Introduction
In order to make sure that our solution, testing process, and data are valid and agreeable, we consulted a variety of companies and people. From large manufacturers to university students, we compiled their feedback on this page. Along with this, we included the individual impressions from people who observed our data at the Critical Design Review at Rutgers University.
We contacted Pumpkin, Inc during our research stage to gain some insight into the economics side of our issue. They told us that private companies often rack up millions of dollars in damages when certain parts of their CubeSats overheat. This gave us a better understanding of where our solution needs to be most effective.
We contacted Vertex Aerospace, LLC during our thermal analysis stage to look through and check over our designs. During the construction stage, we contacted them for access to certain materials and they donated the following: MLI Blankets, Silver Teflon, and Stamet Tape. They advised us to use these materials as they provide a higher degree of efficiency when blocking and dissipating heat.
Rommel Zara
(Aerospace Engineer)
By consulting with Mr. Rommel Zara, we created a transient thermal analysis of our product (showing the change in temperature over time) rather than just a steady state (averages the change in temperature). This gives us a more accurate representation of the maximum and minimum temperatures of our CubeSat.
Elroy Bellard
(Machinist Mentor)
By consulting with Mr. Elroy Bellard, we were able to find out about more specific criteria regarding the CubeSat and it's deployer, allowing us to make modifications to fit those more advanced criteria, improving the effectiveness of our project.
Alex Bryan
(Systems Engineer)
When we met with Mr. Alex Bryan at the CDR, he suggested that we include labeled and detailed descriptions of where to place key components in our design to make it easy to replicate. By implementing this into our build manual, we are documenting our process of progression for our solution.
Glenn Johnson
(Design & Prototype Project Manager)
Mr. Glenn Johnson left us with some critical advice which changed the trajectory of the way we advance in our project. He expressed to us that even though our solution may be effective at dissipating heat, we must put more effort into making sure our design fits within the CubeSat deployer. This led to us finding the need to change the TC-105 mounts from 3D printed pieces to aluminum to reduce the amount of Kapton tape used on critical areas and corners.
Flo Gold
(HUNCH Academy Project Manager and Regional Mentor)
Dr. Gold told us that our solution, although innovative and creative, is still raw and needs to look better. She questioned us on why we used the MLI blankets in the orientation that we did, and forced us to think about the positioning choices we made with certain materials. Our takeaway from our conversation with her was that we need to make our solution look appealing as well as functional, aiming to strike a good balance.
Ayla Grandpre
(Systems Engineer)
By speaking with Ms. Ayla Grandpre, we learned about the importance of coherent presentation. While she did understand and like our solution, she advised us to communicate it more clearly and in a more vibrant way. She told us that this will make it far more appealing when pitching it to important individuals, and makes our solution easier to understand overall as well as leaving the viewers with a vibrant impression.
When we spoke to reviewers at the CDR, we showed them our testing data and trials to gather their feedback and impressions. For the most part, the initial reaction to the data was that it seemed accurate to the ideal situation we depicted, and that we should try to highlight the importance of this data more heavily when pitching our solution to 'potential investors'.
Conclusion
Through consulting our experts, we were able to gain lots of experience in improving our documentation and redefining our solution through more specific constraints. These changes made it easier for both us and the reader to understand our projects effectiveness, and viability in space-like conditions.
