What does it take to point a spacecraft with only one thruster? In this episode, we dive into the engineering behind DeepSpace‑2’s gimbal system: a mechanical interface that enables directional control for our electric propulsion. GNC Engineer Emerson and Flight Software Engineer Kieran walk us through how they built the software, math, and lookup tables needed to command the gimbal, and why the complexity goes far deeper than just “move this motor.”
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What does it take to point a spacecraft with only one thruster? In this episode, we dive into the engineering behind DeepSpace‑2’s gimbal system: a mechanical interface that enables directional control for our electric propulsion. GNC Engineer Emerson and Flight Software Engineer Kieran walk us through how they built the software, math, and lookup tables needed to command the gimbal, and why the complexity goes far deeper than just “move this motor.”
Reconnoiter And Respond (ft. Brent Barbee, Lead Planetary Defense Applications Scientist + Adrienne Rudolph, Graduate Researcher at UMD)
Roid Rage
1 hour 5 minutes
3 weeks ago
Reconnoiter And Respond (ft. Brent Barbee, Lead Planetary Defense Applications Scientist + Adrienne Rudolph, Graduate Researcher at UMD)
Two planetary defense researchers join Robyn, President of AstroForge, to talk asteroid disruption, mission planning, and why Apophis 2029 is a close call - but not a crisis. Brent Barbee and Adrienne Rudolph walk us through how impact risk is assessed, what it takes to launch a mitigation mission, and why not all asteroids can be “Armageddoned.”
Roid Rage
What does it take to point a spacecraft with only one thruster? In this episode, we dive into the engineering behind DeepSpace‑2’s gimbal system: a mechanical interface that enables directional control for our electric propulsion. GNC Engineer Emerson and Flight Software Engineer Kieran walk us through how they built the software, math, and lookup tables needed to command the gimbal, and why the complexity goes far deeper than just “move this motor.”
