Browsing by Author "Ferreira, Paulo Jorge"
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Project and Validation of an Electromagnetic Field Generator for MECSE CubeSat under Controlled EnvironmentPublication . Ferreira, Paulo Jorge; Guerman, Anna; Figueiredo, Paulo de Vasconcelos; Espírito Santo, António Eduardo Vitória do; João, AndréOne of the major concerns of the descent phase of spacecraft missions are problems on communication with spacecraft that appear during its atmospheric re-entry. While the spacecraft moves at hypersonic velocity with respect to the atmosphere, the air is compressed and heated, generating a shock wave in front of the vehicle, and a plasma layer around it. As the spacecraft moves towards the planet, this plasma layer becomes increasingly dense causing communications disruption, significant attenuation or even total communications blackout. Applying the magnetic window method which suggests the use of a static magnetic field to open communication window, it is possible to manipulate the blackout. This dissertation is dedicated to the analysis of the payload for MECSE CubeSat mission currently under development in Portugal by a joint team of the UBI (University of Beira Interior) and CEiiA (Centre of Engineering and Product Development). The mission goal is to perform several measurements of the properties of the plasma layer around a 3U CubeSat and to manipulate these properties generating a static magnetic field on board. In order to manipulate the plasma layer, an analytical, numerical, and experimental study is performed to examine the behavior of the magnetic field (B), as a function of the distance from the magnetic field generator to the spacecraft surface. The strength of the magnetic flux density decreases as it moves away from the surface of the model, converging to a neutral state equal to zero. The FEMM 4.2™ open source software is used to create a model of an axisymmetric generator that provides 0.0375 tesla at a distance of 25mm from the generator surface; the configuration is selected to reduce the power demand. In the design phase, materials with high permeability for the core (Pure Iron) and for the winding with high conductivity (Copper Wire) are considered. The number of turns and current determine the magnitude of the magnetic flux density. Analysis of the construction and design parameters, in order to determine the final mass of the generator, matching MECSE CubeSat Experiment mass requirements (3U under 4 kg and 1,2 kg for the payload). After the design, a laboratory model is built, and the magnetic field is measured in different locations in order to validate the analytical model of the generator mass determination and FEMM 4.2™ software for magnetic constraints. Finally, this dissertation discusses the possibility to mitigate the blackout by creating a robust magnetic field generator capable to fit in one unit of the 3Us of the MECSE CubeSat.