OCR Text |
Show 8 A Signpost Tuesday, September 23, 1986 NUSAT III: to orbit Susan Fishburn News Editor Sometimes three comes before two and the NUSAT program is making it happen as they plan for their third project. NUSAT III will be ready to launch before II because it is a less technical project, according to Bob Twiggs, associate professor and advisor to the NUSAT project at WSC. NUSAT II will take longer to complete because it has "more redundancy, more pizazz, extra experiments," Twiggs said. The school is building the computer boards and some of the other technical equipment that was purchased from others for the NUSAT I project, according to Twiggs NUSAT III will include a device called DIGI-TALK, developed by Richland Community College in Decater, Illinois. The NUSAT program welcomes participation of other institutions. "We are committed to sharing information and expertise with others interested in doing related projects. I really like to work with those kinds of people. If you keep it all to yourself, you end up not getting as much done," Twiggs said. The DIGI-TALK synthesized voice communicator would transmit one way. It will use radio waves close enough to amateur frequencies for ham radio operators to pick up the transmissions, according to Twiggs. NUSAT III is licensed by the FCC on an experimental frequency. "It's tough to get those frequencies, but about a week ago, we got renewed for another couple of years," Twiggs said. The satellite will continually broadcast battery charge and temperature data. "That means there will be no need to contact the satellite from the ground," he added. The first satellite must be contacted from the ground. "There are five contact opportunities daily. Sometimes, all your passes are at night," Twiggs said. "Ham radio operators will be able to send us cards from everywhere, stating that they contacted the satellite at such-and-such a date and time. They will send us the data and we will send them a membership card in the NUSAT III group," he said. A video camera may also be included on NUSAT III. "We want to see what it looks like coming from up there," he continued. The camera would also be useful in providing information on the aurora borealis. Don Lind, retired astronaut and professor at Utah State University, has been doing high altitude research on the northern lights, and NUSAT III could provide more data. Whether or not the camera will be included depends on finding the right equipment. "It will take a very sophisticated camera," he said. Fall of 1987 was the original target date for the next launch for NUSAT. The shuttle disaster put that schedule in question, according to Twiggs. NUSAT may be able to pick up on one of those cancellations, he concluded. ME!, Souvenir satellites desi( Susan Fishburn News Editor Gilbert Moore has one, so does former President Brady, and several others will receive a life-sized silver and blue "souvenir" satellite. The eight replicas of the original NUSAT I satellite were built as senior projects by students in the manufacturing engineering technology program at Weber State College. Nicknamed RESATS, each of the satellites represent about 2,000 hours of work. "The satellites have to be done right. That's the way it's done in industry. If it's not right, they don't graduate. They come back and do it right," said Kerry N. Tobin, senior project instructor at the college. "As a faculty we defined the end result and then said go. The students had to decide the how, where ana when of it." Tobin said. Students did not have to cover the cost of the projects. The RESATS were expensive. The college itself spent about $100 for each satellite. This purchased the odds and ends, simulated solar panels and hardware. The rest of the funds came from private industry. Affilliated Metals of Salt Lake City contributed $5000 worth of metal for the project. That dollar figure represents a fraction of the million dollars plus donated for the original NUSAT satellite. The money for that project came from many sources. Some of the largest donators included Morton Thiokol, TRW Inc., Rockwell International Corp., Sperry Corporation, McDonnell Douglas , 3 1 - m RESATS: Satellite replicas are being given to various groups and individuals essential to the NUSAT project. Governor Norman H. Bangerter received the Astronautics Co., Federal Avauot Administration (FAA), Boeing, and Utah State University, according to John Boyer, associate professor of manufacturing ensi ntoring technology at Weber. " "We have found some people nuinely interested in helping,' Boyer said. "Something like this! impossible to do without indust? help," Tobin added. The RESAT project accomplish ed two goals. It was a way to prr vide the many who were essential i the success of the NUSAT I withl memento. "We thought it would nice it tney naa a moaeH souvenir," Boyer said. The project also provided students with an opportunity J manufacture relative! |