Initial On-Orbit Engineering Results from the O/OREOS Nanosatellite

CHRISTOPHER KITTS; MICHAEL RASAY; LAURA BICA; IGNACIO MAS; MICHAEL NEUMANN; ANTHONY YOUNG; GIOVANNI MINELLI; ANTONIO RICCO; ERIC STACKPOLE; ELWOOD AGASID; CHRISTOPHER BEASLEY; CHARLIE FRIEDERICKS

Logan, Utah

Congreso; AIAA/USU Conference on Small Satellites; 2011

The Organism/Organics Exposure to Orbital Stresses (O/OREOS) nanosatellite mission successfully launched on November 19, 2010 from Kodiak, AK aboard a Minotaur IV launch vehicle. The principal goals for this 5.5 kg spacecraft include conducting astrobiologically-relevant experiments in two separate payloads within the 3U cubesatform factor and demonstrating in-situ measurement technology in a small satellite. Developed by the Small Spacecraft Payloads and Technology Team at NASA Ames Research Center, O/OREOS builds upon heritage gained from its two predecessors, GeneSat-1 and PharmaSat. Mission operations are conducted by students at Santa ClaraUniversity using several 3-meter S-Band antennas and supporting stations, an OSCAR-class dual-Yagi UHF station, and an automated network of receive-only UHF stations located throughout the United States. This paper presents an overview of the O/OREOS mission objectives, a description of the system design, and initial results for the onorbit performance of the spacecraft and its ground segment.