thedesign-universityofillinois.docVIP

Thunderstorm Effects in Space: Technology Design and construction of a Nanosatellite Imaging Instrument to study thunderstorm-induced phenomena in Earths atmosphere BY Matthew Linden Maple B.S., Portland State University, 2001 THESIS Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Electrical Engineering in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2004 Urbana, Illinois Committee approval form goes here.Acknowledgments I would like to thank Professor Gary Swenson for his guidance and instruction throughout this project. I would also like to thank NASA and the USAF Office of Space Research for providing the funding and expertise that made this project possible. To all the students, staff, and faculty of the Electro-Optics Systems Laboratory, I am grateful for your kindness and advice during my time in the lab. And lastly, a special thanks to my parents, Paul and Patricia, for always being there for me and encouraging me to reach for my goals in life. Table of Contents Page 1. Introduction 1 1.1 Technical Proposal 2 1.1.1 Imager 2 1.1.2 HP 3 1.1.3 Specifications 3 2. The Design 5 2.1 General Overview 5 2.1.1 Instrument components 5 2.1.1.1 Viper 5 2.1.1.2 MaxCam CCD camera and interface board 6 2.1.1.3 Z-World LP3500 and photon counter board 6 2.1.1.4 Shutdown board 7 2.1.1.5 Hamamatsu H8259 photometer 7 2.1.2 Mechanical assembly 8 2.1.2.1 General layout 8 3. Hardware 11 3.1 Imager Camera and Interface Board 11 3.1.1 Interface board and connectors 11 3.1.2 CCD array 12 3.1.3 Mechanical assembly 13 3.1.3.1 Interface board 13 3.1.3.2 Camera 14 3.2 Viper PC-104 Single-Board Computer 14 3.2.1 Specifications 15 3.2.2 Software 15 3.2.3 Mechanical assembly 16 3.3 H8259 Hamamatsu Photometer 17 3.3.1 Count sensitivity and dark current 18 3.3.2 Mechanical assembly 20 3.3.2.1 IBP 20 3.3.2.2 HP and HBP 20 3.4 Photon Counter Board 21 3.4.1 Z-World LP3500 22