Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who can be in SSDC?
   Anyone. We welcome anyone with an interest in studying space and developing spacecraft.


2. Why would I want to join SSDC?
   Lots of reasons. Many of us feel passionately about the material we are exposed to in the classroom, but are eager to obtain hands on experience and solve real world problems. SSDC provides opportunities for learning both theory and practice. We also provide great networking opportunities and some great work experience as preparation for a professional career in industry or academia.


3. How do I get involved?
   Email helps and you can join our list serve - SSDC-l@ufl.edu. But just stop on by! We are located in Gainesville, FL in the New Engineering Building. It's right across from the latest addition down the hill from the Reitz Union, the Nanoscale Research Facility. Actually the New Engineering Building isn't actually new anymore. It was built in 1997. SSDC meetings are usually within the the NEB. The Mission Operations Center where we track small satellites is located in NEB150 while our Small Satellite Lab where we build, integrate, and test our hardware is located in NEB185. You can also contact our President for more information


4. What kind of projects can I expect to work on?
   Quite a variety - we are always looking for highly motivated, passionate individuals who desire to work with a highly integrated project. Technically speaking, we always need experienced C programmers (i.e., to develop an operating system for the satellite, to interface hardware components, and to test and review flight software). If you have experience in C then we can set you up with a development environment for the development board and microprocessors that we are investigating. We also in search of structural and mechanical engineers who can assist in drawings of all the satellite parts. Assembly techniques, mass distribution, and space limitations. We have a lot of sensors and electrical circuits which need to be developed and rigorously tested. We plan to update and keep a list of immediate tasks posted here.


5. What do these small satellites do?
   That is a good question and many researchers and scientists around the world and working non-stop to figure out what these small satellites can achieve. The small satellite being developed at UF is a technology demonstration of a spacecraft component which could increase the potential missions that these small satellites can DO!


6. This is just for fun right? You guys aren't really going to put this thing into space?
   No. We are working on an actual pico-satellite known as a CubeSat. It is headed for the Low Earth Orbit (LEO). It may be small but it is smart. It contains all of the subsystems and challenges you will face in developing a traditional satellite in industry (and even some new ones). In developing small satellite technology we aim to do more with less (mass and money). This 10 centimeter cubic satelite's mass is under 3 pounds and will be placed into a sun synchronous circular orbit at an approximated altitude of 650 km above the surface of the Earth.


7. What happens after you launch it?
   You're done right? Not all - in fact it is just the beginning. We have a very nice ground station thanks to a partnership with the Gator Amateur Radio Club here on campus. Once the satellite known to Hams as a bird is launched we have a number of tasks:
   
   • Tracking
   • Mission execution
   • System monitoring
   • Mission analysis
   • Lessons learned and onto the next missions...