April was once again a packed month. PAST Recruits have been working diligently and making impressive strides on their Onboarding projects, some of which are highlighted in this Newsletter. With PAST’s High-Altitude Balloon (HAB) launch date drawing near, there has also been more discussion on systems integration and development of HAB subsystems. Meanwhile, Human Resources had a few surprises in store and there is some awesome content is being created for the team’s website and socials. Be sure to read until the end, because there is someone special we would like you to meet! 

Onboarding 

Weekly Onboarding sessions have been running smoothly over the past month and recruits have made some amazing progress with their projects. Here are a few highlights! 

Micheal’s Onboarding Project was to make a Live Orientation Display, using an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). Throughout the process he has learnt about filtering techniques to handle noisy sensor data and gyro drift, which is a critical aspect of the Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS). 

For Shane’s Onboarding Project, he has modelled a 2-axis tracking system for CubeSat Solar Panels in AutoDesk Inventor. Shane describes the mechanism: “The first axis of rotation is actuated by a motor mounted internally within the CubeSat chassis which drives a shaft connected to the solar panel hinge. The secondary axis of rotation is achieved via a motor mounted on the underside of the solar panel near its top edge. When activated, the motor drives a spur gear that meshes with a fixed gear integrated in the hinge, providing elevation about a second axis.” 

During tuition free week, PAST members and Recruits came together to have an evening of Board Games. The event was a great opportunity to unwind and get to know the potential future members of PAST with snacks!

Project Highlights 

SOLIS 

SOLIS aims to develop a proof of concept for solar power generation and maximum power point tracking for the CubeSat’s electrical power system. Harvesting the solar energy is critical for charging the CubeSat’s batteries so it remains powered during eclipse periods of orbit.  

Damon (Avionics Member) has procured and soldered solar panels to his PCB, which has shown to generated 600mW in initial tests. Jack (Avionics Member) is working on the charge controller, which maximises the solar power obtained by optimising the Voltage-Current Curve.  

HAB Chassis 

Sam (Mechanical Lead) has upgraded the HAB chassis to improve its weight efficiency using carbon fibre rods. It is designed to house a CubeSat structure to provide a more accurate simulation ground for radio testing. Now only sitting at around 500g and having passed Finite Element Analysis Testing, it can effectively carry our payloads.  

HAB Software Integration 

Michael (Software Lead) has been developing the software system for command and data handling for the HAB. The task schedular made up of two threads – Beaconing and Remote Procedure Control (RPC). The beaconing thread handles communication between the flight computer and the radio communications subsystem (STARCOMM), periodically checking if the communications buffer contains commands from the ground station or if there is data in the queue that needs to be sent. 

The RPC Thread handles interfacing onboard sensor data with flight storage and adds data to the queue to be sent to the ground station. Garv (Software and Avionics Member) has also been writing driver functions for the onboard sensors, such as the barometer and IMU, which will be integrated with the RPC thread. 

Team Resources  

April 1st provided the opportunity for PAST Members to show our Advisors some appreciation… in the form of an April Fools prank! PAST Members came up with the flattering idea of decorating the PAST Lab with lovely photos of our Advisors. Everyone who walked in was surprised, confused, perhaps even mildly alarmed, nonetheless it gave everyone a good laugh!  

Human Resources also held a small birthday celebration for Felix (Marketing Lead) and another member, who have both been instrumental in building PAST into the team it is today. 

Our Marketing Department is in the process of filming and developing reels for our Instagram page. There is some epic content lined up, so keep notified by following our Instagram page @perthaerospace (🥚). Our website has also had an update, with incredible 3D models of PCBs created by Felix (Marketing Lead), that can be seen on the Projects page. Marketing has also been making brochures for each department to go out to potential sponsors. 

Now...we have something very exciting to share! Mary (Marketing Member) has created a team mascot that we would like to introduce you to. Say Hi to Cubey!

Cubey is a small 1U CubeSat. He likes to orbit around the earth, gazing at the land and wondering when PAST will ever launch a CubeSat to keep him company. Sometimes he deploys legs when he is in the mood to kick space debris. Other times, he ponders why humans made him only to slowly decay in orbit and eventually burn up in the atmosphere. Nevertheless, he keeps a happy face.  

Looking Ahead

PAST’s current focus is our High-Altitude Balloon Launch this upcoming July. We are transitioning into the Systems Integration Phase of their High-Altitude Balloon Mission in May, where we will be interfacing all subsystems together for testing. Recruits will also be finishing up the Onboarding period soon and submitting their portfolio of work, so we will be seeing many new faces in PAST in a month’s time!