Cuberider1 payload used on the International Space Station
Object No. 2018/2/1
The Cuberider payload was designed and made in Australia, and used on the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the STEM education program for high school students. It was launched in December 2016 and is Australia's first ever payload to the ISS. Cuberider are a small Australian start-up, who were inspired by the declining interest of school students in science to create an educational program that would help renew students' interest in science, as well as develop critical skills in scientific thinking and computer programming. The payload itself comprises a Raspberry Pi A+ single-board computer and a series of data sensors, which measured information such as temperature, air pressure, light levels and motion on board the space station. These data were then transmitted back to Earth for use by school students enrolled in the education program. For the mission, Cuberider developed a fully-online science education program, which can either complement or entirely replace the school science syllabus for years 7-10. The platform assists students in developing their own science experiments, while teaching them the computer programming skills required to carry out the experiments, and providing hands-on experience with a real space mission and real scientific data. In 2016, 54 schools and over 1000 students participated in the program. The feedback from students and teachers has been extremely positive, with many saying it's the most exciting thing they've ever done, and expressing an interest in future careers in space and science. The success of the 2016 mission was celebrated with an event at the Powerhouse Museum in November 2017, with a showcase of the best student science experiments. The payload was also donated by Cuberider to the Museum at this event. In addition to its contribution to the STEM education space, Cuberider represents a major Australian achievement in the arena of space programs. Despite a long and successful history of involvement in communication and tracking for space missions - which included receiving the live television signals from the Apollo 11 Moon landing - Australia is, as of 2017, the only OECD country to lack a space agency. The successful launch of the Cuberider payload to the ISS therefore represents a doorway to Australia being further involved in space programs. It also highlights the emergence of privately funded space-missions and the small, relatively inexpensive 'cubesats' now being launched into space, which, combined, are being heralding by some as the beginning of 'Space 2.0'. Sarah Reeves, Assistant Curator, January 2018
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Summary
Object Statement
Cuberider payload, metal / silicon / plastic, made by Cuberider, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 2015-2017
Physical Description
The payload consists of a Raspberry Pi A+ (single-board computer), to which are connected various sensors. There are two electronics boards: one blue, about 10 cm x 10 cm is size with a second smaller green board (the Raspberry Pi) mounted on top. Various wires, connectors, resistors and other electronic components are sandwiched between the electronics board and a transparent plastic plate, which is attached via four posts/screws at the corners. There is also a clear plastic box, with a clasp on one side, containing a variety of small, coloured beads. Another set of four posts/screws connects the entire device to the lid of the container in which it resides. The lid forms part of a small, green rectangular box. The container has various logos, writing, stickers and barcodes on its four sides, including logos for Cuberider and Nanoracks. There is also a small round velcro dot, which would have been used to secure the container to the walls of the ISS in zero gravity. Attached to the box is a manila tag labelled 'JSC Project Parts Tag' and stamped in red with 'FLOWN HDWR'.
DIMENSIONS
Height
150 mm
Width
102 mm
Depth
102 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
The Cuberider1 payload was designed and made in Sydney, at the first Cuberider headquarters on Liverpool St, Sydney, from 2015-2016. The motivation behind the design was to create a device which could be launched to the International Space Station (ISS), and that would measure a variety of data while on board, to be used by school students to design and conduct their own scientific experiments. The device therefore had to be small, light, durable, and simple to operate, while providing a range of interesting data for students with which to work. The payload was custom-made but is constructed out of off-the-shelf electronic components. The payload uses a Raspberry Pi A+ (a type of small single-board computer), to which are connected eight different sensors, that record the data. The sensors include a thermometer, barometer, camera, luminosity sensor, ambient light sensor, ultra-violet sensor, infra-red sensor, Internal Measurement Unit (IMU, which includes a gyroscope, accelerometer and magnetometer), and real-time clock (RTC). These provide information about temperature, air pressure, movement, light levels and time on board the space station. There was also a clear container containing coloured beads, which had a camera directed at it, to study motion of objects in space. The product was designed and built during a rapid prototyping and testing phase at the company's offices in Sydney. Following construction of the final payload, it was sent to Houston, Texas, where it was subjected to a series of both operational and safety tests by NASA, to ensure that it was suitable for transportation to and operation on the ISS. The payload was launched to the ISS on 9 December 2016, via Japanese HTV-6 rocket, returning to Earth via SpaceX rocket approximately 9 months later on 16 September 2017. During this time it spent approximately one month collecting and transmitting data back to Earth for use by the students enrolled in the education program.
HISTORY
Notes
Cuberider was founded in 2015 by two undergraduate engineering students, Solange Cunin and Sebastian Chaoui. They were prompted by the sharp drop-off in interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) subjects which has been observed over the last few years, particularly with early high school students, and decided to create a program which would help reinspire students' interest in science. Cunin grew up on a remote property 50km outside Grafton, in regional New South Wales, and her family lived off the grid for the first few years of her life. Because of the remote location she grew up with spectacular views of the sky. She got her first telescope aged 8 and decided at a young age that she wanted to have a career as an astrophysicist. As a child she was expected to help out with the work on the farm, and was often found using power tools and building things. It was this ability that caused her to decide on a career in aerospace engineering instead of astrophysics, as she felt it best combined her skills and interests. Cunin's early education was at a school of less than 30 students. Following this she attended a large public high school in South Grafton, and later spent part of her education at Sydney Girls High School. She notes that science was not always her favourite subject, but that she persevered with it, because she knew she would need science as a prerequisite to a degree in aerospace. In 2011 she began her degree in aerospace engineering and mathematics. It was during the early part of her degree that she became aware of the STEM crisis in Australia. After watching the live steaming of a SpaceX rocket launch, she had the realisation that space was a topic which is universally inspiring, and could be used as a vehicle to promote interest and understanding of STEM subjects in school. Chaoui grew up in Mt Druitt, a suburb in Western Sydney, and dreamed of becoming an astronaut since he was a child. He graduated from high school but didn't get the marks to go straight into an Aerospace Engineering degree, so instead chose to enrol in Mechatronics (a combination of mechanical and electrical engineering) at UTS. Throughout his degree Chaoui worked on various extra-curricular space projects, which included developing experiments and satellite components for major universities and top aerospace companies. Many of these activities were completed alongside Cunin, whom he had met interning at a space company. In 2013, disheartened by the lack of options for careers in the space industry he decided to start his first space start-up. Although this venture ultimately failed, Chaoui remained inspired about being involved in the space industry. Soon after, Cunin and Chaoui came up with the idea for Cuberider, and decided to develop the program together. The company began in Cunin's living room, and in various University libraries. Cunin and Chaoui initially attempted to gain support with academics and professionals, but after some frustration with this approach, decided to go ahead and build the payload on their own. A major step in their success was when Cuberider was awarded accelerator funding by Telstra. This provided access to proper office space in which to further develop the payload, and ultimately led to the growth and success of the company. There were many obstacles encountered in launching the payload to the ISS. The first was that Australia is not currently part of the ISS program. In order for the Cuberider payload to be accepted by the ISS, it needed to be signed off individually by all 16 member countries. This was assisted by Cuberider's American partners, DreamUp PBC and NanoRacks. Another obstacle was obtaining the required Overseas Launch Certificate (OLC) from the Australian Government. This process was described as 'extremely tedious' by Cunin, and prevented other organisations from obtaining an OLC. The Space Activities Act was later re-written, greatly simplifying the process, something that Cuberider played a pivotal role in. After the OLC was obtained in May 2016, Cuberider focused on developing the online education platform that would be the key to schools' involvement in the program. In their first year (2016) Cuberider had 54 schools, and over 1000 students participate in the program. The payload was initially intended to launch in December 2016 on a SpaceX rocket, but following a SpaceX explosion during launch tests in September 2016, Cuberider were forced to switch to a different rocket. On 9 December, 2016, the payload was successfully launched to the ISS, on schedule, via Japanese HTV-6 rocket, docking 4 days later. The payload was installed on the ISS on 19 December, 2016. In total it spent approximately nine months aboard the space station, during which time about one month was spent collecting and transmitting data back to Earth for use by the students enrolled in the program. Following completion of the 2016 program, the payload returned to Earth via the SpaceX rocket on 16 September 2017. It arrived back in Sydney on 24 October 2017, and was donated to the Museum in January 2018.
SOURCE
Credit Line
Gift of Cuberider, 2018. Transportation costs of returning this object to Earth were paid with funds donated through the 2017 annual appeal.
Acquisition Date
15 January 2018
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