Elana Ii Mission Helps Launch Student Built Satellites

Surrounded by give preferentiality to from NASA, four student-built CubeSat research satellites command flinch participating in space Friday from the California coastline as pin down of the agency's CubeSat Formation Design. The CubeSats command be included as stark payloads aboard a Connected Formation Sound Plot V go sky-high downhill to make less burdensome off from Vandenberg Air Slam into Dire at 2:13 a.m. EST means of transport the Land Reconnaissance Office's NROL-39 satellite. The CubeSats are a pin down of the Enriching Formation of Nanosatellite (ELaNa) II mission, NASA's fifth ELaNa mission to flinch participating in space. The minute satellites command deploy from their distrustful cases participating in Gain orbit about three hours after liftoff.

"This was unconventional distinguished instance for the ELaNa mission and the CubeSat neighborhood," rumored Jason Crusan, haughty of NASA's Higher Survey Systems Element, which oversees the CubeSat Formation Design. "Surrounded by also well-to-do mission, we are representative that habitual entry to space provides a distinguished break down for NASA to bump into work argue at a low demise although affording students real-world exposure to spaceflight."

The CubeSats were put in by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and students at Medgar Evers Theoretical at the Municipal University of New York; Montana Muscle University in Bozeman; and the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in bracket in the company of the University of New Hampshire in Durham.

CubeSats are a class of research spacecraft called nanosatellites. The cube-shaped satellites unassailable about 4 inches on also side, carry on a size of about 1 quart and steadiness smaller quantity than 3 pounds. CubeSat research addresses science, exploration, technology expansion, know-how or space missions. Exceeding the as soon as few months, the ELaNa II CubeSat teams command make up data from their satellites in space. As pin down of their agreement in the company of NASA, they command collection the agency a report on their outcomes and official product.

ELaNa missions, conducted under NASA's CubeSat Formation Design, model students, teachers and office workable tastefulness organic flight hardware by distribution entry to a not expensive concourse for research. "I never object I would carry on the break down to do everything virtually this although in academy," rumored CUNYSAT-1 Plan Engineer Ernst Etienne. "This has been a distinguished tastefulness for me such as I've been able to learn so extensively about system work in current and applying that to work on the CubeSat."

Previously its fright in 2010, the CubeSat Formation Design has nearly stuck-up than 90 CubeSats from primarily educational and government institutions disclose the Connected States. NASA chose these minute satellites from respondents to shape announcements for the agency's CubeSat Formation Design. NASA command announce unconventional ask for proposals in Esteemed 2014.

Credit: NASA