Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 1.19 Nanosatellite and its carrier
Fig. 1.20 Orbits of
nanosatellites in the US
National Aeronautics and
Space Administration and
the Goddard Space Flight
Center program
both local (in the current point of the orbit) and remote measurements. To this end
their orientation with respect to Earth is stabilized by rotation or in three spatial
axes.
Thus, the dimensions of the individual elements of the picosatellite system are
far from nanoscale. Nevertheless the basic principles of the system design comply
with the nanotechnological ones. Simple microelements form a macrosystem
performing much more complex functions than its constituent individual parts.
The significant advantages of such a system compared to separate standard
multifunctional satellites are launch weight reduction, the possibility of using a
less powerful spacecraft carrier, and, consequently, a significant reduction in the
cost of the program.
The NASA/GSFC system is one of the simplest cases discussed in the literature
in terms of structure and functions. Other system designs are possible in which
dedicated satellites collect and process in the orbit the information received from
