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Show A Year of Change NUSfu IJhlMM.'IIMilfR mum Launched in April, 1985, NUSAT I, Northern Utah Satellite, fell out. of orbit last December. Even while the satellite fell, senior students in the School of Technology's engineering, manufacturing, and computer systems, continued to work on the satellite's predecessors. Students from additional areas on the campus have also been contributing to the success of one of Weber State's claims to fame. Fifty Electronic Engineering Technology students have been working on design projects for NUSAT II this year, preparing for a summer 1988 launch. Twenty seniors in Manufacturing Engineering Technology have been working equally as hard developing a prototype of NUSAT III. The WSC project is an attempt to give students hands-on experience at the cutting edge of current technology. Benefits from the program include student experience with industry and industry attraction to the state and WSC graduates. The program is of great interest to the economy of the state and private industry. The senior project that started the NUSAT projects has spawned two private companies. One is in Utah, the other in California. Indication of the importance of the project to the state and industry has been shown this year through grants given to NUSAT. In October, CAST, Center for Aero-Space Technology, the organization which oversees the Weber project, was given $125,000 from the state under the direction of the Department of Community and EconomicDevelope-ment. That sum translates into $375,000 because it must be matched two-to-one by industry funds and service. The dollars are impressive, but the grant is also significant because it constitutes validation of the original NUSAT program. "They are saying that they recognize the worth of the program," Bob Twiggs, NUSAT advisor said. CAST is not dependent on state education funds. It will be supported solely by the grant and industry contracts. "It brings money into the state and it's all outside money," Twiggs said. Work done on the continuing project by students working on the NUSAT II satellite consisted mainly of designing the microprocess drawing board layouts, circuit design boards, troubleshooting and documentation, said Kevin Ricks, a student working on the project. The computer for NUSAT I was donated by National Semi-conductor. However, the computer for NUSAT II has been designed by the students and advisors. Because of this, they have been able to design the computer for their specific needs. "We have designed the microprocessor around the satellite instead of having to modify it for our needs," Rick said. NUSAT II is twice the size of NUSAT I, which allows for more room for electronic equipment. It has a larger amount of memory. According to Chris Pellgrin, a student on the project, this memory will translate into increased performance for the satellite. (continued at bottom) NUSAT III will be a generic stellite with the best of everything, said Kevin Roundtree, public relations representative for the project. The design of NUSAT II is one of the biggest accomplishments for the program, said Roundtree. The new satellite was designed without the center support beam, creating more volume. "The support beams were placed on the outer edges of the shell so that there would be more room for the microprocessor," said Bill Johnson, faculty advisor for the project. Another function is adjustable shelving. "Each of the support columns have notches every so often for shelving," Roundtree said. The adjustable shelving allows for the selec tion of different experiments and requirements.Next year CAST plans to direct the students to achieve even more improvements on the satellite. The project will continue as in the past to put Weber State on the map, said Twiggs. If businesses know they can obtain trained professionals from Weber State, they are more apt to move into this part of the country, said Roundtree. "The work we do with NUSAT is very much like the work done in industry." JaNae Barlow 14B SignOff Tuesday, June 2, 1987 |