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SUMMARY:Batch-fabricated Miniaturized Hardware for Low-Cost Space Missions
DTSTART:20140710T140000
DTSTAMP:20260510T013124Z
UID:916c3f67e1b70b02e05abd5c45bbf2b5fbc350326b1e06f92815423f
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Dr Luis Fernando Velásquez-García\, MIT\nMiniaturized spacec
 raft (1 – 10 Kg) have been actively investigated for over two decades as
  they could substantially reduce mission costs\, provide redundancy\, and 
 significantly increase launch rates. Miniaturized satellites can be used t
 o implement very flexible and versatile dense constellations\, capable of 
 missions such as real-time global surveillance\, communications\, and larg
 e-aperture interferometry. The challenges of miniaturized satellite subsys
 tems include the creation of efficient large arrays of scaled-down element
 s\; microelectromechanical systems and nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS
  and NEMS\, respectively) have the potential to enable a nanosatellite tec
 hnological revolution by making it possible to produce low-cost\, batch- f
 abricated\, and rugged miniaturized space hardware.\nThis talk will focus 
 on the topic of MEMS/NEMS miniaturized hardware for spacecraft using two e
 xamples of large arrays of scaled-down elements that work together towards
  increasing the net throughput of the device to enable higher performance.
  The first example is a planar array of electrospray emitters\, intended a
 s a space thruster. In this example\, micro and nanotechnology make it pos
 sible to develop a very efficient space thruster (low plume divergence\, s
 elf- neutralization\, efficient ionization)\, capable of spanning a wide r
 ange of Isp\, and able to produce thrust levels attractive for several sca
 led-down satellite missions. The second example is a miniaturized retardin
 g potential analyzer (RPA) intended as scientific payload. In this example
 \, MEMS technologies enable an ion energy distribution sensor that outperf
 orms conventional RPAs in terms of resolution and minimum Debye length\, g
 reatly extending the range of plasmas that can be measured.\nBio: Dr. Vel
 ásquez–García is a principal investigator with the Microsystems Techno
 logy Laboratories of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology\, where he 
 leads a group that conducts fundamental and applied research on systems co
 mposed of arrays of miniaturized elements that harness high electrostatic 
 field phenomena\, e.g.\, field emission\, electrospray\, plasma\, and X-ra
 ys\, for high-throughput nanomanufacturing\, energy\, space\, and healthca
 re applications. He is the co-chair of PowerMEMS 2015\, i.e.\, the 15th In
 ternational Conference on Micro and Nanotechnology for Power Generation an
 d Energy Conversion Applications\; PowerMEMS is arguably the leading confe
 rence specialized on all aspects of energy conversion and processing at th
 e miniature\, micro\, and nano scales.
LOCATION:CM1104 http://plan.epfl.ch/?room=CM1104
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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