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Chace CarlsonEmbry Riddle Aeronautical UniversitySolar Physics REU Student - Summer 2016 Contact: carlsoc8@my.erau.edu Office: SSEL Space Operations Center EPS Building Advisors: Dave Klumpar |
My Research
The Montana State University (MSU) Solar Physics Department conducts cutting edge research studying the sun. Research involves analysis from many existing satellites such as Yohkoh, SOHO, TRACE, RHESSI, Hinode, SDO, and IRIS. To supplement this research, the physics department at MSU has created a Space Science and Engineering Laboratory (SSEL). Dr. Dave Klumpar, director and research professor, heads this lab. The lab combines students of many disciplines, including Physics, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, and Mechanical Engineering. Together these students, along with their mentors, are able to propose, design, build, and test satellites that are sent to space year after year. Once these satellites are in space, the SSEL uses it's Space Operations Center (SOC) to communicate and recover scientific data.
I am involved in this program through the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Research Experiences for Undergrads (REU) program. This program aims to help undergraduate students gain research experience who are preparing for graduate school. My expertise is the mechanical engineering (ME) aspect of satellite projects, specifically the Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) subsystems. GNC Engineers work on two aspects of satellite projects, Attitude Determination and Control Systems (ADACS) and Trajectory Planning and Propagation Calculations. ADACS systems help in determining and controlling a spacecraft's orientation in 3D space. Trajectory planning consists of planning a spacecraft's orbit, and propagation consists of predicting a spacecraft's future orbit based off of its' current orbit.
I've worked GNC on three different missions already, Ionospheric-Thermospheric Scanning Photometer for Ion-Neutral Studies (IT-SPINS) which is currently in the design phase, and two missions that are in the concept/proposal phase.
Results
Midterm PresentationResources
Space Science and Engineering Lab
