ESA Academy’s Orbit Your Thesis! programme
At a Glance
Section titled “At a Glance”| Metadata | Details |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 2022-04-01 |
| Journal | 4th Symposium on Space Educational Activities |
| Authors | Joost Vanreusel, Nigel D. L. Savage, Jeffrey Gorissen |
| Analysis | Full AI Review Included |
Executive Summary
Section titled “Executive Summary”The ESA Academy’s “Orbit Your Thesis!” (OYT) program provides university students with end-to-end, industry-level experience managing space experiments aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
- Core Objective: To deliver a tailored learning path that complements academic education by mimicking professional space project management using adapted European Cooperation for Space Standardization (ECSS) guidelines.
- Platform Access: Experiments are housed within the commercial ICE Cubes Facility (ICF) in the ISS Columbus module, offering standardized 1U (10 cm cube) access.
- Microgravity Duration: The platform provides weeks to months (up to four months typical) of high-quality microgravity exposure (averaging 10-6g).
- Project Structure: The program enforces rigorous technical milestones, including Preliminary Design Review (PDR), Critical Design Review (CDR), and Flight Acceptance Review (FAR), alongside multiple Flight Safety Reviews (FSRs).
- Key Achievement (OSCAR-QUBE): The first successful team, OSCAR-QUBE, deployed the first diamond-based quantum magnetometer ever operated in space, mapping the Earth’s magnetic field from inside the Columbus module.
- Technical Interfaces: The ICF provides power (up to 10 W per unit for design purposes) and Ethernet communication (4 Mbps downlink total).
- Educational Outcome: Participants develop essential professional skills, including project management, risk mitigation, and working within a diverse, international space environment.
Technical Specifications
Section titled “Technical Specifications”| Parameter | Value | Unit | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISS Microgravity Level | 10-6 | g | Nominal operations environment |
| ISS Internal Pressure | 1 | bar | Pressurized environment |
| ICF Experiment Standard | 1 | Unit | 10 cm cube standard |
| ICF Total Capacity | Up to 20 | Units | Total capacity within the ICF |
| ICF Operating Temperature Range | 20 to 25 | °C | Maintained by the ICF |
| Max Power (Preliminary Design) | 10 | W | Maximum power per unit |
| +12 V Line Max Current | 3.1 | A | Max 37.2 W available |
| +5 V Line Max Current | 1.0 | A | Max 5 W available |
| Data Downlink Rate (ICF Total) | 4 | Mbps | Maximum rate for the entire ICF |
| Data Uplink Rate (ICF Total) | 0.5 | Mbps | Maximum rate for the entire ICF |
| Typical Mission Duration | Up to 4 | Months | Duration in orbit within the ICF |
| OSCAR-QUBE Sensor Type | Diamond-based | N/A | Quantum magnetometer |
Key Methodologies
Section titled “Key Methodologies”The OYT program utilizes a structured, phased approach mirroring professional space mission development, guided by ESA Academy experts and ELGRA scientists.
- Pre-Selection (Phase A/B): Teams perform feasibility assessments and preliminary requirements definition at their home institute, ensuring compatibility with ICF and program requirements before formal entry.
- Design and Development (Phases B, C, D):
- Phase B (PDR): Preliminary Design Phase, concluding with the Preliminary Design Review (PDR).
- Phase C (CDR): Critical Design Phase, concluding with the Critical Design Review (CDR).
- Phase D (FAR): Qualification and Production Phase, encompassing environmental (e.g., vibration testing at ESEC-Galaxia) and functional tests, concluding with the Flight Acceptance Review (FAR).
- Safety Assurance: A parallel series of Flight Safety Reviews (FSRs) are conducted throughout development to ensure the payload remains safe for operational use on the ISS.
- Launch Campaign: Following FAR, hardware is shipped to ALTEC (Turin, Italy) for a final Cargo Review (CR) to verify packaging, labeling, and outward appearance before integration into the launch vehicle.
- Operations and Control:
- The experiment is installed in the ICF following launch and berthing.
- Activation is performed by the ICE Cubes Mission Control Centre (ICMCC).
- Control is subsequently passed to the student team, who operate the experiment remotely from their User Home Base (UHB) according to predefined plans.
- Post-Mission Analysis: After retrieval or disposal, the team is required to draft a scientific paper for peer-reviewed publication, present findings at an international congress, and archive all raw data and results in an ESA repository.
Commercial Applications
Section titled “Commercial Applications”The OYT program and the underlying ICF platform facilitate research and development relevant to several high-tech industries, particularly those requiring microgravity validation and advanced sensing.
- Quantum Sensing and Metrology:
- Validation and space-qualification of novel quantum sensors (e.g., diamond magnetometers) for high-precision magnetic field mapping, crucial for Earth observation and space weather monitoring.
- In-Orbit Research Platforms:
- Utilization of the ICF for rapid, standardized, and relatively low-cost access to long-duration microgravity for commercial R&D, material science, and biological experiments.
- Space Systems Engineering and Training:
- Development of highly skilled professionals trained in ECSS standards and end-to-end space project management, directly feeding into the European space industry workforce.
- Microgravity Materials Science:
- Experiments requiring extended periods of 10-6g for fundamental research, such as advanced crystal growth, fluid dynamics, and combustion studies, where gravity effects must be minimized.
- CubeSat Technology Transfer:
- Applying the standardized 1U cube form factor and associated interface knowledge to terrestrial or orbital CubeSat development and testing.
View Original Abstract
ESA Academy is the European Space Agency’s overarching educational programme for university students. It takes them through a learning path that complements their academic education by offering a tailored transfer of space knowledge and interaction with space professionals. As a result, students can enhance their skills, boost their motivation and ambitions, and become acquainted with the standard professional practices in the space sector. This happens through the two pillars of ESA Academy, the Training and Learning Programme and the Hands-on Programmes. The latter enables university students to gain first-hand, end-to-end experience of space-related projects. One of the latest additions to the portfolio of opportunities for university students is “Orbit Your Thesis!”. It offers bachelor, master, and PhD students the opportunity to design, build, test, and operate their experiment onboard the International Space Station. The experiment operates within the ICE Cubes Facility in ESA’s Columbus module, where it can operate for up to four months in microgravity. Throughout the programme students develop essential scientific, academic, and professional skills that will help them build their future careers. These skills include project management, risk identification and mitigation, problem-solving, and working within a diverse workplace. Participating teams will experience first-hand the project management process for space missions and participate in multiple reviews of their experiment and design throughout the programme. Participating students are supported and guided through the process by engineers and scientists from ESA, Space Applications Services, and members of the European Low Gravity Research Association. The programme schedule follows a similar path to many space-faring projects. The design, development, testing, launch preparation and operations are structured in a series of project phases and technical reviews. Participating teams are guided towards the subsequent milestones to pass the necessary safety reviews and achieve launch readiness. The first team that successfully sent up their ICE Cube is OSCAR-QUBE, a multidisciplinary team from the University of Hasselt in Belgium. Their experiment is the first diamond-based quantum magnetometer that ever operated in space. Thanks to the unique characteristics of their sensor, they have been mapping the Earth’s magnetic field from inside the Columbus module aboard the ISS without the need to be housed on the exterior. This paper will describe the various phases and technical aspects of the programme in more detail