Comic Transcript
Panel 1
[at workshop]
G’swigt: The first thing you will need is a fuselage that will fit your transmitter, RIA.
[Measures RIA]
Panel 2
[Blueprint of rocket shown]
G’swigt: Now that we have the dimensions, we feed it to our 3-D printer and in a little bit…
Panel 3
[3-D printer finished with fuselage]
G’swigt: We have a rocket design, with an appropriate sized avionics bay to fit RIA.
Panel 4
ALKINA: That’s a handy printer to have!
G’swigt: Custom made it myself. The printer lets me make all kinds of CubeSats
Panel 5
ALKINA: CubeSats?
G’swigt: Yes, they are small cube-shaped satellites for science. Easily made, cheap, science, fun!
Panel 6
[Looks at RIA]
G’swigt: But do not worry, we like spheres here as well.
What does it mean?
3-D printer – a machine that is able to fabricate objects by depositing layer after successive layer of plastic or metal to build a three dimensional shape.
avionics bay – the section of a rocket that holds equipment and electronics that are used for guidance or making various measurements.
CubeSats – A one unit (1U) fits within a 10 centimeter cube. Cubesats can be manufactured quickly and cheaply and outfitted with many kinds of experiments. Larger cubesats can be made of many 1U cubes.
CubeSats at SSU–Read about T-LogoQube, EdgeCube and future SSU CubeSats at the link below: https://edeon.sonoma.edu/cubesats
In human speak please!
CubeSats were first developed by Dr. Bob Twiggs of Stanford University and Dr. Jordi Puig-Suari of CalPoly, San Luis Obispo in 1999. They were designed to help create a low-cost way for universities and colleges to engage in space exploration and research. The idea is simple; set a standardized build-design for these light-weight satellites, which can be fitted with sensors, detectors, power supplies, and data communication devices (such as radio telemetry).
If more room is needed for an experiment the CubeSats can be stacked together. If two are stacked together it is a 2U CubeSat, the “U” stands for unit. So a 3U CubeSat has three 10 cm cubes stacked on top of each other.