Date of Award
6-2016
Degree Name
Master of Science in Engineering
Department
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
First Advisor
Dr. Kristina M. Lemmer
Second Advisor
Dr. Jennifer Hudson
Third Advisor
Dr. J.P. Sheehan
Keywords
Cube sat, electric propulsion, plasma, RF Ion Thruster, magnetic field modeling
Access Setting
Masters Thesis-Open Access
Abstract
The development of new primary propulsion systems for CubeSats with the capability to complete orbital maneuvers has become a principal focus of many within the CubeSat community. One such propulsion device is the 1 cm Busek RF Ion Thruster (BIT-1). For systems such as the BIT-1 to become mission ready and implementable on spacecraft, preliminary testing must be completed to understand how these propulsion devices will perform when placed onboard. The research and testing performed and presented was used to understand how the BIT-1 propulsion device and others like it will interact with small spacecraft. This was accomplished by means of plume analysis in laboratory testing and magnetic field modeling.
Recommended Citation
Hine, Andrew Davis, "An Exploration of CubeSat Propulsion" (2016). Masters Theses. 731.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/731