Guided Parafoil System

This project will develop a system for the successful deployment of a small parafoil from a ‘can’ in space or near-space environments using wireless technologies. The wireless communication, command, and control system will be used to initiate parafoil deployment, and to wirelessly provide critical high altitude, low Reynolds number flow measurements from sensors on the parafoil. The system will be tested as part of the University of Idaho Near Space Engineering (Idaho RISE) high altitude balloon program. Applications of this work will eventually be incorporated into the TechEdSat collaborative nano-satellite project underway between the University of Idaho, San Jose State University, University of California at Riverside, and the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California.

Background


NASA wants to develop an inexpensive on-demand capability to return samples from the International Space Station (ISS). The Small Payload Quick Return (SPQR) system is being developed by NASA Ames Research Center. The SPQR concept relies on a 3-stage method of returning payloads, after being stored until need and loaded on-board the ISS.Deorbit, by means of a unique drag system called an Exo-Brake to de-orbit a small spacecraft payload using atmospheric drag instead of rocket thrusters to reduce speed for atmospheric re-entry.The three stages are:


 * Stage 1: Erection of the Exo-Brake and descent from 350 to 100 km.
 * Stage 2: Deployment of the Tube Deployed Re-entry System (TDRV) from 100 km to 10 km.
 * Stage 3: Deployment of the autonomous, GPS guided parafoil from 10 km to ground/retrieval.

Electrical

 * 1) Develop a wireless system to transmit commands to open canister and deploy parafoil.
 * 2) Use Xbee Series 2 radio module to wirelessly collect data from and transmit via the Iridium satellite network down to the ground.
 * 3) Replace altitude switch with a smaller pressure switch.

Mechanical

 * 1) Develop method for deploying and inflating parafoil.

Computer Science

 * 1) Develop a Graphical User Interface to present the data downlinked from the capsule and to uplink commands to the capsule.