Development of a CubeSat CLIMBing to the Van-Allen belt

Based on its successful CubeSat mission PEGASUS, the University of Applied Sciences Wiener Neustadt (FHWN) is preparing its new CubeSat mission called CLIMB. CLIMB is a 3U CubeSat that will be launched to a low, circular orbit of about 500 km. Using a Field Emission Electric Propulsion (FEEP) system commercialized by the company ENPULSION, the satellite will be lifted to an elliptical orbit with its apogee around 1000 km – well inside the inner Van Allen belt. During its 1.5 yearlong ascent and its operation in the Van Allen belt, the satellite will continuously monitor the space radiation with a RadFET dosimeter payload and the impact on CLIMB’s subsystems. Comparisons with radiation testing on ground will allow the assessment of the capability of ground tests to predict effects of space radiation on CubeSat subsystems. The operation of the propulsion system will raise the satellite’s apogee on average 16 times a day. A comprehensive analysis has been conducted to assess its collision probability throughout its mission time. Using various tools, provided by ESA (CROC, MASTER and the DRAMA ARES python package), the collision probability for the entire mission duration (~3 years) was calculated to be 3.38 × 10-5, i.e. a magnitude smaller than the requested probability of 10-4. The second payload of CLIMB is an anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) magnetometer with a, for CubeSats high, sensitivity of about 10 nT RMS. The first results of measurements with this COTS based magnetometer are presented as well as experimental assessments of the satellite’s magnetic cleanliness. The benign thermal conditions on CubeSats operating close to Earth are complicated by the relatively high-power propulsion system onboard CLIMB. Detailed numerical analysis (ANSYS, ESATAN) and experimental verifications resulted in the identification of possible methods to deal with up to 18 W of dissipated electric power. The main heat sources are the thruster and the battery unit, during thruster operatio

Properties of New York/New Jersey Harbor Sediments

Sediments found in waterways around the world may contain toxic compounds of anthropogeilic origin that can harm the environment and human health. As a result, it is often necessary to remove them and find disposal methods that are environmentally and economically acceptable. Here, we report on results obtained in an experimental program to characterize the nature of the sediment contamination. The objective was to gain a better understanding of the properties of the sediments to develop better methods for understanding the fate and transport of the contaminants and for improving methods for their removal from the sediments. Our investigations made use of x-ray facilities at the Brookhaven National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) at Grenoble, France. The experiments included: measurements of the microstructure of the sediments using computed microtomography, x-ray absorption, and fluorescence microscopy with resolutions as low as 0.2 micrometers to obtain information on the relationships of organic and mineral components of the sediments and on the distribution of contaminants on the surfaces of the sediment grains, investigation of functional groups of chemical compounds using x-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron probe measurements were made to ascertain the morphology of the sediment surfaces and the distribution of metals on individual sediment grains

On handling urban informality in southern Africa

In this article I reconsider the handling of urban informality by urban planning and management systems in southern Africa. I argue that authorities have a fetish about formality and that this is fuelled by an obsession with urban modernity. I stress that the desired city, largely inspired by Western notions of modernity, has not been and cannot be realized. Using illustrative cases of top–down interventions, I highlight and interrogate three strategies that authorities have deployed to handle informality in an effort to create or defend the modern city. I suggest that the fetish is built upon a desire for an urban modernity based on a concept of formal order that the authorities believe cannot coexist with the “disorder” and spatial “unruliness” of informality. I question the authorities' conviction that informality is an abomination that needs to be “converted”, dislocated or annihilated. I conclude that the very configuration of urban governance and socio-economic systems in the region, like the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, renders informality inevitable and its eradication impossible