Meet the team: Enforce
| Teacher: | Massimiliano Di Capua |
| Team members: | On-Board Avionics and Power: Gatti Valerio, Cossu Claudio, Angelini Lorenzo, Sorrentino Lorenzo; Structures, Mechanisms and Thermal: Maiellaro Gabriele, Gatti Valerio, Sforza Alessandro; Ground Systems, Data Processing and Software Development: Reda Matteo, Burs Robert, Cancelli Marco, Preti Valerio, Thiery Francesco; Operations: Cancelli Marco, Fioravanti Stefano; Recovery and Control: Consiglio Francesco, Fabbrizzi Mirko, Fioravanti Stefano (Leader); Outreach: Colagrossi Linda, Thiery Francesco (Leader); Program Management, integration and testing: Colagrossi Linda. |
| School: | I.T.I.S. Enrico Fermi, Rome |
| Country: | Italy |
Description of the CanSat missions:
ENFoRCE (ENrico Fermi Research Cansat Experiment) is a small, can sized vehicle capable of acquiring advanced telemetry and executing different types of telecommand operations in two very different modes. The system is capable of conducting both aerial manoeuvres and ground locomotion through the use of the same control mechanism. After the payload is released from the launch vehicle, it will commence a controlled descent glide through the use of a parafoil to deliver the payload on a predetermined location near the launch site. The designated landing zone will be chosen based on the local weather (winds direction and intensity) and terrain characteristics. Once the payload has safely reached the ground, the system will release the parafoil and conduct a 100 meter traverse at the end of which it will acquire a panoramic picture of the landing site. Most operations will be manned by a pilot but as a target of opportunity, autonomous operations are being considered.
The team architecture has been designed to mimic as much as possible how a real spacecraft development team would function and when coupled with the canonical set of design milestones, it will result in a high fidelity simulation of a real life industrial process that will give the students a very rare and extremely insightful experience which will hopefully inspire them to either perusing higher education and/or will better prepare them for a future industrial career.
Progress
The ENFoRCE Team is now actively testing sub system prototypes and defining operational procedures. A structure prototype has been developed along with several breadboard subsystems test beds. A preliminary software package is being developed along with a ground station GUI. A great deal of work has been going in developing simulators for speeding up the design and evaluation phase of all the sub systems. Students have gained proficiency in the subjects of microelectronics design and programming, aerodynamics and structural systems and mechanisms. The informatic infrastructure has been established and is now undergoing a review and the outreach group is about to post their first batch of videos and pictures. Lastly the students are now defining the test protocols for the first series of experimental subsystems evaluations such as the recovery parasail system.