Navigation, Guidance, Control and Dynamics Commons^™

Boom Stability Control Final Project Report, Michael Barnes, Justin Carnahan, Daniel Fluitt, Alicia Johnstone

Mechanical Engineering

The BOOMStiC Gravity Gradient Boom and Turnstile Antenna project was developed to provide a passive attitude control system and better communications for future CubeSat satellites developed by California Polytechnic State University. The system utilizes the energy from a coilable metal spring to deploy a tip mass to a length of one meter from the side of the satellite. Calculations show the resulting gravity gradient torque causes to the satellite to settle two degrees from normal to the earth’s surface.