HERON: Demonstrating a Novel Biological Platform for Small Satellite Missions

Long-duration deep space missions pose a significant health risk for both humans and their resident microorganisms. The GeneSat, PharmaSat and O/OREOS missions have previously explored biological questions regarding the effects of spaceflight on S. cerevisiase, B. subtilis, and E. coli. However, there currently exists both a knowledge and an accessibility gap in small satellite biological experiments. These payloads require precise instrumentation and complex platforms that are usually reserved for large research organizations. This makes it difficult for smaller organizations to perform biological research in low Earth orbit (LEO). To address these challenges, the University of Toronto Aerospace Team (UTAT) Space Systems Division is currently developing the HERON CubeSat. HERON houses a payload platform which measures the effects of the LEO environment on the gene expression and drug resistance of Candida albicans, a yeast commonly found in the human gut microbiome. Previous research has suggested that C. albicans might display increased pathogenicity and drug resistance in response to microgravity, which has important implications for long-duration human spaceflight. The yeast cells are housed in custom acrylic microfluidics chips containing 32 wells with channels for media and drug delivery. A measurement printed circuit board (PCB) contains custom optics capable of measuring minute changes in cell fluorescence. The entire payload stack is then housed in a temperature- and humidity-controlled 2U pressure vessel. Space Systems as a whole is an undergraduate student-led and student-funded design team, dedicated to the development of small satellite missions with a focus on education and undergraduate learning. HERON is scheduled to launch Q1 2022 into a Sun-synchronous orbit via a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at an altitude of approximately 550 km. Our platform is open-source and can serve as a low-cost template for future biological CubeSat missions. This paper serves as a technical and scientific description of the platform, along with the lessons learned during the payload design, assembly, and validation processes

Prominence of Conceptual Design with Computer-Aided Design Tools for Junior and Senior Product Designers

© 2020 American Society for Engineering EducationAs the demand for more innovative products to help improve the lives of others increases, the product design industry continues to require more effective design methodologies. Conventional wisdom and research suggests that Computer-Aided Design (CAD) is a tool for detailed design, and is not appropriate for the conceptual phase of the design process. However, given new advances in cloud-computing and real-time synchronous collaboration, the ability to quickly digitally prototype unique concepts in CAD has never been easier. Given that new engineering graduates are part of the “digital native” generation, anecdotal evidence suggests these designers have a natural inclination and ability for this digital prototyping. Our study seeks to formally test whether a dichotomy exists between younger designers who are entering the workforce, and older designers who are veterans in product development, regarding the best-practices in CAD usage for conceptual design - “Conceptual CAD”. The paper begins with a critical review of the existing body of literature which advises the designer against Conceptual CAD. Next, we present the findings of a survey of professional product designers (spanning a variety of networks including LinkedIn and local product design think-tanks). We focus the analysis of the survey on differences in Conceptual CAD design practice by a variety of factors (e.g. years of experience with a given CAD tool, industry of practice, amount of time spent performing team vs. individual design actions, etc.), with the goal of identifying if correlation exists between designer age and inclination to use Conceptual CAD. Our study reveals important implications for engineering educators. Newly graduated engineers have advanced comfort and abilities with digital tools, and a corresponding proclivity to perform Conceptual CAD. These preferences benefit from the features of modern CAD tools, including fast collaboration and sharing. Though current introductory CAD courses are sufficient at teaching students how to use CAD, there is a recommendation for more cohesion and CAD usage in advanced design courses. Allowing more usage of CAD in more comprehensive design driven courses, can allow students to more accurately simulate the product development process in industry, and thus reduce the education to industry application gap