In July of 1998 CAST and OSSS secured an 18-month contract for the
JAWSAT payload as described in the final configuration. It was launched on board the Minotaur launch vehicle in January 2000.
The contract called for the integration, delivery and deployment of five separate small satellite payloads to a polar LEO orbit aboard the Orbital Sub-orbital Program (
OSP) Minotaur Launch vehicle, the nations first launch vehicle to use engines from decommissioned MinuteMan Ballistic missiles. The design of the JAWSAT Program consisted of the integration of our payload customers, Stanford University (
OPAL SAT*), Arizona State University (ASU SAT*), Airforce Academy (FalconSAT*), Airforce Research Labs
(AFRL) Optical Research Experiment (ORE*) and two experiments from Marshall Space Flight Center NASA (PEST), and Weber State CAST Attitude Determination and Control Platform (ACP) into a structural frame called a Multi Payload Adapter (MPA*).
The design also included the integration of multiple digital camera systems to capture the deployment of each payload as it was deployed from the MPA. The scope of a project of this magnitude called for exceptional organization among some fourteen different contracting organizations in addition to our direct payload customers. In response to the perceived need for the organization and collaboration of efforts among so many clients and contractors, I took initiative as the documentation officer to provide an email newsletter detailing the progress of efforts on several fronts. As the project began to mature I directed my colleagues at CAST to put the CAST database online. This enabled our customers to download detailed drawings and models of the design of the MPA, and ACP as well as specifications and other documentation as written by others and myself for the integration "foot print", wire harness, and power specifications of each payload to the MPA. In addition, at my direction, my colleagues and I set up an FTP site that was directly linked to our web site to which our payload customers and contractors were required to upload extensive descriptions of their efforts and progress on the project.
Clients, customer payloaders, contracting agencies and a host of other participants were able to keep an up to date picture of the program during the course of the project, from the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) to Critical Design Review (CDR) and on through to integration of payloads to the MPA. Tracking mile stones by MS Project and posting deadlines for these milestones to our web site, we successfully managed the program providing critical data to all parties, including payload envelope specifications, integration specifications, FEA, predicted and actual mass properties calculations of the completed payload integration.
These efforts resulted in the on time completion and delivery of the JAWSAT payload to the launch vehicle site at Vandenberg Airforce base in California for integration to the launch vehicle and subsequent successful launch and deployment of our payloads as called for in our contract.
Other projects I was involved in durring this period included:
The begining phases of the CATSAT (
Cooperative Astrophysical and Technology SATellite) program
CubeSAT development project. The unit seen
here is my design, one of many.
Tropnet, a proposed tellacommunications array stationed in LEO orbit over the equator.
ACP Attitude Determination and Control. Click
here for more
Spin Balance System A senior project. An extrodinary engineering accomplishment by some very dedicated students. Click
here for more.