Frequently Asked Questions
- Who can be in SSDC?
Anyone. We welcome anyone with an interest in developing a satellite.
- 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 long for some hands on experience. SSDC provides opportunities for learning both theory and practice. We also provide great networking opportunities and some great work experience as preparation for a career in satellite development.
- How do I get involved?
Just stop on by! We are located in NEB 185. Our meetings this semester are Wednesdays at 5pm. You can also contact our President for more information
- What kind of projects can I expect to work on?
Quite a variety - We always need experienced C programmers to develop an operating system for the satellite and interface hardware components. If you have experience in C then we can set you up with a development environment for the development board and microprocessor. We also need ProE drawings of all the satellite parts so we can study assembly, 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.
- 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 satellite. It is headed for space. It may be small but it contains all of the subsystems and challenges you will face in developing a 500+ kg satellite in industry (and even some new ones). In developing small satellite technology we aim to do more with less (mass and money). This 10cm cube with a mass of 2 kg will be placed into a sun sychronous circular orbit at an altitude of ~650km above the surface of the Earth.
- What happens after you launch it?
We're done. Just kidding - then the real fun begins. We have a very nice ground station thanks to a partnership with the Gator Amateur Radio Club here on campus. Once the bird is launched we have a number of tasks:
- Tracking
- Mission execution
- System monitoring
- Mission analysis
- Start the next mission...