Structure and Payload

Hi there, and welcome back to the XSAS blog.  In this post, I'll be explaining what's going on in the structure and payload subsystems as well as shedding some light on the overall progress of the project over the past week.

First of all, you should know what the payload and structure refer to. The payload of XSAS is, well, the extendable solar array system.  It's all of the mechanical parts of XSAS that will deploy, including the scissor structure, locking bolts, and frame.

The structure on the other hand refers to the larger, approximately 40 inch x 20 inch x 20 inch frame that will hold XSAS in the aircraft while we fly.  Because we don't know how exactly a satellite carrying XSAS would be released in space, we also need the structure to be able to spin XSAS about an axis before releasing it.  We want to simulate the worst case scenario of deployment, and ensure that our system will survive.

This week, I worked on a trade study of printed circuit boards, or PCB's.  PCB's will be used in the experimental XSAS flight instead of solar panels.  Each board will be outfitted with stress and strain gauges to measure the forces during flight.

Others in the structure and payload team worked on designing a way to test parts of XSAS in a vacuum chamber, as well as ordering parts to start building prototypes. Team members refined the camera mounting design as well as the latching mechanism.

Stay tuned for next week's update :)

Clark Hoffman

Structure and Payload Team Member

Welcome to the XSAS Blog

Hello readers!

I would like to say welcome! This blog is dedicated to following the progress of the XSAS Microgravity Team at the University of Michigan. The team is continuing design work and prototyping on the current XSAS model. We have been working very hard to optimize the design of XSAS and now we are starting our prototyping phase. Last semester we submitted our proposal to NASA's Microgravity Flight Program. Our proposal was selected in December with a flight date in mid June. As the first blog, listed below is some questions you may have about XSAS. Please check out our website for more information about XSAS, http://sites.google.com/site/xsasmicrogravity/.   Also this blog will be updated weekly by a team member about the progress of their subsystem and the over all team, so keep posted!

Happy reading!

   Rachel Trabert

   Chief Engineer

What is XSAS? 

XSAS is the eXtentable Solar Array System. It is a modular package that can be integrated on any standard CubeSat configuration. The system compacted into a 15 cm x 10 cm x 10 cm box and when deployed can reach up to 6 feet long.

What does it do? 

As the name implies, XSAS is a deployable solar array that will help to power CubeSats. The predicted amount of power that XSAS will generate from its 16 solar panels shatters current CubeSat capabilities. Most CubeSats provide power in the range of 4-5 Watts, XSAS can provide an average power of 28 Watts. That's nearly 700% increase in power!

Why microgravity testing?

Microgravity allows all 6 degrees of freedom that XSAS will experience on an actual space mission. By testing in this environment, we should be able to come up with an accurate model for how XSAS will react as it deploys in space.

Who is working on XSAS now?

A group of undergraduate students through UM's Student Space Systems Fabrication Laboratory (S3FL). This team is dedicated to developing XSAS to be tested in microgravity. The XSAS principle investigators are Andrew Klesh and Patrick Senatore.