Rincon 1 was a

CubeSat A CubeSat is a class of small satellite with a form factor of cubes. CubeSats have a mass of no more than per unit,, url=https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5418c831e4b0fa4ecac1bacd/t/5f24997b6deea10cc52bb016/1596234122437/CDS+REV14+2020-07-3 ...

built by the Student Satellite Program of the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

. The primary payload was furnished by Rincon Research, hence the name. Rincon 1 was the product of the work of about 50 students, ranging from college freshmen to Ph.D. students, over the course of several years. It was launched, after being postponed several times, on board a Dnepr on July 26, 2006, but the rocket failed and the satellite was destroyed.

Listening

If the launch had been successful, persons on the ground would have needed this information to be able to hear the beacons from the satellite. # The

keplerian elements Orbital elements are the parameters required to uniquely identify a specific orbit. In celestial mechanics these elements are considered in two-body systems using a Kepler orbit. There are many different ways to mathematically describe the same ...

, in order to know where the satellite is pointed. # A radio capable of operating on 436.870 MHz, which will change with

doppler shift The Doppler effect (also Doppler shift) is the change in the frequency of a wave in relation to an observer who is moving relative to the source of the wave. The ''Doppler effect'' is named after the physicist Christian Doppler, who described t ...

ing. There is also a beacon operating on 437.345 MHz. It is a very weak signal. # A 1200 baud AFSK modem, preferably a very low-end, that does no modulation on its own. Cubesat Ground Station uses a custom-built hardware modem, and possibly a software modem (using the sound card as an Analog-to-Digital converter). # The Cubesat GS software would help, however, it is not currently available to the public. # A good antenna system, the design of the antennas is not optimal.

Components

Rincon 1 had the following components included: *6

solar cell A solar cell, also known as a photovoltaic cell (PV cell), is an electronic device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by means of the photovoltaic effect.

s *Aluminum frame - built to spin-stabilize through sunlight *Power board (used to hold batteries, maintain 5V and 3.3V charges, measure voltages and currents in several spots, and convert the power from the solar cells to usable power.) *16-bit microcontroller board with PIC16C277 microchip, which is used to gather and transmit telemetry *Radio board, which is used for 2 way communication *Experiment - Contains a 10 mW beacon board, which is being used by Rincon Research to prove new technologies

Specifications

These specifications are without respect to the payload: *Dimensions - 10 cm×10 cm×10 cm *Mass - max 1 kg (Actual ~900 grams) *Power Generation - Optimum ~2 W, average on sun side ~1.5 W *Max power output - 3W when transmitting data *Min power output - 400 mW when in a quiet state

Current status

Rincon 1 was launched with UA's satellite,

SACRED Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

on a

Dnepr rocket The Dnepr rocket (; ) was a space launch vehicle named after the Dnieper River. It was a converted ICBM used for launching artificial satellites into orbit, operated by launch service provider ISC Kosmotras. The first launch, on April 21, 1999, ...

on July 26, 2006 at 19:43 UTC. The launch failed shortly after takeoff.

References

External links