FASTRAC: Formation Autonomy Spacecraft with Thrust, Relnav, Attitude, & Crosslink

Glossary

Attitude

The orientation of the spacecraft in three dimensional space with respect to some reference position. Attitude is commonly expressed in terms of yaw, pitch, and roll, and is used frequently when describing the orientation of airplanes and spacecraft.

Clean Room

A special decontaminated facility for constructing sensitive items, such as satellites. All dust and stray particles are diligently removed and controlled to avoid damaging delicate parts. Team members must wear sterile suits to avoid bringing outside impurities into the room. In addition, special care is taken to avoid electric shocks that might harm intricate electronics. There is a clean room in the fabrication area of the UT Satellite Design Lab.

Crosslink

A pathway for communication between the two FASTRAC satellites. Crosslinks are used for satellite-to-satellite communication, while downlinks and uplinks are used for satellite-to-groundstation and groundstation-to-satellite communications.

Distributed Ground Station Network

A collection of universities with radio equipment for tracking satellites. Mission controllers at each university are able to remotely access and use the equipment at whatever geographic location is best for communicating with their satellite at that time. The universities are able to share time on the equipment and have improved capabilities then any could have individually.

GPS Relative Navigation

A method of formation flying using the distant constellation of Global Positioning System satellites. Radio signals are received and timed from several GPS satellites to triangulate position. Each FASTRAC twin then shares its raw information with the other so that the location of the entire formation can be tracked at all times.

Microdischarge Plasma Thruster

An experimental ultra-miniature rocket motor developed at the University of Texas Plasma Research Lab. Helium gas is electrified and turned into a superhot gas known as plasma, then expelled out of a tiny hole to produce a rocket. The design is very small and efficient, producing a small amount of thrust for a long duration of time. The force produced, however, is less than a gentle breeze!

Nanosatellite

A Nanosatellite is a category of satellites corresponding to those with a mass from 1 to 10 kg.

Satellite Design Lab

A laboratory founded by Dr. Glenn Lightsey at the University of Texas Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics. This facility is used for student projects related to the conception and fabrication of space vehicles including satellites, sounding rocket payloads, and near-space balloon flights. It is located on the fourth floor of the W.R. Woolrich Laboratories building on the UT Austin campus.

Satellite Formations

When several satellites are flown together in orbit, they are arranged in a way that prevents collisions, promotes communication, and allows them to complete their mission successfully. These arrangements are referred to as satellite formations, and are commonly used with small satellites like FASTRAC.

Thrust

A force applied to a spacecraft by a rocket engine. Thrust is used to move or rotate a spacecraft while in space. Launch vehicles, such as the Space Shuttle or rockets, use thrust to propel the vehicle into orbit.