Person:
Lightsey,
E. Glenn
Lightsey,
E. Glenn
Permanent Link
Associated Organization(s)
Organizational Unit
Organizational Unit
ORCID
ArchiveSpace Name Record
5 results
Publication Search Results
Now showing
1 - 5 of 5
-
ItemThe Journey Of The Lunar Flashlight Propulsion System From Launch Through End Of Mission(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2023-08) Smith, Celeste R. ; Cheek, Nathan ; Burnside, Christopher ; Baker, John ; Adell, Philippe ; Picha, Frank ; Kowalkowski, Matthew ; Lightsey, E. GlennThe Lunar Flashlight Propulsion System (LFPS) was developed as a technology demonstration to enable the Lunar Flashlight spacecraft to reach Lunar orbit and to desaturate onboard reaction wheels. While the system produced over 16 m/s of delta-v and successfully managed momentum, variable thrust performance, most likely due to debris in the propellant flow path, kept the spacecraft from reaching the Moon. This paper details the in-flight journey of the LFPS, highlighting both successes and challenges met throughout the mission, and provides lessons learned applicable to future CubeSat missions and additively manufactured propulsion systems.
-
ItemSystems Integration and Test of the Lunar Flashlight Spacecraft(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2022-08) Cheek, Nathan ; Gonzalez, Collin ; Adell, Philippe ; Baker, John ; Ryan, Chad ; Statham, Shannon ; Lightsey, E. Glenn ; Smith, Celeste R. R. ; Awald, Conner ; Ready, W. JudLunar Flashlight is a 6U CubeSat launching in late 2022 or early 2023 that will search for surface water ice content in permanently shadowed regions at the south pole of the Moon using infrared relative reflectance spectroscopy. The mission will act as a technology demonstration of an Advanced Spacecraft Energetic Non- Toxic (ASCENT) green propulsion system and active laser spectroscopy within the CubeSat form-factor. This paper provides an overview of the entire Systems Integration and Test campaign which took place at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Georgia Institute of Technology. From initial testing of the isolated avionics and payload subsystems to the final tests with a fully integrated spacecraft, the project’s integration and test campaign is reviewed, with a focus on lessons learned.
-
ItemDevelopment of a CubeSat-Scale Green Monopropellant Propulsion System for NASA's Lunar Flashlight Mission(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2021-01) Huggins, Grayson ; Talaksi, Ali ; Lightsey, E. Glenn ; Andrews, Dawn ; Cavender, Daniel P. ; Diaz, Carlos ; McQueen, Donald ; Williams, Hunter ; Baker, John ; Kowalkowski, MatthewNASA’s Lunar Flashlight is a low-cost 6U CubeSat whose mission is to search for ice and mineral deposits inside of the scattered craters at Moon’s southern pole. To conduct its primary science mission, Lunar Flashlight must be placed in a stable lunar polar orbit which requires the utilization of an on-board propulsion system. However, to this date, most CubeSats have been propelled by cold-gas or electric propulsion systems that have proven to scale well but lack sufficient impulse to conduct large _+ maneuvers such as orbit insertions. To this end, the Lunar Flashlight mission has chosen to utilize a custom-designed green monopropellant propulsion system developed by the Georgia Institute of Technology under the leadership of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and support from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The developed system is capable of providing more than the required propulsive capability for full mission success while fitting inside of a 2.5U volume and weighing less than six kilograms. The system utilizes the Advanced Spacecraft Energetic Non Toxic (ASCENT) green monopropellant that provides higher specific impulse compared to traditional hydrazine while also being safer to handle. If successful, the presented propulsion system will enable Lunar Flashlight to be the first CubeSat to reach the Moon, the first to conduct an orbit insertion, and will be the first CubeSat demonstration of the ASCENT propellant.
-
ItemDesign of a Green Monopropellant Propulsion System from the Lunar Flashlight CubeSat Mission(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2020-08) Andrews, Dawn ; Huggins, Grayson ; Lightsey, E. Glenn ; Cheek, Nathan ; Lee, Nathan D. ; Talaksi, Ali ; Peet, Sterling ; Littleton, Lacey M. ; Patel, Sahaj ; Skidmore, Logan ; Glaser, Mackenzie J. ; Cavender, Daniel P. ; Williams, Hunter ; McQueen, Donald ; Baker, John ; Kowalkowski, MatthewLunar Flashlight is a 6U CubeSat mission from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory that will search for water-ice deposits near the lunar south pole. Lunar Flashlight aims to add to the flight experience of deep-space CubeSats by demonstrating an orbit insertion using a green monopropellant propulsion system designed uniquely for this mission. Developed by NASA Marshall Spaceflight Center (MSFC) and Georgia Tech's Space Systems Design Laboratory (SSDL), the Lunar Flashlight Propulsion System (LFPS) delivers over 2500 N-s of total impulse for the orbit insertion and necessary attitude maneuvers. The custom propulsion system fits within a 2.5U volume and has a total wet mass of less than six kilograms. It will be fueled by AF-M315E, which is a green monopropellant developed by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) as a safer alternative to hydrazine. Additive manufacturing is utilized to fabricate several components of its primary structure. Upon completion, Lunar Flashlight may become the first CubeSat to achieve orbit around a celestial body besides Earth. The LFPS aims to be a pathfinder device for CubeSat missions by demonstrating how monopropellant systems, green monopropellant fuel, and additive manufacturing can be utilized to expand the reach of small satellite space exploration.
-
ItemCupid's Arrow: A Small Satellite Concept to Measure Noble Gases in Venus' Atmosphere(Georgia Institute of Technology, 2018-03) Sotin, Christophe ; Avice, Guillaume ; Baker, John ; Freeman, Anthony ; Madzunkov, Stojan ; Stevenson, Terry ; Arora, Nitin ; Darrach, M. R. ; Lightsey, E. Glenn ; Marty, B.Getting reliable measurements of noble gases in Venus’ atmosphere with a CubeSat-derived mission concept is very challenging. But if feasible it could change how we make this fundamental geochemical measurement in planetary atmospheres and other gaseous environments (e.g., plumes emanating from icy moons or dwarf planets) across the solar system. Venus poses the most urgent and nearby target for such measurements, to fill in a key piece of the puzzle of Venus’ origin, evolution, and divergence from Earth’s geophysical history. Understanding Venus’ geophysical evolution is also key to interpreting observations of “Earth-like” exoplanets in order to assess whether they are Earth-like or Venus-like, which has obvious implications for their habitability potential. Noble gases are tracers of the evolution of planets. They trace processes such as the original supply of volatiles from the solar nebula, delivery of volatiles by asteroids and comets, escape rate of planetary atmospheres, degassing of the interior, and its timing in the planet’s history. However, a major observational missing link in our understanding of Venus’ evolution is the elementary and isotopic pattern of noble gases and stable isotopes in its atmosphere, which remain poorly known [1]. The concentrations of heavy noble gases (Kr, Xe) and their isotopes are mostly unknown, and our knowledge of light noble gases (He, Ne, Ar) is incomplete and imprecise. The Cupid’s Arrow mission concept would measure those quantities below the homopause where gas compounds are well mixed.