Video: Magnetic flux pinning demonstrated. Spacecraft next?

Working with the Space Systems Design Studio at Cornell, graduate student Joseph Shoer demonstrates the properties of magnetic flux pinning, which, as he suggests, could be used to build highly reconfigurable modular spacecraft. In the past year, it's been suggested that CubeSats might be used to demonstrate these properties in space.

Joseph, we'd love an update on that idea!

Wayne

Comments

[Joseph Shoer]

Hey there!

The CubeSat is more than a suggestion now, though still at a very early stage in development. I'm working with a Cornell undergraduate project team in an effort to design and build a simple flux pinning technology demonstration mission this academic year. The mission would likely involve two modules (perhaps two 1U CubeSats) linked by flux-pinning forces and would demonstrate actuation of the interface with electromagnets.

We're also working on a new suite of ground demos and experiments to enable further design work on flux-pinned spacecraft systems.

[Wayne]

Thanks Joseph for the update! Best of luck to you and your team. Feel free to update Kentucky Space on your progress :-)

[Joseph Shoer]

Another update for you: no CubeSat yet, but we did fly a set of mockup CubeSat-sized spacecraft on a NASA microgravity aircraft this summer:

http://www.spacecraftresearch.com/flux/flux_research.html