Payload Page
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2009 - 2010 Payload Project Paramagnetic Separation of
a Pure Gas Mixture in a Low-Gravity Environment
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One of the requirements set by NASA is that the launch vehicle and the science payload
be both recoverable and reusable. As such, the Mile High Yellow Jackets have
designed their entire payload package around a Sustainability motif. The
Mile High Yellow Jackets are introducing a totally reusable payload system called
the Modular Payload System (MPS). The MPS consists of separate modules for
Power, Data Acquisition System (DAS), Flight Avionics, and the Experiment. This
will allow for quick and easy swapping of payload experiments by simply switching
out the Experiment Module from the MPS.
With interplanetary space exploration on the horizon, the need for a novel method
of separating pure gases in low-gravity environments, such as on the moon or in
orbit, will grow significantly. This is due to the fact that on long-duration space
exploration missions, any on-board mechanical devices are subject to failure at
any given time. As a result, replacement parts must be carried since a re-supply
vessel can take several days to many months to reach its destination. Additionally,
while on long-duration missions, manufacturing items utilizing local resources in
a low gravity environment becomes essential to the self-sustainability of
the crew. However, during the manufacturing process, the potential exists for contamination
of the atmosphere from manufacturing by-products.
Resultantly, the Payload team will be investigating how pure gasses react in an
applied, low-power electromagnetic (EM) fields in a low-gravity experiment. It is
believed that:
If a pure gas has at least a single unpaired electron in the valence shell, then,
in a closed container, the application of an external magnetic field will displace
the gas inside the container.
The team plans on taking advantage of the low-gravity environment produced at and
around apogee by the rocket’s ballistic trajectory and perform its experiments
in a closed environment within the rocket. The results of this experiment can be
used as the foundation of further investigation of a solid-state pure gas
separation device.
Payload Documents
Payload Documentation
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Document Name
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Document Type
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Document Source
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Document Name
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Document Type
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Document Source
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REDAS (Rocket Experiment Data Acquisition System) Open
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 Acrobat
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GA Tech USLI
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MPS (Modular Payload System) Animation Open
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 Quick Time
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GA Tech USLI
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