Damping and Vibrations Experiment
The Damping and Vibrations Experiment, also known as CP-7, is a technology demonstration nanosatellite developed by the PolySat laboratory at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, in collaboration with Northrop Grumman. The spacecraft adheres to the 1U CubeSat standard and is currently in a 93° inclination orbit. DAVE will study the vibration of metal beams damped with tungsten particles in a micro-gravity environment. The test elements are driven by a piezoelectric actuator, and vibration data is collected via an accelerometer at the tip of each beam. DAVE was launched into a high-inclination orbit as a secondary payload on the final flight of the Delta II launch vehicle as part of the ELaNa-18 ride-share mission with NASA's ICESat-2 primary payload. The launch occurred out of Vandenberg Air Force Base, California on September 15 at 6:02 AM local time. DAVE was deployed alongside three other CubeSat spacecraft: University of Central Florida's SurfSat, and two ELFIN spacecraft from University of California, Los Angeles.
As of November 2018, the spacecraft was active and in good health.
Design
DAVE is a 1U CubeSat spacecraft, measuring approximately 10x10x11cm. The spacecraft was integrated into a PPOD alongside the University of Central Florida's SurfSat. Fixed solar panels on the sides of the spacecraft provide power to the avionics and transmitter. DAVE is operated from UHF ground stations at California Polytechnic State University.As the satellite's experiment is contained entirely within the spacecraft and does not require any external influence, DAVE contains no attitude control system. A deployable UHF dipole antenna was used to provide fairly omnidirectional coverage, negating the need for spacecraft pointing.