Stheno

 

The Stheno CubeSat mission involves a 3U CubeSat designed to gather data pertaining to ocean pollution markers, macroplastics being the primary focus. The data, in the form of high-resolution images, would be captured by a hyperspectral camera calibrated to best observe in and around the spectrum of which plastics emit at. The Stheno CubeSat Team, composed of ASU undergraduate students, is steadfast in preparing a proposal to submit to the NASA CSLI opportunity.  The end goal of the project is to fabricate the satellite and send it to space. 

The health harm that plastics cause, both in humans and in oceanic creatures, is a matter warranting extreme concern. In humans, compounds known as phthalates disrupt the reproductive function to vast extents and hinder growth cycles of children. These compounds enter the plastics that we use during their manufacture and leech out of the plastics products into our systems. An extremely common example of this occurrence is when food items are heated in plastic or foam containers in microwave ovens. Another example of phthalates entering a human’s body is when hospitalized babies are on life support systems; as the oxygen, glucose, etc., that is being supplied to the infant has to travel through tubes made of plastics; in such a scenario these compounds cause acute harm. The plastics floating in the ocean undergo photodegradation by sunlight exposure and, again, harmful components seep into the water.

As there is an incredible amount of plastic in our water bodies, approximately 20 million metric tons entering every year, most of which goes un cataloged, the Stheno CubeSat Team aims to survey the oceans from space and with the help of a novel optical technology provide more insight into the extent of the ocean pollution that we as a species have caused.

 

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ASU has been steadfast in leveraging smallsat technologies for satisfying excellent missions, and in doing so has given its students exposure to the best and current engineering practices and to its faculty and researchers an opportunity to make revolutionary discoveries. The Phoenix CubeSat was a venture of student members of SDSL who accomplished the aforementioned goals. The LightCube and the LunaH-map missions are CubeSat missions that are on track to accomplish the same. The Stheno CubeSat mission is SDSL’s next shot at sending a satellite into orbit that would acquire data relevant to the betterment of all life on earth.

 

 

Team members:

 

  • Animesh Rajvanshi

  • Ashley Lepham

  • Saketh Ramanujam

  • Dylan Larson

  • Lucas Van Noord

  • Athul Kodancha

  • Divya Sree Naidu

 

 

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