FluxDemonSatFluxgate Magnetometer Core Technology Demonstrator Merit ReviewStudent Design Team: Farita Tasnim, Shivani Upadhayay,

Jinny van Doorn

Mentor Team: Keith Warren, Paul King, Luther Richardson

October 28, 2014

Merit Review Questions•Does this mission address NASA Strategic Objectives?

•What is the intellectual merit of the proposed activity?

•What are the broader impacts of the proposed activity?

•Is student training used in this activity?

Feasibility Review will include questions on technical feasibility, management plan, and education plan and sent out by November 3rd.

Questions 2-4 taken from NSF Merit Review Criteria (January 2013)

Mission Objectives•M1 Advance the TRL level for new core material for use in research class fluxgate magnetometers

•M2 Contribute to investigation of the Earth’s magnetic field and its response to solar activity

•M3 Create a magnetically clean Cubesat•M4 Test a simple deployable boom to be used for gravity gradient stabilization

•M5 Implement a wide spread education plan that will facilitate a network of data stations

Cubesat Mission ParametersMission Name

Mass

Cube Size

Desired Orbit

Acceptable Orbit Range

400km @ 51.6 degree inclination acceptable – yes or no

Readiness Date

Desired Mission Life

FluxDemon Sat

<1.3kg

1u Altitude(km)

400km

350km – 650km

Yes June 2017 (2 years)

3-6 months

Inclination (deg)

51.6 any

Flux Gate Magnetometer Core Technology Testbed

Primary Payload: Fluxgate Magnetometer with a metallic glass magnetic core

Technology Application:The NASA GSFC Mag group has solicited for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants to provide a new acceptable substitute for their own diminishing supply of 6-81.3 permalloy fluxgate ring cores. The fabrication process that resulted in the ultra-low noise magnetic sensors has been lost and no new materials have an appropriate TRL level. Metallic glass cores production techniques have been advanced to the point that they would work as well or better than the permalloy cores.

http://sbir.gsfc.nasa.gov/SBIR/abstracts/11/sbir/phase2/SBIR-11-2-S1.06-8828.html

Flux Gate Magnetometer Core Technology Testbed

𝑉 𝑠𝑒𝑐=𝑛𝑠 𝐴𝐵𝑒𝑥 (1−𝐷 )( 𝑑𝜇𝑟

𝑑𝑡 )[1+𝐷 (𝜇𝑟−1 )2 ]

The equation above describes the electric potential measured by the fluxgate magnetometer. Three of the terms are directly related to the core material and the noise level dictates the sensitivity of the measurement:demagnetization factor (D), relative permeability (), and rate of change ability (). These performance measures need to be verified on the ground and also in orbit. Ground and on-orbit measurements would be taken by the fluxgate and a solid state magnetoresistive magnetometer to verify performance measurements.

Solar/Earth Magnetic Field Interaction

• Several spacecraft missions including Cubesats have aimed to investigate the interaction between the Sun and Earth by measuring the magnetic field from orbit. FluxDemonSat would take data with as good or better sensitivity than the other missions. This satellite would offer another data point in time and space.

Graphic from the ESA Swam mission showing the sources of measured magnetic field

Graphic from UC Berkely CINEMA 3u Cubesat mission using a magnetoresistive magnetometer on a boom to measure Earth’s field.

•Measure changes in the Earth field over time with correlating data from ground based magnetometer measurements.

FluxDemon Education Plan

• Students who are part of the Columbus Space Program housed at Columbus High School will be central to the subsystem engineering to design and built the spacecraft. These students will gain experience that will give them skills and confidence to enter STEM college fields and become prime candidates for NASA internships and potentially careers.

Columbus Space Program

• Over 2000 secondary schools across the country have FIRST Robotics teams that build 150 pound robots each year as part of the FRC competition supported by NASA. The network of teams will be invited to contribute to the data collection and analysis from FluxDemon Sat.

Share curriculum with teachers through the NASA NEAT and Teacher in Space networks

Alignment with NASA Strategic Goals• Objective 1.4: Understand the Sun and its interactions with Earth and the

solar system, including space weather.

M2. Other satellite missions are measuring local magnetic field to look for correlations with solar activity over short and long time scales. Even a few measurements with >1nT accuracy will contribute to understanding the Earth’s magnetic interaction with solar activity.

• Objective 1.7: Transform NASA missions and advance the Nation’s capabilities by maturing crosscutting and innovative space technologies.

• GSFC Strategic Goal 1: Goddard Space Flight Center both enables and conducts science research from space.

M1. Advancing the TRL level for the new type of core for fluxgate magnetometers will increase availability of research class magnetometers. (NASA SBIR Proposal #11-2 S1.06-8828)

Alignment with NASA Strategic Goals continued…• Objective 2.2: Advance knowledge of Earth as a system to meet the challenges

of environmental change, and to improve life on our planet.

M2. Measurements of the Earth’s magnetic field from orbit and on the ground will allow for measurements of changes of the Earth’s field itself. Although these changes are slow, the quality of the measurement will add to a set of data to investigate these changes related to potential magnetic pole reversal.

• Objective 2.3: Optimize Agency technology investments, foster open innovation, and facilitate technology infusion, ensuring the greatest national benefit.

M1. NASA’s own technology taxonomy for this magnetometer with a new core relates to the following technologies: electromagnetic, GPS/Radiometric, radiation shielding, materials, navigation & guidance, superconducting/magnetics, and telemetry/tracking. (NASA SBIR Proposal #11-2 S1.06-8828)

Alignment with NASA Strategic Goals continued…• Objective 2.4: Advance the Nation’s STEM education and workforce pipeline by

working collaboratively with other agencies to engage students, teachers, and faculty in NASA’s missions and unique assets.

• Objective 3.1: Attract and advance a highly skilled, competent, and diverse workforce, cultivate an innovative work environment, and provide the facilities, tools, and services needed to conduct NASA’s missions.

M5. The education plan will reach out to students and teachers through the FIRST Robotics community, and teachers through the Network of Educator Astronaut Teachers (NEAT), as well as teacher workshops with the Teachers in Space organization. Ten percent population of undergraduate students at MIT have participated in FIRST Robotics so that this same group of high school students will become the next generation of scientists and engineers of the caliber most suited for the challenges of NASA missions.

Other Mission Objectives Considered• Amateur radio repeater capability (power cycle limited)

• Hydrogen sensor for end of life measurements of outgassing

• Copper Beryllium boom for Cubesat magnetometers and gravity gradient stabilization

• Supercapacitors for Power system (battery augmented or replaced)

Merit Review Feedback via Google forms: http://goo.gl/4ZwclaOPTIONAL WebEx Live Review on Friday Oct 31 (4:30pm EST)

Feasibility Review

• NASA Cubesat Initiative proposals are required to have an internal Merit and Feasibility Review with input from review committees included in the proposal. The FluxDemonsSat Feasibility Review will quickly follow the Merit Review to be sent out:

Monday, November 3rd, 2014

• The Feasibility Review will describe resources, partners, mentors, management plans, budget, and schedule for this project.

Thank you for participating in the Merit Review Committee for the FluxDemonSat mission.