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THE PROPOSAL SEEKS TO FURTHER DEVELOP A MULTI FUNCTIONAL SMALL SAT TECHNOLOGY FOR LOW POWER ATTITUDE CONTROL OF PICOSATELLITES BEYOND LOW EARTH ORBIT. THE FILM EVAPORATION MEMS TUNABLE ARRAY FEMTA CONCEPT INITIALLY DEVELOPED BY PURDUE UNIVERSITY AND NASA GODDARD AS PART OF SSTP 2013 2015 GRANT NNX13AR02A UTILIZES MICROSCALE EFFECTS IN FLUID SURFACE TENSION AND ADVANCED MEMS MICROFABRICATION TO ACHIEVE 10S TO 700N THRUST UNDER 0.1 W OF POWER AND WITHIN 0.1 U TOTAL SYSTEM VOLUME. INTERPLANETARY CUBESATS CAN UTILIZE FEMTA FOR HIGH SLEW RATE ATTITUDE CORRECTIONS IN ADDITION TO DESATURATING REACTION WHEELS. THE FEMA IN COOLING MODE CAN BE USED FOR THERMAL CONTROL DURING HIGHPOWER COMMUNICATION EVENTS WHICH ARE LIKELY TO ACCOMPANY THE ATTITUDE CORRECTION. ALTERNATIVELY VAPORIZATION ENERGY CAN BE REPLACED AT TUNABLE POWER LEVEL TO USE FEMTAS PROPULSION CAPABILITIES FOR PICOSAT MANEUVERING. THE PROPOSAL ADDRESSES MATURATION OF FEMTA TECHNOLOGY FOR INSIS TO ACHIEVE CLOSED LOOP CONTROL OF 3 AXIS FEMTA SYSTEM BY INTEGRATING RTD SENSING INTO THE PLATINUM THIN FILM HEATER THAT WILL IMPROVE THRUST STABILITY AND LONG TERM RELIABILITY OVER THE CURRENTLY USED VANADIUM. THE NEXT GENERATION FEMTA WILL ALSO INCORPORATE MICRO SHUTTERS BASED ON NASA GODDARD TECHNOLOGY TO ELIMINATE QUIESCENT STATE EVAPORATION TO EXTEND THE WORKING LIFETIME TO THAT NEEDED FOR INTERPLANETARY PICOSATS. FEMTA GREEN PROPELLANT COULD BE ENHANCED BY ADDITION OF AZEOTROPIC FORMING MATERIALS TO ADJUST TEMPERATURE RANGE OR WORKING VAPOR PRESSURE SUCH THAT MISSION SPECIFIC FORMULATIONS COULD BE DEVISED.

$200,000FY2015National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA

Purdue University, West Lafayette IN

Investigators

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