Kevin Shinpaugh - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Kevin Shinpaugh
2021 IEEE Aerospace Conference (50100)
This paper describes challenges and lessons learned throughout the concept, design, assembling, i... more This paper describes challenges and lessons learned throughout the concept, design, assembling, integrating, and testing for hardware and software of Virginia Tech (VT) ThickSat, a testbed for lightweight deployable space structures designed by engineering students at Virginia Tech. The project started in 2017 as part of the senior design undergraduate team at VT in collaboration with the Virginia Space and Near Space Launch Systems. The project's mission is to prove passive deployment of a spring table boom in low earth orbit, obtain deployment confirmation and transmit a picture back to Earth. To develop this project, over 25 different undergraduate and graduate students participated. In this process, they reached many breaking points and tough technical decisions. Throughout its development, the mission faced significant design reviews. It a maximum allowed 100mA power draw from the bus and a top 150 kiloByte packet size transmission for its entire 28-hour mission. The resulting design can be replicated and easily scalable for much more significant roles under the same requirements. This paper builds the challenges and lessons learned from the redesign, assembling, integrating, and testing of hardware and software. Furthermore, it describes the restrictive design characteristics of the ThinSat program in detail, which led the students to come with smart solutions for its many different design interactions. The ThickSat solution includes a custom low power PCB for an STM32 microcontroller, a servo actuated release mechanism, and a versatile chassis for the ThinSat Program. This study comprises an analytical point of view from the senior monitoring group and other engineers from the Center for Space Science and Engineering Research, known as (Space@VT), summarizing the experience from a student-led ThinSat project. The outcome of this paper is to share an experience that leads to bolster future SmallSat missions at Virginia Tech and other institutions.
AIAA Propulsion and Energy 2019 Forum, 2019
14 02 19. ABSTRACT (Continue on reverse if necessary and identify by block number) A rapidly scan... more 14 02 19. ABSTRACT (Continue on reverse if necessary and identify by block number) A rapidly scanning directionally sensitive three-velocity-component laser Doppler velocimeter (RSLDV) has been designed. It permits rapid scans through three-dimensional flows to obtain space-time velocity information and almost "instantaneous " velocity profiles vital to understanding such flows. A flexible optical system allows for easy variation of the fringe spacing as well asthe location and size of the measurement volume. Several optical techniques to maintain coincidence between the horizontal, U and W, and vertical, V, probe volumes were investigated. A lens, used like a prism, and two plane mirrors for the out of plane scanning laser beam
This paper presents the design, production, and testing of a mechanism to passively deploy a coil... more This paper presents the design, production, and testing of a mechanism to passively deploy a coiled tape spring in a controlled and reliable manner. The design has the tape spring wrapped around a central spool and constrained by five rollers attached to ball bearings on either side. Except for ball bearings and a metal shaft through the central spool to provide an attachment point for an encoder, the mechanism is intended to be mostly 3D printed using various ABS-based polymers. Prototyping the deployer produced data regarding the selected tape spring and the design presented in this paper. Examination under extreme temperatures revealed difficulties for the mechanism to perform appropriately. However, after several design iterations, the final design performed adequately. Finally, the development and testing of this mechanism demonstrated a passive deployable boom capability for a variety of space missions, including spacecraft with passively unfolding structures. Furthermore, the...
who gave invaluable guidance and assistance throughout this project. Without his cncouragement, s... more who gave invaluable guidance and assistance throughout this project. Without his cncouragement, support and guidance, it would have been difficult to accomplish this work. He also would like to thank Dr. Dana A. Walker and Dr. Alfred L. Wicks for serving on the Advisory Committee and for their helpful comments and suggestions on this project. The author would also like to thank Dave Redding of IBM for his invaluable assistance with the IBM RT-PC, John McDonough of the LeCroy ' corporation for his assistance with the transient recorders. He also wishes to thank his friends, in and outside of Blacksburg, for their time and support. This project was supported under a grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. List of Symbols XVÜÜ 1.2 Previous Work: Scanning LDV A brief description of a few scanning LDV systems developed and used so far, is given by Antoine (1985) and Simpson (1989). Bendick (1971) described an on-axis scanning LDV that used a translational oscillating mirror. This system was used for instantaneous velocity measurements in steady and pulsating water flow in a glass tube of 6 mm 1. D. The operation of this design is limited to scan speeds of 0.4 m/s due to the inertia of the moving optics. A two-color dual-beam backscatter LDV system accomplishing a scan by translating a lens in the direction of the optical axis was reported by Grant and Orloff (1973). Scan rates were limited to 1.5 m/s because of inertial considerations. More information concerning the application of this design is given by Orloff and Biggers (1974) and Orloff, et al. (1975). A backscatter scanning system was reported by Rhodes (1976). It is able to scan a distance of 30 cm at a frequency of 30 Hz, and measure velocities at 16 discrete positions using a large rotating wheel containing 16 ports. For more information concerning this design, see Gartrell and Jordan (1977) and Meyers (1979). An optical system capable of measuring true instantaneous velocity profiles was reported by Nakatani, er al. (1978). lnstead of using a moving scanning device, it employcd a cylindrical lens to form a vertical measurement volume along a straight line. The design is relatively impractical and expensive Introduction 9 'Description of' RSLDV Optical Configuration ' 30
This paper provides a detailed technical description of a prototype ground station network, the V... more This paper provides a detailed technical description of a prototype ground station network, the Virginia Ground Station Network (VGSN), developed for the Virginia Cubesat Constellation (VCC) mission. Virginia Tech (VT), University of Virginia (UVA), and Old Dominion University (ODU) have each constructed ground stations to communicate with their respective VCC spacecraft. Initially, each university was responsible for commanding its own spacecraft via its own ground station. As the mission progressed, it was decided to network the ground stations and operations centers together to provide backup communications capability for the overall mission. The NASA Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) UHF smallsat ground station was also included in this network. Implementing the VGSN led to the establishment of successful communications with UVA’s Libertas spacecraft via the VT Ground Station (VTGS), demonstrating the utility of collaboration and of the VGSN. This paper provides a technical overview...
I. Background II. Requirements V. Acknowledgements VI. References III. Design and Manufacturing I... more I. Background II. Requirements V. Acknowledgements VI. References III. Design and Manufacturing IV. Conclusions Manufacturing expertise and machining of the chassis components was carried out by Metal Processing Inc. of Radford, VA. Anodizing was completed by Global Metal Finishing of Roanoke, VA. Technical requirements and help navigating the design process provided by Matt Craft
In the fall of 2016, the NASA Science Mission Directorate, working with the Virginia Space Grant ... more In the fall of 2016, the NASA Science Mission Directorate, working with the Virginia Space Grant Consortium, initiated the development of three 1U CubeSats by undergraduate students at universities representing the Commonwealth of Virginia. The University of Virginia, Old Dominion University, Virginia Tech, and Hampton University, were chosen to construct CubeSats for flight in May of 2018. The mission has three primary goals: to educate students by providing hands-on experience, to measure orbital decay on a constellation of low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, and to evaluate and demonstrate a system for the communication of relative and absolute spacecraft position. In this paper, we will describe the details of the mission itself, the science behind the mission, and the structure of the mission that was established to accomplish its goals. We will also provide a review of the hardware used by the mission, the software that exists so far, information about the thermal modelling of t...
2018 AIAA SPACE and Astronautics Forum and Exposition, 2018
2020 IEEE Aerospace Conference, 2020
This paper describes challenges and lessons learned throughout the assembling, integrating, and t... more This paper describes challenges and lessons learned throughout the assembling, integrating, and testing for hardware and software of VCC Ceres, the first Virginia Tech CubeSat built and designed by undergraduates. The project started in 2016 as part of the Virginia CubeSat Constellation (VCC), Virginia Tech (VT), Old Dominion University (ODU), University of Virginia (UVA), and Hampton University in collaboration with the Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC). In July of 2019, the three CubeSats were successfully launched from the International Space Station (ISS). The project's mission is to obtain measurements of properties of the Earth's atmosphere in low earth orbit as well as to collect orbital data throughout their lifespan to develop a drag profile for CubeSats launched from the ISS. To develop the Virginia Tech's spacecraft, VCC Ceres, over 50 different undergraduate students participated. In this process, they reached many breaking points and tough decisions. This paper builds the challenges and lessons learned from assembling, integrating, and testing hardware and software. Furthermore, it describes the initial period of the operations phase, right after deployment, where the students had the opportunity to attempt contact with their satellite. This study comprises of an analytical point of view from the senior monitoring group and other engineers that work at the Center for Space Science and Engineering Research, known as (Space@VT), summarizing the experience from an undergraduate CubeSat project. The outcome of this paper is to share an experience that leads to bolster future CubeSat missions at Virginia Tech and other institutions.
Abstract : A rapidly scanning directionally sensitive three-velocity-component laser Doppler velo... more Abstract : A rapidly scanning directionally sensitive three-velocity-component laser Doppler velocimeter (RSLDV) has been designed. It permits rapid scans through three-dimensional flows to obtain space-time velocity information and almost instantaneous velocity profiles vital to understanding such flows. A flexible optical system allows for easy variation of the fringe spacing as well as the location and size of the measurement volume. Several optical techniques to maintain coincidence between the horizontal, U and W, and vertical, V, probe volumes were investigated. A lens, used like a prism, and two plane mirrors for the out of plane scanning laser beam maintains good coincidence between the probe volumes, while maintaining some flexibility. Moving fringe patterns in the horizontal and vertical planes are produced by a dual water Bragg cell. The Doppler frequency is independent of the position of the receiving optics, and only one photomultiplier tube (PMT) is needed to receive the signals for all three velocity components.
33rd Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit, 1995
AIAA SPACE 2009 Conference & Exposition, 2009
SPIE Proceedings, 1997
Despite the attractive mechanical properties of polymer matrix composites, which include high spe... more Despite the attractive mechanical properties of polymer matrix composites, which include high specific stiffness and strength, their use has been limited in many cost-sensitive applications due to high manufacturing costs. Since the processing of these materials is a major ...
Smart Structures and Materials 1996: Smart Sensing, Processing, and Instrumentation, 1996
ABSTRACT
Smart Structures and Materials 1997: Smart Sensing, Processing, and Instrumentation, 1997
ABSTRACT
2021 IEEE Aerospace Conference (50100)
This paper describes challenges and lessons learned throughout the concept, design, assembling, i... more This paper describes challenges and lessons learned throughout the concept, design, assembling, integrating, and testing for hardware and software of Virginia Tech (VT) ThickSat, a testbed for lightweight deployable space structures designed by engineering students at Virginia Tech. The project started in 2017 as part of the senior design undergraduate team at VT in collaboration with the Virginia Space and Near Space Launch Systems. The project's mission is to prove passive deployment of a spring table boom in low earth orbit, obtain deployment confirmation and transmit a picture back to Earth. To develop this project, over 25 different undergraduate and graduate students participated. In this process, they reached many breaking points and tough technical decisions. Throughout its development, the mission faced significant design reviews. It a maximum allowed 100mA power draw from the bus and a top 150 kiloByte packet size transmission for its entire 28-hour mission. The resulting design can be replicated and easily scalable for much more significant roles under the same requirements. This paper builds the challenges and lessons learned from the redesign, assembling, integrating, and testing of hardware and software. Furthermore, it describes the restrictive design characteristics of the ThinSat program in detail, which led the students to come with smart solutions for its many different design interactions. The ThickSat solution includes a custom low power PCB for an STM32 microcontroller, a servo actuated release mechanism, and a versatile chassis for the ThinSat Program. This study comprises an analytical point of view from the senior monitoring group and other engineers from the Center for Space Science and Engineering Research, known as (Space@VT), summarizing the experience from a student-led ThinSat project. The outcome of this paper is to share an experience that leads to bolster future SmallSat missions at Virginia Tech and other institutions.
AIAA Propulsion and Energy 2019 Forum, 2019
14 02 19. ABSTRACT (Continue on reverse if necessary and identify by block number) A rapidly scan... more 14 02 19. ABSTRACT (Continue on reverse if necessary and identify by block number) A rapidly scanning directionally sensitive three-velocity-component laser Doppler velocimeter (RSLDV) has been designed. It permits rapid scans through three-dimensional flows to obtain space-time velocity information and almost "instantaneous " velocity profiles vital to understanding such flows. A flexible optical system allows for easy variation of the fringe spacing as well asthe location and size of the measurement volume. Several optical techniques to maintain coincidence between the horizontal, U and W, and vertical, V, probe volumes were investigated. A lens, used like a prism, and two plane mirrors for the out of plane scanning laser beam
This paper presents the design, production, and testing of a mechanism to passively deploy a coil... more This paper presents the design, production, and testing of a mechanism to passively deploy a coiled tape spring in a controlled and reliable manner. The design has the tape spring wrapped around a central spool and constrained by five rollers attached to ball bearings on either side. Except for ball bearings and a metal shaft through the central spool to provide an attachment point for an encoder, the mechanism is intended to be mostly 3D printed using various ABS-based polymers. Prototyping the deployer produced data regarding the selected tape spring and the design presented in this paper. Examination under extreme temperatures revealed difficulties for the mechanism to perform appropriately. However, after several design iterations, the final design performed adequately. Finally, the development and testing of this mechanism demonstrated a passive deployable boom capability for a variety of space missions, including spacecraft with passively unfolding structures. Furthermore, the...
who gave invaluable guidance and assistance throughout this project. Without his cncouragement, s... more who gave invaluable guidance and assistance throughout this project. Without his cncouragement, support and guidance, it would have been difficult to accomplish this work. He also would like to thank Dr. Dana A. Walker and Dr. Alfred L. Wicks for serving on the Advisory Committee and for their helpful comments and suggestions on this project. The author would also like to thank Dave Redding of IBM for his invaluable assistance with the IBM RT-PC, John McDonough of the LeCroy ' corporation for his assistance with the transient recorders. He also wishes to thank his friends, in and outside of Blacksburg, for their time and support. This project was supported under a grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. List of Symbols XVÜÜ 1.2 Previous Work: Scanning LDV A brief description of a few scanning LDV systems developed and used so far, is given by Antoine (1985) and Simpson (1989). Bendick (1971) described an on-axis scanning LDV that used a translational oscillating mirror. This system was used for instantaneous velocity measurements in steady and pulsating water flow in a glass tube of 6 mm 1. D. The operation of this design is limited to scan speeds of 0.4 m/s due to the inertia of the moving optics. A two-color dual-beam backscatter LDV system accomplishing a scan by translating a lens in the direction of the optical axis was reported by Grant and Orloff (1973). Scan rates were limited to 1.5 m/s because of inertial considerations. More information concerning the application of this design is given by Orloff and Biggers (1974) and Orloff, et al. (1975). A backscatter scanning system was reported by Rhodes (1976). It is able to scan a distance of 30 cm at a frequency of 30 Hz, and measure velocities at 16 discrete positions using a large rotating wheel containing 16 ports. For more information concerning this design, see Gartrell and Jordan (1977) and Meyers (1979). An optical system capable of measuring true instantaneous velocity profiles was reported by Nakatani, er al. (1978). lnstead of using a moving scanning device, it employcd a cylindrical lens to form a vertical measurement volume along a straight line. The design is relatively impractical and expensive Introduction 9 'Description of' RSLDV Optical Configuration ' 30
This paper provides a detailed technical description of a prototype ground station network, the V... more This paper provides a detailed technical description of a prototype ground station network, the Virginia Ground Station Network (VGSN), developed for the Virginia Cubesat Constellation (VCC) mission. Virginia Tech (VT), University of Virginia (UVA), and Old Dominion University (ODU) have each constructed ground stations to communicate with their respective VCC spacecraft. Initially, each university was responsible for commanding its own spacecraft via its own ground station. As the mission progressed, it was decided to network the ground stations and operations centers together to provide backup communications capability for the overall mission. The NASA Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) UHF smallsat ground station was also included in this network. Implementing the VGSN led to the establishment of successful communications with UVA’s Libertas spacecraft via the VT Ground Station (VTGS), demonstrating the utility of collaboration and of the VGSN. This paper provides a technical overview...
I. Background II. Requirements V. Acknowledgements VI. References III. Design and Manufacturing I... more I. Background II. Requirements V. Acknowledgements VI. References III. Design and Manufacturing IV. Conclusions Manufacturing expertise and machining of the chassis components was carried out by Metal Processing Inc. of Radford, VA. Anodizing was completed by Global Metal Finishing of Roanoke, VA. Technical requirements and help navigating the design process provided by Matt Craft
In the fall of 2016, the NASA Science Mission Directorate, working with the Virginia Space Grant ... more In the fall of 2016, the NASA Science Mission Directorate, working with the Virginia Space Grant Consortium, initiated the development of three 1U CubeSats by undergraduate students at universities representing the Commonwealth of Virginia. The University of Virginia, Old Dominion University, Virginia Tech, and Hampton University, were chosen to construct CubeSats for flight in May of 2018. The mission has three primary goals: to educate students by providing hands-on experience, to measure orbital decay on a constellation of low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, and to evaluate and demonstrate a system for the communication of relative and absolute spacecraft position. In this paper, we will describe the details of the mission itself, the science behind the mission, and the structure of the mission that was established to accomplish its goals. We will also provide a review of the hardware used by the mission, the software that exists so far, information about the thermal modelling of t...
2018 AIAA SPACE and Astronautics Forum and Exposition, 2018
2020 IEEE Aerospace Conference, 2020
This paper describes challenges and lessons learned throughout the assembling, integrating, and t... more This paper describes challenges and lessons learned throughout the assembling, integrating, and testing for hardware and software of VCC Ceres, the first Virginia Tech CubeSat built and designed by undergraduates. The project started in 2016 as part of the Virginia CubeSat Constellation (VCC), Virginia Tech (VT), Old Dominion University (ODU), University of Virginia (UVA), and Hampton University in collaboration with the Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC). In July of 2019, the three CubeSats were successfully launched from the International Space Station (ISS). The project's mission is to obtain measurements of properties of the Earth's atmosphere in low earth orbit as well as to collect orbital data throughout their lifespan to develop a drag profile for CubeSats launched from the ISS. To develop the Virginia Tech's spacecraft, VCC Ceres, over 50 different undergraduate students participated. In this process, they reached many breaking points and tough decisions. This paper builds the challenges and lessons learned from assembling, integrating, and testing hardware and software. Furthermore, it describes the initial period of the operations phase, right after deployment, where the students had the opportunity to attempt contact with their satellite. This study comprises of an analytical point of view from the senior monitoring group and other engineers that work at the Center for Space Science and Engineering Research, known as (Space@VT), summarizing the experience from an undergraduate CubeSat project. The outcome of this paper is to share an experience that leads to bolster future CubeSat missions at Virginia Tech and other institutions.
Abstract : A rapidly scanning directionally sensitive three-velocity-component laser Doppler velo... more Abstract : A rapidly scanning directionally sensitive three-velocity-component laser Doppler velocimeter (RSLDV) has been designed. It permits rapid scans through three-dimensional flows to obtain space-time velocity information and almost instantaneous velocity profiles vital to understanding such flows. A flexible optical system allows for easy variation of the fringe spacing as well as the location and size of the measurement volume. Several optical techniques to maintain coincidence between the horizontal, U and W, and vertical, V, probe volumes were investigated. A lens, used like a prism, and two plane mirrors for the out of plane scanning laser beam maintains good coincidence between the probe volumes, while maintaining some flexibility. Moving fringe patterns in the horizontal and vertical planes are produced by a dual water Bragg cell. The Doppler frequency is independent of the position of the receiving optics, and only one photomultiplier tube (PMT) is needed to receive the signals for all three velocity components.
33rd Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit, 1995
AIAA SPACE 2009 Conference & Exposition, 2009
SPIE Proceedings, 1997
Despite the attractive mechanical properties of polymer matrix composites, which include high spe... more Despite the attractive mechanical properties of polymer matrix composites, which include high specific stiffness and strength, their use has been limited in many cost-sensitive applications due to high manufacturing costs. Since the processing of these materials is a major ...
Smart Structures and Materials 1996: Smart Sensing, Processing, and Instrumentation, 1996
ABSTRACT
Smart Structures and Materials 1997: Smart Sensing, Processing, and Instrumentation, 1997
ABSTRACT