Research
PATCOOL: Passive Thermal Coating Observatory Operating in Low Earth Orbit
PATCOOL is a research project working to analyze the properties and abilities of a thermal coating when in the vacuum of space. This is to be done by creating a CubeSat, a standard set by research labs from California Polytechnic State University and Stanford University to facilitate access to space for university students through using small, cube-based satellites.
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The project is being worked on in the ADAMUS (ADvanced Autonomous MUltiple Spacecraft) laboratory at UF and our group is working in partnership with groups at NASA, in addition to getting the spacecraft approved for launch by teams at Nanoracks.
Exploded view of the PATCOOL Satellite
The different faces of the 3U CubeSat
The satellite being deployed out of the ISS (photo credit: NASA)
Video of the satellite being deployed out of the ISS (photo credit: NASA)
I joined this team in January 2020 and started working on vibrational and structural analysis of the satellite in preparation of the Critical Design Review. I used Femap/Nastran to perform both sets of analysis.
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Following CDR, my role changed to making structural design changes as suggested from the review. Many changes were due to the need to meet requirements set by Nanoracks in addition to improving the ease of assembly. Further details on the structural changes made are described in my honors thesis, which can be downloaded below.