PIERCE (updated team number 192)

Just like climate change, do you want to see space change? Hence, tackling space debris of size 1 - 15 cm in outer space is the need of the hour and how do we do it?

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Inspiration

Due to our craze for space exploration, we are forgetting how we are polluting outer space and the long-lasting changes that we are making. Just like climate change, we will soon have space change.

Due to our today's mistakes, I do not want our future generations to take charge of cleaning space just so a spacecraft or a satellite can fly to the moon or elsewhere in the galaxy. We need a better mechanism to tackle this man-made mess that we have created in space.

The rate at which these tiny space debris move in space has the capacity of destroying an entire satellite and spacecraft. Detecting Space debris is the need of the hour and we need to work on it ASAP before it gets too late for mankind to do space exploration because there is too much GARBAGE IN SPACE!

What it does

The Solution that I would like to propose is in the following three steps:

  1. Can we use Radar as a Payload on a Cubesat that can detect debris of size 1-15 cm? Challenging, but yes we can!
  2. Can we design a very High Gain Foldable Antenna into this CubeSat? Challenging, but yes we can!
  3. Can we deorbit debris by using a Gun-shoot in Space? Challenging, but yes we can!

How we built it

The following steps need to be followed as per the below priority

  1. Calculate radar equation
  2. Calculate antenna parameters
  3. Deign the deployment mechanism for the antenna into the CubeSat
  4. Design its overall system
  5. Design its electrical design
  6. Design its mechanical design
  7. Design the estimate of how the projectile can hit the debris and deorbit it
  8. Build the CubeSat and work on how it will not be potential debris in space

Challenges we ran into

Estimating how the radar can detect debris in space and simultaneously also be able to deploy a very large antenna into a very tiny CubeSat. The building of this CubeSat can take us at least 4-5 years.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I am really very confident that this will soon be a successful mission. Additionally, I am also very proud that although this system needs a little modification over time, I was still able to personally establish that this system can practically be deployed into space by taking help from my professors at Stanford as well from friends in the Spacecraft design class that I am taking at Stanford as an Electrical Engineering student. Proud of what I have been able to do so far!!! :)

What we learned

How to determine if the radar can be designed, design the very high gain antenna and establish that the projectile can be used to hit the debris

What's next for PIERCE

Working on building all the models that are mentioned under how we build it.

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