Author: Michael Paluszek
-
What Makes a Reaction Wheel a Reaction Wheel?
A DC motor is the core of all momentum and reaction wheels. If you apply a voltage a, current will be produced which will cause the wheel to change speed. At the same time, the back electromotive force (EMF) will build up, eventually driving the motor torque to zero. This is evident from the dynamical…
-
Direct Fusion Drive Mission to Titan
Titan, a moon of Saturn, is of great interest to space scientists. Titan is the only moon with a dense atmosphere and clouds and with liquids on its surface. Universe Today reports on a masters thesis that proposes a mission using Direct Fusion Drive to put an orbiter around the moon. The thesis, “Trajectory design…
-
Princeton Satellite Systems and Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Researchers Named 2020 Thomas Edison Patent Award Winners
Dr. Gary Pajer, Yosef Razin and Michael Paluszek of Princeton Satellite Systems and Dr. Samuel Cohen of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory were awarded a 2020 Thomas Edison Patent Award for U.S. Patent 9,822,769, “Method and Apparatus to Produce High Specific Impulse and Moderate Thrust from a Fusion- Powered Rocket Engine.” This patent is for…
-
Visiting Planet 9
In 2015, astronomers from Caltech determined that a giant ninth planet may be orbiting the Sun. It was called Planet X and then Planet 9. The discovery was based on perturbations in the orbits of TNOs, trans Neptunian Objects. The planet has about the mass of Neptune and is in a 10,000 to 20,000 year…
-
PSS Receives U.S. Patent 10,752,385, “Magnetic Dipole Cancellation”
Spacecraft with thrusters or instruments with large magnetic dipole will experience torques in a planetary magnetic field. U.S. Patent 10,752,385, just granted to Princeton Satellite Systems, uses a current loop to cancel the magnetic field of the onboard dipole. The patent text is: “A dipole cancellation system and method may include a plurality of magnetometers…
-
Lunar Helium-3 Return to the Earth
Helium-3 is available in the regolith of the moon and is a possible fuel for advanced nuclear fusion reactors on Earth. It would be extracted from the lunar regolith, packaged and returned to Earth. One question is how to return the helium-3 to the Earth. One approach is to use aerodynamic braking to return the…
-
Hurricane Isaias 2020 and SunStation Solar Power with Battery Backup
Power went down when Hurricane Isaias moved in. Fortunately our customer had a SunStation solar power system with Lithium battery backup. Unlike other solar systems, this system has a transfer switch to disconnect the solar system from the grid so that the solar power system can power the house when the grid is down. The…
-
Toolboxes Version 2020.1 Now Available
Over 80 new functions and scripts were added in Version 2020.1. Updates were made to dozens of existing functions to improve their performance and expand their applications. Built-in demos and default data structures were added to many more functions. In the Spacecraft Control Toolbox, we added new tools for orbit control. The figure below shows…
-
Renewable Home Power, Backup, Heat and Air Conditioning
Princeton Satellite Systems has been in a leader in renewable energy with its SunStation home solar power system with battery backup. We introduced this product back in 2013. SunStation has lithium-ion phosphate batteries, the most stable and reliable batteries for home use. The core of the system is the Outback Inverter that seamlessly switches from…