Small player space facilities: A strategic teaming resource for space situational awareness.

AUSROC NANO
A Liquid Fueled Rocket for Nano Satellite LEO Insertion

IAC61 2010 Nanosat Plenary:
Thompson L & Blair M.

The advent of new generation miniature research spacecrafts and nanosatellite has pushed the demand for a low-cost launch system for space access. Australian Space Research Institute (ASRI) and RMIT University have undertaken a joint development of a University student designed and built Nanosatellite launch vehicle. The project “AUSROC Nano”, when complete will
facilitate Woomera based launch of a nanosatellite payload. Part of the ASRI’s AUSROC family, the requirement is to place a
payload of maximum 10 kg into the circular low earth orbit with an altitude of at least 250 km into edge of the space; while maintaining launch cost at minimum. The design project facilitates student centred project based learning and has since project start in 2008 completed the design of a liquid bipropellant pressure-fed engine including thrust chamber, injector, feed system, propellant storage, regenerative cooling system and performance sizing; attitude control system using 2-DOF gimbals, fairing and inter stage structural analysis, and stage separation mechanism utilizing pyrotechnics. CAD designs of the stages and system are finalized as baseline and are currently (2010) being integrated for prototype fabrication and testing in 2011.

Investigation into Thermal Management for Lunar Extravehicular Activities (EVA) and Related Equipment

IAC60 2009
Makhnutin A, Orchowski N and Thompson L.

With NASA planning a return to the moon, it is necessary to investigate previous experiences during Apollo era, to understand the problems that will be faced in future Moon exploration. Researchers conducted a review of environmental problems encountered in the Apollo missions program to identify areas where further investigation would improve the outcomes and performance of lunar operations. In particular one area that was found to need greater attention was the thermal management and the effects of lunar dust on the heat rejection systems. Little research during the Apollo era was carried out during Apollo era, and recent work on the subject does not describe the effects of the lunar dust on the subject of thermal management.
An experiment was designed and conducted to prove the established hypothesis that the dust is major factor in the heat management system. Lunar dust in both the experiment and on Apollo missions was found to cause a significant load on the thermal management system. These effects were greatly underestimated in the past, which resulted in early equipment failure as result of overheating and insufficient cooling. An example being the Lunar Rover Vehicle (LRV) had reduced operation time due to the batteries where operating much hotter compare to what where predicted during preliminary study.
The experiment method and results were validated against Apollo mission data for lunar rover and lunar surface equipment. The experiment has shown that the lunar dust substitute gave similar results to that experienced in actual Apollo missions. A thermal profile for lunar dust accumulation was derived to assist in prediction techniques during EVA.

The International Space Olympics

IAC58 2007
Brumfitt A, Thompson L and  Martynov A.

2007 is the 15th year of the International Space Olympics, an annual competition for young people aged from 14 to 18 held in Korolev, Russia. The International Space Olympics competition attracts over two hundred and fifty youth in teams from countries including Russia, the USA, Germany, Greece, Europe, China, Kazakhstan, United Kingdom and Australia. Created by Alexander Martynov and colleagues at Energia Corp in 1992, the project was given full support from the city of Korolev and surrounding schools. The event quickly grew in size and attracted entries from around the globe. The International Space Olympics is an exciting opportunity for our youth to put their brains against the brightest, highly motivated young Scientists and Engineers of the future. At first hand the competitors experience what its like to apply to be a cosmonaut or astronaut. The International Space Olympics is an exciting opportunity for our youth to put their brains against the brightest, highly motivated young Scientists and Engineers of the future. They compete in events of mathematics, physics and computer science, space literature and a space related research project. Competition is notoriously tough in 2006 the Australian team entering the space Olympics for the first time won the coveted Cosmonauts Prize, with all of the ten member team finishing in the top 30 of 257 competitors. The competitors enjoyed an unforgettable experience, including meeting cosmonauts, visiting Energia Corporation Mission Control and the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre (Star City). The purpose of the Annual International Space Olympics is to stimulate youth to develop their critical and creative thinking skills and to increase their knowledge of Space Exploration. The competition is judged by leading an international panel of twenty space scientists and cosmonauts. The winning team has their research projects published in science journals. In 2006 an International advisory committee was formed to standardize the examination question setting and marking. Success in the International Space Olympics has resulted in Australia running a national space Olympics to select its best space athletes for the 2008 ISO. The International Space Olympics is a proven vehicle of space outreach and education that can serve as an effective model for inspiring students and future generations to actively pursue space exploration. This paper looks at methods to extend the model to include both non and space faring nations with the objective to open awareness and opportunity to world youth and for the space community to fulfill its mandate.