be welcome.
(S&F communication is a satellite-based data collecting system. Measured data is sent from an on-ground sensor to a receiving device on a satellite. The satellite stores the transmitted data, and then forwards the data to a ground station.)
Group 8
Ground Station Network (GSN)
Moderator: Dr. Yuji Sakamoto, Tohoku University
Assistant: H.Akihito Uchida and Shota Yamaguchi, Tokai University
Forming a network with multiple ground stations makes satellite operation more effective in many ways. It enables to expand the visible time and ensures some redundant communication paths. Also, receiving signals from satellites in a collaborative way will make the initial acquisition easier at the critical phase.
In this discussion group, we focus on how to realize the collaborative activities of international ground station network. We should discuss several ways to realize it, for example, how to define technical standards, how to co-work with different system technologies, which requires broader perspectives, how to maintain collaborative activities.
Student participation in the discussion is significantly important. The discussion will start from exchanging information of the situation of domestic ground station activities in each country. Sharing information from those who are already doing GSN activities will be facilitated, and also new comers who have not started GSN activities are welcomed to share their expectation to GSN.
In Japan, GSN activities have more than 10 years history, and let us make the best use of the past experience of each other.
0.5 MB
0.5 MB
Group 9
How to manage UNISON (UNISEC Student Organization)
Moderator: Yuta Kusano, Tokai University
Assistant: Satoshi Nakamura, Tokai University, Kento Ohinata, Nihon University
UNISON Global committee adopted f the following three points as its vision at the 1st Unison-Global Meeting in 2013.
- Accelerate space developments in "competitive" and "cooperative" environment among UNISONs of all regions.
- Challenge international space activities that we cannot achieve alone.
- Realize following concept:
Each UNISON-Global activity should not get involved in any activity that can be achieved by UNISON-Local
In order to achieve this vison, we will discuss about what each f UNISON-Local has done in this year and what it will do in the future, especially focusing on the following two points.
- Problems associated with each UNISON-Local
- Future plans to promote UNISON-Global activities
How to proceed with the discussion at the 2nd UNISON-Global Meeting will start with the country reports from the last year’s participating nations such as Japan, Korea, Mexico, Ghana, and Peru. The country report will describe their activities about the establishment of UNISON-Local, featuring or identifying obstacles/problems.
Based upon the country reports, we have candid exchange of views and opinions with participants about possible solutions to these problems.
We obtain meaningful information for the establishment of a UNISON-LOCAL or the promotion of UNISON activities.
2.2 MB
1 MB
Group 10
Successfully Launching University Satellites: From Design to Orbit
Moderator: Roland Coelho, Calpoly
Assistant: Keisuke Kondo, Tokai University
It is essential to find affordable launch opportunities in university satellite projects, while providing the best chance for mission success. In this group, difficulties in university satellite launch and lessons learnt are discussed, and possible innovative solutions will be sought.
4.3 MB
2.5 MB
